Brussels.- The International Fund for Animal Welfare (
IFAW) announced this Monday that it has submitted a petition to the European Commission with 258,023 signatures demanding mandatory speed limits for ships to limit underwater noise and the risk of collision with whales.
“We are seeing a wave of citizen support across the continent to protect whales, dolphins and other marine life from the deadly impacts of acoustic pollution and collisions with ships,” said Ilaria Di Silvestre, IFAW Europe’s Director of Policy and Advocacy, in a statement.
That organization, which presented the signatures to the European Commission on the 12th, demands “the adoption of mandatory measures to reduce the speed of commercial ships, an essential step to restore calm to the oceans and give marine animals the opportunity to communicate, feed and thrive”.
Globally, reducing the speed of ships by 10% can decrease underwater noise from maritime transport by 40%, halve the risk of whale collisions, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 13%, according to IFAW.
A lower speed also implies lower fuel consumption, which benefits both the climate and the costs of shipowners, added the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
As the main reasons for the “lack of progress”, that platform points out that there is “vague” regulation in the European Union, as well as a “lack of binding measures, weak application by the Member States and uncertain funding”
“Constant noise creates difficult conditions for whales and other cetaceans to feed, rest, and communicate, threatening all marine life. The EU only established binding noise limits in 2024, and countries still need clear guidance to put them into practice,” added IFAW.
That organization considers that the proposal to impose mandatory speed limits aligns with the Commission’s preparations to review the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) within the framework of the Oceans Pact, which “provides an opportunity to transform guidelines into clear and mandatory measures that work at sea”.
“The EU’s recent support for the High Ambition Coalition for a Silent Ocean is a positive step in the right direction,” IFAW noted, adding that “Europe must now set clear rules and lead global change through practical and impactful solutions that protect whales and reduce emissions, while benefiting the maritime economy.”
