First Greek Shipping Company Changes Sea Routes in the Hellenic Trench
There are fewer than 200 endangered sperm whales of the eastern Mediterranean sub-population, living predominantly in the Hellenic Trench. This relatively small, endangered whale population is under threat from collisions with ships, known as ‘ship strikes’, which are a major cause of death and threaten the population with extinction. It is an encouraging sign however, that an increasing part of the shipping industry recognizes its responsibility and commits to rerouting measures – the Greek company Arcadia Shipmanagement is the newest addition to that list.
Scientific studies show that the deaths of over 50% of stranded whales in the area can be attributed directly to collisions with large ships. Research in other areas also indicates that for every whale recorded that has been fatally injured by a strike, there may be 20 whales with the same fate that go undetected.
Arcadia Shipmanagement to change its shipping routes to avoid collisions with whales
It is a great success for ensuring the survival of sperm whales in the Mediterranean that the Greek-owned shipping company, Arcadia Shipmanagement, has decided that they have changed internal procedures to redirect its ships. This decision, the first of its kind within the Greek shipping industry, comes in reaction to an approach from the coalition of IFAW, OceanCare, Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute and WWF Greece, raising awareness for the plight of the sperm whales off the west coast of Greece.
Capt. Dimitrios Mattheou, CEO of Arcadia Shipmanagement commented: “We are deeply committed to sustainable and responsible shipping practices. Our decision to reroute our vessels to avoid the Hellenic Trench area, reflects our dedication to preserving marine life and protecting the endangered sperm whale population. We believe that even one whale lost to a ship strike is one too many. By taking this proactive step, we hope to set an example for the shipping industry and contribute to the global efforts in marine conservation”.
“We are extremely delighted about the decision taken by Arcadia Shipmanagement to proactively implement measures to significantly reduce the risk of its vessels colliding with endangered sperm whales in the Hellenic Trench. This is such an important contribution to species protection. We hope that more companies will also engage in imposing routing modifications when navigating the Hellenic Trench to avoid the core habitat of sperm whales,” states Nicolas Entrup, Director of International Relations, OceanCare, part of the NGO coalition.
Growing number of shipping companies take responsibility to protect whales
Arcadia Shipmanagement joins several other international companies that have committed to voluntary action. Greece is one of the largest ship-owning nations in the world and the actions by Arcadia demonstrate tangible support by a member of the Greek shipping industry to protect these local sperm whales.
Arcadia is seriously interested and devoted to any environmental and social issues related to its business, as well as placing special concerns over the footprint which the fleet vessels are “leaving” on mother nature. To achieve all the above, Arcadia is dedicated to developing and extend strong relationships with all parties involved in international shipping, based upon mutual trust and reliability.
The NGO coalition working on this issue consists of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), OceanCare, the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute and WWF Greece with the support of the WWF network.