The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) recently changed its ships’ course outside the west coast of Greece in order to avoid harming endangered Mediterranean sperm whales, according to greekreporter.com.
The company spoke with four different environmental non-governmental organizations who told them to act fast and assure the safety of the hundreds of sperm whales that live in the region.
“As a global leader in container shipping and logistics, we have a responsibility to ensure that our cargo operations make a positive impact, reflecting our longstanding commitment to conserving and protecting the ocean and marine wildlife,” noted Stefania Lallai, Vice President of Sustainability at MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. “Collaborating with NGO partners is key to understanding and taking action to protect endangered sperm whales along the Greek coast.”
The majority of the whales are congregated in a major container shipping route. Even though much evidence has been found to suggest that whales are repeatedly hit by ships, very few of these cases get reported or even detected.
“The whales found dead on the shore with propeller marks and cuts are just the tip of the iceberg. Up to 20 times more die offshore and are never recorded. We are also seeing fewer whales in our yearly research surveys than in previous years, which is a huge concern”, points out Dr. Alexandros Frantzis, Scientific Director of the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute. “It is our fear that without urgent action, deaths through ship strikes will cause this already small population to go extinct very soon”.
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