New platform makes global vessel speed limits, routing measures and other whale protection requirements easier for shipping operators to access and integrate into operational systems.
The World Shipping Council (WSC), in partnership with HUB Ocean, has launched a digital version of the WSC Whale Chart, providing the maritime industry with improved access to global information on measures designed to protect whales from vessel operations.
First launched in 2023, the WSC Whale Chart was the first global mapping of known mandatory and voluntary government measures designed to reduce the risk of harm to whales from vessels. These measures include vessel speed restrictions, routing measures, areas to be avoided and requirements addressing underwater radiated noise.
By partnering with HUB Ocean to produce the digital Whale Chart, these measures are now easier to explore, easier to keep up to date, and can plug directly into digital tools and operational systems.
“Mariners operate across many different jurisdictions, and the measures in place to protect whales vary from country to country and region to region. Bringing this information together digitally and making it available to mariners on the bridges of the ships they are navigating makes it easier to use in voyage planning and helps crews see where changing course or slowing down can make a real difference,” said Joe Kramek, President & CEO of the World Shipping Council.
“The Whale Chart has already become an important reference point for the shipping industry,” said Kimberly Mathisen, CEO of HUB Ocean. “Our hope is that by making this information easier to work with, it becomes part of more decisions, more voyages and ultimately more action to protect whales.”
The Whale Chart and all its underlying datasets are now available through HUB Ocean’s Ocean Data Platform, an open, cloud-based geospatial platform that turns ocean data into insight and action.
Bringing the Whale Chart into that ecosystem means it can be explored alongside other authoritative datasets such as marine protected areas and other ocean intelligence layers, supporting richer insights and decisions for mariners, ship operators, governments and researchers alike.
Alongside the new digital platform, WSC has released the fourth edition of the WSC Whale Chart handbook, providing a quick regional overview of whale protection measures. The digital Whale Chart complements this with more detailed, searchable and most current information for specific voyage areas.
Whales travel across national boundaries and through some of the world’s busiest shipping routes. Where shipping traffic and whale activity overlap, separating ships from whales is the most effective way to reduce the risk of collisions. Where separation is not possible, measures such as speed reductions can help reduce the risk and severity of ship strikes while also limiting underwater noise.
WSC will continue to update the WSC Whale Chart as measures change and new information becomes available.
The digital WSC Whale Chart on the Ocean Data Platform is available here and a preview is available on WSC’s Whales webpage.
