The Port of Hueneme was recognized for the majority of ships calling on the port being enrolled with BWBS. From left to right, Sean Hastings with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Lucia Ayala, Stacy Lange and Giles Pettifor with the Port of Hueneme; and Jessica Morten with the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Photos by Katie Abbott Photography
Event honors exemplary conservation efforts
VENTURA — International industry leaders came together at Alta Sea at the Port of Los Angeles April 16 for the annual Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies (BWBS) Awards Ceremony, which recognized the top-performing shipping lines for the 2024 season and celebrated 10 seasons of the program.
The busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere offered a fitting place to recognize shipping industry leaders who move cargo all over the globe for their exemplary efforts in the most impactful BWBS season yet.
Top-performing Sapphire-tier shipping line receive Blue Whales and Blue Skies whale tail awards.
BWBS Sapphire-rated lines — meaning their fleets transited 85% of the time at 10 knots or less in the vessel speed reduction (VSR) zone — each received a coveted whale tail sculpture for the highest performance. This year, each tail was handcrafted by shipwright Nate Slater from his woodshop. All the wood was sourced from remnants or drops from his career repairing wooden seiner and prohibition-era rum runner boats in the Pacific Northwest. Whale tail awardees were: CMA CGM; Connaught Shipmanagement HK; COSCO Shipping; CSL Americas; Hong Kong Top Honor Shipping; ISM Ship Management Ltd; Maersk; Marathon Petroleum; MSC; NYK Ro-Ro; Ocean Network Express; OOCL; OSG Ship Management, Inc.; Pilion Navigation; ConocoPhillips – Polar Tankers; Starbulk SA; STX Marine Service Co; Swire Shipping; Teo Shipping Corporation; Tomini Transports LLC; Toyofuji; Wallenius Wilhelmsen; and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.
Air Pollution Control Officer Ali Ghasemi welcomes attendees to the ceremony celebrating Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies, a program the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District he oversees helped launch 10 years ago.
“We are excited and proud of the success of this program! It continues to be a challenge but not one that is insurmountable,” said NYK Line Regional Operations Manager Jack Duesler. “Each year has its own difficulties, but we are able to work as a team both internally and externally to ensure we achieve the prestigious Sapphire rating.”
Ambassadors with 90% or more of eligible shipments with participating lines over the past year also received whale tail awards. They were: The Block Logistics, Who Gives A Crap, Eggboards, Nomad and JAS Worldwide. The Port of Hueneme was also recognized for the majority of ships calling on the port being enrolled with BWBS.
Planning, Rules and Incentives Manager Tyler Harris of the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District provides a 10-year overview of the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program.
Shipping lines that volunteer to participate in the BWBS program reduce their speed along stretches of the California coast. In doing so, they help reduce the risk of fatal ship strikes on endangered whales, ocean noise, and air pollution and greenhouse gases.
The program has dramatically advanced voluntary participation,research and opportunities to protect both marine and human life in California’s coastal communities. Over the last 10 seasons, the environmental benefits brought by BWBS have only grown, and in recent years, the program has expanded to include company ambassadors that work with participating shipping lines and commit to helping promote responsible shipping.
Planning Division Manager Alex Economou and Air Pollution Control Officer (APCO) Arlin Genet with the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District and APCO Ali Ghasemi and Planning, Rules and Incentives Manager Tyler Harris with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District represented the program’s founding air districts at the ceremony.
In honor of the program’s 10-year anniversary, special recognition was given across several categories. Evergreen, CMA CGM, and K-line were recognized for their leadership in sharing the most whale-sighting information with BWBS over time. MSC was honored for achieving the coveted Sapphire Award tier every year it has been possible since it joined BWBS. Cumulatively, across the last eight years, MSC reduced its fleet’s speeds to 10 knots or less for the most distance of any participant — more than 168,000 nautical miles.