In 2015, Friend of the Sea launched a campaign focusing on the increasing numbers of whales being killed or affected by ship strikes. Pygmy blue and other whales feed and breed in the Indian Ocean, just south of Sri Lanka, an area subject to some of the busiest cargo ship traffic in the world.
Aside from the potential lethal strikes, the loud noise from ships creates negative impacts on whales’ feeding and breeding behaviours.
Friend of the Sea has urged the World Shipping Council and the Sri Lankan Government to submit a proposal to the International Maritime Organization to move the shipping lanes 15 miles south, reducing the risk of collisions by 94%.
Friend of the Sea has also proposed an international project to assess such risks and introduce impact reduction measures.