Corporate Governance and Ethical Leadership in Maritime Trade
As marine traffic intensifies, ship strikes have become the primary direct anthropogenic threat to large whales. Beyond individual mortality, these collisions disrupt ecosystem equilibrium and remove species that are vital for carbon sequestration and climate mitigation. Balancing global commerce with marine biodiversity conservation presents a significant ethical challenge for the maritime industry.
The Atlantic Whale Deal (AWD) is an EU co-funded Interreg Atlantic Area project that addresses this challenge by developing long-term solutions tailored to the Northeast Atlantic region to reduce collision risk. The project is testing whale detection technologies and developing an interactive tool to assess collision risk, supporting its future implementation in the maritime industry. Ethical maritime stewardship requires transnational cooperation and active synergy between researchers, technology developers and industry stakeholders. In response, AWD is gathering stakeholder input on the feasibility and adoption of technological tools and navigation-based mitigation measures.
The adoption of these mitigation measures constitutes a dual success: it fulfils the maritime industry’s ethical responsibility to protect marine species while generating operational benefits through reduced vessel damage, lower navigational risk, and decreased associated costs. Ultimately, this collaborative approach strengthens the industry’s contribution to cetacean conservation and to the overall health of the global ocean.