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Unit OT 18-35, Level 18, Central Park Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai, P.O. Box 18006, United Arab Emirates
Unit OT 18-35, Level 18, Central Park Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai, P.O. Box 18006, United Arab Emirates
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07 Aug 2020 / Panama Canal, Panama
From August 1 to November 30, 2020, the Panama Canal [is encouraging] the protection of whales, dolphins, and other large aquatic animals as they begin their seasonal migration, crossing paths with vessels heading to the Canal.
Ships traveling to and from the Canal via the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean during this period must stay within designated navigation areas known as Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS), which decrease the overlap between vessels entering or exiting the Canal and migrating whales. Vessels traveling through these areas on the Pacific side of the Canal should also proceed at a speed of no more than 10 knots, a practice known as Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR).
Effective every year during the seasonal migrating period, the TSS in the Gulf of Panama have considerably decreased the interaction between ships and migratory whales since the scheme was first put in place and then amplified by the Panama Canal in 2014, according to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)…
…A recent study commissioned by the Panama Canal found that the VSR program also fosters significant emissions reductions. The study analyzed speed, position and heading data from vessels’ automatic identification systems (AIS) between 2017 and 2019, and found that vessels lowered their greenhouse gas (GHG) and pollutant gas emissions by an average of 75% during the seasonal TSS measures, depending on the type, size, and fuel of the vessel. This amounts to over 15,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)…
…From the 20-year-old restriction on the use of heavy maneuvering fuel and the discharge of any type of solid or liquid waste to its waters to the most recent industry-wide efforts to reduce GHG emissions per transport work by at least 40% by 2030, the Panama Canal remains committed to approaching environmental sustainability as a business imperative, providing the most efficient and safe routes for its customers…
(For information about operations in Panama, contact GAC Panama at [email protected])
Source: Extract from Panama Canal Authority Monthly Canal Operations Summary – JULY 2020 dated 5 August 2020