The number of shipping vessels participating in the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies speed-reduction program and the distance they traveled at 10 knots or less increased again during the last season!
From May 1, 2025, through Jan. 15, 2026, 787 participating vessels traveled over 481,000 nautical miles off the California coast at the slower speed that reduces air pollution and the risks to whales. This represents a 13% increase in miles and a 6% growth in the number of vessels.
Shipping lines increased their cooperation rates despite an expansion of the vessel speed-reduction zones to include the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The thresholds to earn awards based on a fleet’s total distance traveled at the whale-safer speed also increased, but 22 shipping lines reached the top tier of Sapphire with 90% cooperation rates!
The growing participation in this program is great news for California, where onshore winds, unique geography and climate, and density of mobile source emissions make air pollution a major issue. Ocean-going vessels account for as much as 50% of some coastal communities’ air pollution, including Ventura County. Ships transiting at 10 knots or less can reduce air pollution by about 30%. For more information on last season’s results, visit https://bluewhalesblueskies.org/news/blue-whales-and-blue-skies-2025-vessel-speed-reduction-season-results-and-rankings/.
