Swire Bulk Reroutes off Sri Lanka to Avoid Whale Strikes

Swire Bulk announced it is voluntarily rerouting its vessels off southern Sri Lanka to avoid whale strikes in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

The move comes after researchers identified ship strikes as the leading cause of death for whales in the area, a feeding ground for many cetaceans.

Swire Bulk, part of the Swire Group, said its vessels will now pass at least 15 nautical miles south of Dondra Head traffic separation scheme and avoid sailing through marked out as “no go areas”. This directive will apply to all ships transiting to the south of Sri Lanka, excluding ships calling Galle OPL and ports within marked areas. Any vessels calling Galle will reduce speed to 8 knots as a way to reduce the likelihood of ship-strikes.

Organizations like Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) and Stolt Tankers have also made similar route adjustments to protect endangered whales.

Swire Bulk CEO, Peter Norborg, said, “Sustainability and safety are at the core of our business – and in this case, we need to consider and prioritize the ecosystem in which we operate and the safety of marine wildlife. Swire Bulk is already a proud participant of the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program where we work with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to reduce underwater noise generated by vessels to support and save endangered southern resident killer whales. Rerouting our vessels in Sri Lanka is just another way that we can continue to do more for the ocean ecosystem. Although this deviation will incur a small increase in voyage distances for our ships, this is the right thing for us to do. We are proud to act on the research initiated by a fellow Swire-group company and to raise awareness on how minor deviations can have a big impact on the welfare of endangered whales.”