Environmental award for vessel speed reduction

Yang Ming has received the Sapphire Award for the fourth time under NOAA’s "Protecting Blue Whales & Blue Skies" programme. The honour recognises the carrier’s ongoing efforts to reduce vessel speeds off the Californian coast to protect endangered whales and cut emissions.

Since 2016, Yang Ming has voluntarily slowed ships to ten knots or less in key habitats near San Francisco, Monterey Bay and Southern California. These actions help prevent whale strikes, reduce NOₓ and SOₓ emissions, and lower underwater noise.

The award was accepted by Thomas Zin (left) of Yang Ming (America). The company aligns its strategy with UN SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and promotes marine biodiversity protection through education and internal sustainability programmes. Yang Ming views every environmental initiative as an investment in long-term ecological balance. (ah)