Today our Board unanimously voted to support our participation in the #BlueWhalesBlueSkies vessel speed reduction program. The voluntary program results in reduced fuel use & whale strikes and a quieter ocean for migrating and feeding whales. In addition, reduced speed also reduces emissions for our coastal communities. This program runs each year from mid-May to mid-November to coincide with peak ozone and whale feeding and migration. The program monitors the speed of hundreds of vessels and uses a fleet-based approach to assign a recognition level to each of the participating shipping companies based on the percentage of their vessels that travel at a speed of 10 knots or less.
In 2022 the "Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies" program had 23 shipping companies participate, reducing 920 tons of NOx and 32k metric tons of regional greenhouse gases. Several of the participating shipping companies even generously declined their financial incentives to participate and re-invested them in the program to continue its success.
Find out more at BlueWhalesBlueSkies.org.