New Ecolabel Will Certify ‘Whale-Safe’ Shipping Firms And Cruise Lines

"A new eco-label will certify freight and cruise companies that take steps to keep their ships from colliding with whales.

To earn the label, companies must have 24/7 monitoring aboard their ships, share whale observation data through a digital platform, have procedures in place to act if a whale is sighted, and follow local speed and navigation rules.

The challenge ahead is to persuade companies to sign up and comply — a task that will come down to pressure from customers and may be easier for some kinds of maritime companies than others, experts say."

Claudia Geib reports for Mongabay June 15, 2021.