Green Marine Europe committed to reducing underwater noise and protecting cetaceans

On 13 and 14 March 2025, Green Marine Europe participated in two major events, bringing together the key players in the environmental transition of maritime transport. Rich exchanges on major themes marked these two days: the reduction of underwater noise and the prevention of collisions between ships and cetaceans.

Presenting and advancing environmental certification

On 13 March, Green Marine Europe was present at the headquarters of CMA CGM in Marseille - a GME-certified company - at the invitation of IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), one of its long-standing supporters. The event provided an opportunity to present the operation of the GME environmental certification program, focusing on the “underwater noise” indicator, one of the key criteria in the evaluation grid.

Green Marine Europe is, in fact, one of the first environmental certification programs to include underwater noise as a performance indicator. This is a crucial issue, as marine biodiversity is sensitive to acoustic disturbances caused by maritime activities.

Technical and operational debates

The event also provided an opportunity to explore the concept of ‘Just-In-Time’ applied to ships. This practice involves adjusting the speed of navigation so that ships arrive at their port of call at the exact moment when the port infrastructure is ready to receive them. This practice reduces fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and underwater noise.

Another highlight was a constructive exchange on the ‘Phase of reinforcing the experience’ led by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on underwater noise. The objective is to collect field data and stakeholder feedback to identify best practices and define concrete reduction measures. Green Marine Europe is fully involved in this collective dynamic.

Focus on the north-western Mediterranean: preventing collisions with cetaceans

On 14 March, Green Marine Europe took part in a second working day organised by ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area). The objective is to accelerate the implementation of concrete measures to avoid collisions between ships and large cetaceans in an area classified as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in the northwestern Mediterranean.

Green Marine Europe actively contributes to this commitment through the voluntary recommendations integrated at level 2 of its ‘underwater noise’ indicator. These recommendations aim to encourage shipowners to adapt their speed and to draw up ambitious roadmaps to reduce their impact on these emblematic species of the region.

This double event marks a new stage in the dialogue between scientists, NGOs, institutions and shipowners. The discussions have made it possible to strengthen cooperation, particularly with the ACCOBAMS network, and to reaffirm the driving role of Green Marine Europe certification in the environmental transformation of the maritime sector.

Green Marine Europe would like to thank IFAW and ACCOBAMS for their trust and commitment and its partners OceanCare and BlueSeeds for their constant support.