Vports technology will monitor whale passage through ES

Between the months of June and November, Espírito Santo receives illustrious visitors: it is the period in which humpback whales leave the cold waters of Antarctica, where they feed, and swim thousands of kilometers in search of warm waters for their reproductive phase, arriving to the Brazilian coast.

To make the season safer, the Instituto Baleia Jubarte and Vports signed a technical cooperation agreement in order to contribute to the protection of animals and enable research and monitoring of cetaceans in the port region and surrounding areas.

Under the agreement, Vports and the Baleia Jubarte Institute prepared a guidance manual that will be passed on to vessels arriving at the port throughout this period. Among them is, whenever possible, avoiding sailing at night – a period when whales tend to rest closer to the surface; ensure maximum maneuverability of the vessel using the rudder and main engine; reduce speed to less than eight knots within the area around the port, among others.

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In addition, Vports makes available the technology of its VTMIS – a pioneering and unique information, management and monitoring system in Brazil responsible for the 24-hour vessel traffic service, to contribute to the sighting and monitoring of whales using cameras installed at points strategic plans, as well as guidance for ship commanders.

For Alsimar Damasceno, Director of Infrastructure and Operations at Vports, the technical agreement is part of an even larger project by the company that seeks international certification as “guardian of the whales” with the Great Whale Conservancy organization. “We are developing a robust plan that includes the implementation of several projects focused on the environment and sustainability. Being able to use our VTMIS system and its cutting-edge technology to ensure that this migration of humpback whales is safe on the coast of Espírito Santo is a source of pride for our company”, he reinforces.

It is estimated that Brazilian humpbacks, currently recovering from the predatory hunting they suffered, have a population size of close to 30 thousand animals. They can measure up to 16 meters and weigh 40 tons, and are monitored by the Humpback Whale Project, which keeps an eye on every jump and every movement.

“We map the whales. We see where they are, what their behavior is, how far they are from the coast, time of sighting and various biological characteristics of them, such as the fingerprint on their tail. We identify each individual, each group and also what they are doing here. The partnership with Vports only adds to our work and is an additional ally in the protection of these cetaceans”, explained Paulo Rodrigues, from the Baleia Jubarte Institute.

Humpback whales almost became extinct and the population reached less than a thousand animals. With the end of commercial fishing, the whale population has recovered and every year more than 1,500 calves are born in Brazil. Espírito Santo and Bahia are considered the largest nursery in the Atlantic for humpback whales.