top of page
Container Ship 1 (1).JPG

Verification Methods

The program works with third-party researchers and consultants to calculate the environmental benefits of participation. 

Program Partners

Screen Shot 2024-08-05 at 2.37.56 PM.png
Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory.jpeg
Starcrest Consulting.png

Reduced vessel speeds are shown to reduce air pollution, regional greenhouse gas emissions, underwater noise, and the risk of fatal ship strikes to endangered whales. Methods used to calculate environmental benefits associated with the program and latest season results are linked below.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions & Air Pollution

Emission reductions (NOx, SOx, DPM, CO2e) for each VSR season are estimated by looking at the difference in emissions between each participating vessel at its baseline speed and emissions based on the speeds observed during the VSR season.

Underwater
Noise

Underwater noise reductions associated with the program determined by comparing source levels of participating vessels during the VSR season verse outside the VSR season. 

Risk of Fatal Ship Strikes
to Whales

whale_edited_edited.png

Ship strike risk estimated utilizing parts of the full, spatially-explicit ship strike model from Rockwood et al. 2020.  Components of the model were isolated which depend on speed (eq. 1) including the encounter rate between whales and vessels, the probability of mortality given a collision and the probability of active avoidance by whales.

image.png

Resources

Scientific literature, media, and other resources regarding the interaction between shipping, marine mammals, and coastal communities.

bottom of page