Vessels are critical to the economy, with more than 80% of the world’s trade facilitated by the maritime industry.
The average container ship measures about four football fields, carrying about 15,000 standard 20-foot containers. These vessels carry goods and materials across oceans, often overlapping with important habitat for marine life.
For marine species like whales, which have not evolved to avoid these massive ships, this can result in deadly collisions known as ship strikes. Ship strikes are a major contributor of mortality to whales around the globe and are especially of concern in whale hotspots that overlap with major international shipping routes.
However, if large vessels reduce their speeds to 10 knots or less in these areas when the likelihood of whale presence is highest, the risk of fatal strikes is reduced by 50% or more.
Furthermore, reduced speeds result in fewer emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases.
This is why Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies (BWBS) works to incentivize global shipping lines to voluntarily participate in vessel speed reduction measures in key areas off the California coast.
The Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) Season is designed to coincide with endangered whale migration as well as peak ozone seasons for California coastal communities. In the 2024 season, BWBS verified that 743 vessels, across 49 of the world’s largest shipping lines, opted-in to reduce their speeds.
BWBS’ 2024 Season – the program’s 10-year anniversary – was the most significant yet, marking a jump in total participating shipping lines – from 33 to 49 – and an increase in distance traveled at “whale-safer” speeds.
In 2024, the number of shipping lines that qualified for the top award tier (Sapphire, with 85%+ total miles traveled in the VSR zones at 10 knots or less) almost doubled from the prior season, from 13 to 23. They are:
CMA CGM; Connaught Shipmanagement HK; COSCO Shipping; CSL Americas; Hong Kong Top Honor Shipping; ISM Ship Management Ltd; Maersk; Marathon Petroleum; MSC; NYK Ro-Ro; Ocean Network Express; OOCL; OSG Ship Management, Inc.; Pilion Navigation; ConocoPhillips – Polar Tankers; Starbulk SA; STX Marine Service Co; Swire Shipping; Teo Shipping Corporation; Tomini Transports LLC; Toyofuji; Wallenius Wilhelmsen; and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.
The shipping lines that qualified for the next award tier (Gold, 60-84% cooperation rate) included:
Campbell Shipping Company, D’Amico Group; Dockendale; Empire Bulker Ltd.; Evergreen; Hapag-Lloyd; HMC Shipmanagement Co Ltd; Hyundai Glovis; K Line; Mol ACE; Pacific Basin Shipping Ltd.; Raffles Shipmanagement Services; Scorpio Group; Temm Maritime Co Ltd; Unisea Shipping Ltd; Venture Shipping Ltd; Veritas Shipmanagement and Wan Hai.
In 2024, cumulative program cooperation rates continued to trend upward in both the Southern California and San Francisco VSR zones.
Program-wide, 85% of the total distance traveled by participating vessels – equating to 425,981 nautical miles – was traveled at the requested whale-safer speeds of 10 knots or less.
Of all of the traffic traveling within the VSR zones, 78% of all container ships and 97% of all auto/RORO ships elected to participate in the BWBS program.
The release of the record-breaking 2024 season results is a fitting celebration of the 10th anniversary of BWBS. In honor of the anniversary, partners reflected on the impact, context, and lessons learned.
“For the last 10 years, this voluntary program has shown what impressive environmental benefits can be achieved through partnerships,” said Aeron Arlin Genet, executive director, Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District.
“As an air district, we recognize the significant improvements in air quality for our communities through this program,” Genet said. “As voluntary cooperation of vessel operators has grown from 27% in the 2017 program to 85% participation in 2024, we have been able to reduce more than 4,500 tons of smog-forming pollution and more than 153,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases.
“These air quality wins are shared with wins for the magnificent whales that mean so much to us all. We’re proud to be a founding partner of Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies and look forward to what further environmental benefits this program brings.”
“This work really revealed participants’ genuine commitment to whale protection that goes far beyond what many might expect given the program’s voluntary nature,” said Rachel Rhodes, Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory. “What’s particularly surprising has been the depth of engagement from some shipping companies — they’re tracking progress closely throughout the season and actively seeking ways to improve in real time.
“I’ve come to really appreciate just how hard many ship captains and crew are willing to work to avoid hitting a whale, while balancing tight schedules and economic pressure. We’re grateful for the industry’s leadership and for working with us on prioritizing whale protection amid complex logistical demands.
“This willingness to adapt operations gives me hope for a future where ships and whales coexist in an increasingly crowded ocean.”
“Starting in 2018, when BWBS began its fleetwide evaluation for participating companies, air quality monitoring in Ventura County showed some of the cleanest years in modern history,” said Tyler Harris of the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.
“In 2020, Ventura County attained the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone by the deadline, a result I believe would not have been possible without the NOx emissions reductions from the program,” Harris said.
“To whales, sound is everything. Ninety percent of the ocean is pitch black, and whales have evolved over the millennia to use sound for their daily life functions,” said Vanessa ZoBell of Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “Whales use sound to navigate, communicate, and keep in contact with each other during long migrations.
“However, noise pollution from ships disrupts these essential behaviors, threatening their ability to thrive in today’s increasingly noisy oceans. One proven solution is vessel speed reduction, an effective operational measure to mitigate noise impacts on whales.
“BWBS has shown that reducing vessel speed significantly decreases ship noise pollution, with an approximate reduction of 1 decibel per knot. Implementing vessel speed reduction programs, like BWBS, in regions with high whale presence is a crucial step in mitigating the harmful effects of chronic noise pollution and protecting these vulnerable species.”