The World Shipping Council has launched a digital version of its Whale Chart, designed to provide easily accessible information on measures to protect whales from ships.
WSC's Whale Chart was first released in 2023, as a global source of all known mandatory and voluntary governmental measures designed to reduce harm to whales from vessels. The guide also includes information on speed restrictions, routing measures, areas to avoid, and addressing underwater noise pollution. Now, the Whale Chart is available digitally for the first time, in a partnership with environmental data nonprofit HUB Ocean.
“Mariners operate across many different jurisdictions, and the measures in place to protect whales vary from country to country and region to region," said WSC CEO Joe Kramek in an October 7 release. "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."
The digital Whale Chart can be found in HUB Ocean's data platform, along with references for global marine life protection maps, observation rules for certain aquatic species, details on reef features beneath the Amazon River, and offshore survey data. Additionally, the WSC has released its fourth edition of the Whale Chart handbook, offering a quick regional summary of whale protections.
