Shipping Company Reroutes Fleet To Avoid Endangered Blue Whales

Photo: Getty Images

The world’s largest container shipper is rerouting their ships to help protect the world’s largest mammals. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is taking a major step to protect blue whales by changing the shipping routes they use so they can avoid the whale’s habitats. Starting earlier this year, the global leader in container shipping started voluntarily rerouting their ships to limit the possibility of harming the endangered whales and other marine mammals in the waters off of Sri Lanka.

MSC made the decision to change up their routes based on research from multiple international animal welfare groups. It’s believed that the shift in their route will reduce the incidents of whales being hit by boats by 95%. In addition to the route changes, the company is also reducing vessel speeds in areas known to be whale breeding and feeding grounds.

Stefania Lallai, VP of Sustainability at MSC, says their industry has an obligation to protect the whales from collisions with ships. “MSC is proud to rank at or near the top of whale safety shipping rankings. However, we are not at all complacent,” Lallai says. “We believe that raising awareness of these issues and encouraging collaboration between industry, scientific bodies, civil society and governments is essential as we strive collectively to do more to minimize the risk of ship strikes.”

Source: Good News Network


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