Honolulu, HI

Here’s the low down on the Superferry’s new policy on “whale avoidance”.

Vessel Design:
1. Vessels have hulls the minimize the area that can strike whales
2. Vessels use water-jet propulsion; not propellers to eliminate cutting whales
3. Vessels have the ability to turn, slow and stop quickly to avoid marine mammals

Operations during Whale Season:
1. Avoid waters less than 600 feet deep when possible
2. Slow speed of boat to 25 knots or less in that depth
3. Take routes that avoid whale-dense areas

Staff and Equipment:
1. Two dedicated whale lookouts in addition to bridge crew
2. Image-stabilized binoculars, laser range/bearing finders, night-vision systems, front-facing cameras on each hull

Maneuver Procedures:
1. Actively seek and identify whales ahead of the vessel
2. If a whale is sighted within 500 meters, change course until the minimum distance of 500 meters is kept
3. If whale appears suddenly in the path of vessel, execute emergency maneuvers to avoid whales while considering vessel and passenger safety

With all this in place, people are still saying that this is not enough to ensure that whales will not be hit during operation. As it stands, during the past whale season, there were six vessel-whale collisions from other vessels that run during “whale watching” season. The fisheries recommend slowing the vessels to 13 knots. Additionally, the Department of Transportation has research that shows that whales hit by boats at 17 knots are 90% fatal.

Some of the prime areas that you can spot whales in the islands are on the south east shores of Oahu and on the south shores of Maui. Apparently, Hawaii is a calving ground for humpback whales. As a result, juvenile and whale calves are more likely to get hit because they spend a lot of time at the surface of the water.

This is a great first step by the Superferry to protect the whales, however, it is by no means the end. There’s still the people factor involved. They’ll have to train their teams to be involved in the process and that can take time despite any policy created.

Photos courtesy of NOAA via pingnews.

Hawaii superferry, whale avoidance policy, whale watching season, oahu, maui