Whale monitors get green light

The Environment Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday for the establishment of a monitoring system which warns passing ships if large marine mammals, specifically whales, are on their route.

The SAvE Whales system (System for the Avoidance of ship-strikes with Endangered Whales), which has already been pilot tested in 2020 and 2021 off southwest Crete, was developed by Greek scientists to detect whales and transmit their exact position to passing ships, in real time, so that they could slow down or modify their course to avoid a collision.

SAvE Whales will be used in the area between Kythira, Cape Tainaron and Cape Malea in southern Greece.