IFAW: Identify ships that contribute to underwater noise pollution, maritime organisation urges governments

International Maritime Organisation urges governments to review harmful ocean noise caused by commercial fleets based on a report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) met from 13th-17th July. IFAW has been involved in the discussions to reduce the number of whales killed by collisions with ships and to reduce underwater noise pollution. In his opening address to the meeting, the secretary-general of the IMO, Mr. Efthimios Mitropoulos, singled out the development of a guidance document to minimise the risk of ship strikes with whales and dolphins, as a key item for the meeting as exemplified by the IMO Council’s decision two weeks ago to convert to “full” the provisional consultative status previously granted to IFAW. IFAW welcomes the decision of the Committee to adopt the guidance document and believes this will make a significant contribution to efforts to reduce the risks to whales.

The committee and several IMO Members expressed appreciation for the report presented by IFAW on “reducing underwater noise pollution from large commercial vessels”, looking into technical measures and future research needs that can be implemented by governments and the industry to tackle the noise issue.

Following IFAW recommendations, the committee also urged governments to review their commercial fleets to identify the ships that contribute most to underwater noise pollution. This is an essential first step towards reducing noise and its effects on whales and other marine life since IFAW estimates that the noisiest 10% of ships contribute the majority of the noise problem. IFAW welcomes the continued work of IMO on reducing noise and believes that a small amount of focussed research will lead to practicable, cost-effective ways to substantially reduce underwater noise pollution.

About the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)

As one of the world’s leading animal welfare organizations, IFAW has representation in 16 countries and carries out its animal welfare work in more than 40. IFAW works from its global headquarters in the United States and focuses its campaigns on improving the welfare of wild and domestic animals by reducing the commercial exploitation of animals, protecting wildlife habitats, and assisting animals in distress. IFAW works both on the ground and in the halls of government to safeguard wild and domestic animals and seeks to motivate the public to prevent cruelty to animals and to promote animal welfare and conservation policies that advance the well-being of both animals and people.