Because Our Planet Is Blue

Why is this important?

Our leaders have committed to tackling the climate crisis and protecting biodiversity by 2030. The UN Ocean Conference 2025 is our chance to make this happen. [1] Citizens across the world are calling for urgent action, including mandatory speed limits for ships.

Ship strikes are killing whales at an alarming rate. In the Mediterranean alone, collisions are the main source of human-caused death for endangered fin whales and sperm whales. Current shipping speeds significantly increase the risk of collisions, resulting almost always in lethal strikes. [2]

Beyond collisions, shipping has broader impacts. In some areas, ship noise has doubled every decade for 60 years, creating an underwater acoustic fog that prevents whales from communicating, finding food, and navigating. [3]

Even marine protected areas offer little safety. Current voluntary speed recommendations are widely ignored. In the Northwestern Mediterranean, the home of fin whales and sperm whales, 80% of merchant vessels continue to travel at dangerous speeds above 10 knots. [4] Without mandatory limits, these "protected" areas remain death traps for endangered whales.

Reducing ship speeds by just 10–20% could cut deadly collisions by up to 78% and underwater noise by up to 67%, offering benefits for both marine life and climate goals. [5]

We have the solutions to truly protect the Ocean. Now we need our leaders to turn them into action.

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