MEDITERRANEAN Shipping Company (MSC) and a number of other companies have been honoured for setting an industry example by voluntarily reducing vessel speeds in areas where endangered whales regularly feed outside of San Francisco Bay
MEDITERRANEAN Shipping Company (MSC) and a number of other companies have been honoured for setting an industry example by voluntarily reducing vessel speeds in areas where endangered whales regularly feed outside of San Francisco Bay. The award was presented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NO) and the Cordell Bank and Greater Farallones national marine sanctuaries off the US Pacific coast.
The purpose of this speed reduction initiative is to improve air quality, reduce risk of fatal whale strikes and protect whales within national marine sanctuaries, reported UK's The Loadstar.
Being struck by large ships is one of the leading causes of whale deaths globally. The speed restrictions, during the period when whales migrate to the area, help to mitigate potential collisions in two ways: by reducing the risk of serious or fatal injuries if a strike does occur and by increasing the odds that a whale will have sufficient time to react and avoid the collision.
MSC USA executive vice president, marketing, Paolo Magnani said: 'We are very proud to be part of the NO programme and it is particularly noteworthy that MSC had more compliant vessels than any other operator in the programme in 2017.'
