A Guardian investigation has revealed that leading shipping companies are frequently operating fast ferries at speeds that pose a high risk to endangered whales in a protected area of the north-western Mediterranean. This comes despite a voluntary speed recommendation (VSR) from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce speeds.
The investigation, which used data from maritime intelligence firm Veson Nautical, found that large passenger and cargo vessels from companies including Grimaldi Group, Corsica Ferries, Baleària, and Moby Lines, have often travelled at 15 knots (17mph) or above in a key cetacean habitat that includes the Pelagos sanctuary. Collisions at these speeds are almost always fatal for cetaceans, whereas strikes are unlikely to be lethal below 10 knots.
In July 2023, the IMO designated the north-western Mediterranean Sea as a particularly sensitive sea area (PSSA) and advised vessels weighing 300 gross tonnes and above to sail at 10 to 13 knots. However, additional data from Global Fishing Watch showed that in 2025, ships with IMO identification numbers spent more than 280,000 hours travelling at 15 knots and above through the PSSA, with over 6,000 hours spent above 25 knots.
Marine biologist Alice Barbarioli, lead researcher for a Tethys Research Institute expedition, observed an injury on a sperm whale's left fluke, which she attributed to a likely vessel collision. Collisions are a recognised leading human-induced cause of death for Mediterranean sperm and fin whales.
While the annual time spent travelling above 15 knots in the PSSA decreased by 11% between 2022 and 2025, and time above 25 knots fell by about a third, an associate director at Veson Nautical suggested that altered shipping routes, rather than the PSSA recommendation, were likely responsible for these declines.