The U.S. ocean regulator plans to make changes to a longstanding rule designed to protect endangered right whales, in an apparently shipping-friendly move, reports The Associated Press. The announcement has prompted criticism from environmental groups who cite the recent death of one of the whales, found near a remote barrier island off Virginia’s eastern shore. According to Cape Cod Times, she was three years old and the second dead right whale in less than two weeks.
Current rules require large ships to slow down at certain times to avoid collisions, which are a leading cause of death for the giant North Atlantic right whales that live off the U.S. East Coast and now number fewer than 400. The website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration currently states: “Most vessels 65 feet or longer must travel at 10 knots or less in certain locations (called Seasonal Management Areas) along the U.S. East Coast at certain times of the year...”
But NOAA said in a statement to The Associated Press on February 12 that it plans to soon announce proposed new rules designed to “modernize” the whale protections. The proposal will be a “deregulatory-focused action” that will seek to “reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens while ensuring responsible conservation practices for endangered North Atlantic right whales.” A notice of rulemaking on the right whale rules is listed on the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website.
From a supply chain perspective, the U.S. East Coast is a critical corridor for major container, automotive and LNG ports including the Port of New York and New Jersey, Savannah, Charleston, Norfolk, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Miami. Speed limits matter to large carriers such as Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen and ZIM on dimensions including schedule reliability, bunker fuel consumption, CO2 emissions (under the IMO’s EEXI and CII rules) and ETA accuracy. The environment-versus-economy balance will continue to drive contested legal processes through 2026 under NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Coast Guard, EPA, NMFS and the Endangered Species Act.
