Ferries speed through whale sanctuary despite collision risks — SkimNews
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- Grimaldi Group ferries, including Cruise Roma, spent the most time traveling at 15 knots or above in the Pelagos sanctuary in 2022 and 2025, with seven of its vessels accounting for about 8% of all high-speed hours in the protected zone.
- Shipping companies including Grimaldi Group, Corsica Ferries, Baleària, and Moby Lines operate large vessels that regularly exceed 15 knots in the north-western Mediterranean PSSA, where speeds above 10 knots drastically increase whale fatality risk in collisions.
- IMO established the north-western Mediterranean Sea as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in July 2023 and issued a voluntary speed recommendation of 10–13 knots for vessels over 300 gross tonnes to reduce cetacean strike risks.
- Tethys Research Institute leads citizen-science expeditions in the Pelagos sanctuary, where researchers like Alice Barbarioli document whale injuries likely caused by vessel strikes, such as a precise wound on a sperm whale’s fluke.
- Oceancare states that slowing vessels is the most effective collision mitigation strategy when rerouting isn’t possible, and supports transitioning from voluntary to mandatory speed rules in cetacean habitats.
- Veson Nautical and Global Fishing Watch data show ships spent over 280,000 hours above 15 knots and more than 6,000 hours above 25 knots in the PSSA in 2025, though this reflects an 11% decline since 2022 and a one-third drop in time above 25 knots.
Why it matters: Endangered sperm and fin whales face ongoing lethal threats in a designated sanctuary because voluntary speed limits are widely ignored, especially by fast ferries tied to commercial schedules. Without binding rules, companies gain operational efficiency while cetaceans pay the price—despite evidence that slower speeds could prevent most fatal strikes.
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