Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 88,733 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
In California, ship strikes of gray whales are the most commonly reported followed by fin, blue, humpback, and sperm whales. Credit: John Calambokidis/Cascadia Reseach Via NOAA
New Protections for Endangered Whales Along the California Coast Coming this Summer
Global shipping regulator the UN International Maritime Organization has adopted a U.S. proposal to increase protections for endangered whales from deadly ship strikes off the California coast.
The proposal, adopted in November, takes effect this coming summer and expands areas that vessels should avoid to give whales more space, and extends vessel traffic lanes west of, in and around NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council’s Marine Shipping Working Group originally recommended the modifications in 2015. NOAA partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard to submit the proposal to the IMO in 2022.
“The IMO’s decision will enhance navigation safety and improve protection of whales,” said John Armor, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “These adjustments demonstrate a successful collaboration between the United States, the IMO and the global shipping community.”
The International Maritime Organization recently approved changes to vessel traffic lanes in and around NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The changes take effect summer 2023. Credit: NOAA
The U.S.-recommended adjustments will enhance navigation safety and protect whale species, particularly blue, fin and humpback, from ship strikes in an area containing some of the highest densities of commercial maritime traffic in the world.
A 13-nautical-mile extension of vessel traffic lanes, known as the “traffic separation scheme,” will result in vessels lining up for port entry farther west and away from the continental shelf, in deeper waters where there are lower concentrations of whales. The area to be avoided by vessels is expanding by more than 2,000 square nautical miles, and will cover, in total, approximately 4,476 square nautical miles of important whale feeding habitat off Point Conception and Point Arguello in Santa Barbara County, California.
Blue, fin and humpback whales are protected by the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and National Marine Sanctuaries Act.
In response to a recent accident involving a shipboard crane, the U.S. Coast Guard has issued a marine safety alert highlighting the hazards associated with shipboard crane wire ropes. The...
By Julia Symmes Cobb Dec 6 (Reuters) – Tensions between neighbors Venezuela and Guyana have ratcheted up in recent weeks over a long-running territorial dispute. At issue is a 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) border territory around...
COSCO Heavy Industry Shanghai Co. has entered into a contract with MAN Energy Solutions for the retrofit of four COSCO Line containerships to dual-fuel methanol engines. The vessels, with capacities...
5 hours ago
Total Views: 147
Let gCaptain be your compass for maritime news
The news that you need delivered every morning.
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
We’ve got your daily industry news related to the global maritime and offshore industries.
OUT AT SEA?
We’ve got you covered with trusted maritime and offshore news from wherever you are.
OUT AT SEA?
We’ve got you covered with trusted maritime and offshore news from wherever you are.
JOIN OUR CREW
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 96,870 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.