Fred. Olsen Express, in collaboration with the Spanish Shipowners' Association (ANAVE), held a Technical Conference on Measures for the Protection of Cetaceans on board the Bajamar Express in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The meeting was attended by Tania López-Piñero, Deputy Assistant Director of Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO), and Ángela Pazó, Deputy Director General of the Merchant Navy, along with representatives from the scientific, academic and institutional fields, as well as company technicians, who gathered to share progress and innovative measures to prevent impacts on cetaceans.
In her speech, Tania López-Piñero highlighted the importance of collaboration among public administrations, the scientific community, and the private sector in protecting cetaceans. “We must continue working together and sharing information, since data systematization is a necessary goal, as society and local contexts play a key role in ensuring that conservation is compatible with maritime and other marine activities,” she said.
She also stressed that cetacean protection is a top priority for the Ministry, along with the inclusion of species on the list of protected cetaceans. “We have a roadmap for the designation of protected areas, which has been expanded so that 22.5% of Spanish waters are now safeguarded to ensure the survival of these species and their migration routes,” she recalled.
For her part, Ángela Pazó stated that “it is essential to develop effective regulations that are compatible with safe navigation and guarantee connectivity for island territories and protection of the marine environment.”
After a welcome address by Juan Ignacio Liaño, Fleet Director at Fred. Olsen Express, the technical conference began with a presentation by María de la Peña Fabiani, lecturer and researcher in the Department of Engineering (Electrical Engineering Area) at the School of Engineering and Technology, University of La Laguna. She spoke about international projects and collaborations under the Interreg program, reviewing the progress achieved since 2019 by multidisciplinary teams, particularly in the application of thermal cameras.
Marine biologist Natacha Aguilar de Soto—who has collaborated with Fred. Olsen Express since the 1990s through the University of La Laguna and its Cetavist whale-watching program, and who currently works at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography—presented several ongoing lines of research aimed at improving cetacean protection in Canary Islands waters. She emphasized the need to address a global issue through a combination of operational, educational, and ecological solutions. Among the measures to reduce environmental impact, she highlighted speed reduction —resulting in lower fuel consumption and noise—as well as avoiding areas with high concentrations of cetaceans.
Veterinary professor Antonio Fernández, from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, head of the IUSA-VETPAT team, together with associate professor and researcher Manuel Arbelo, presented advances in the study of animal pathology linked to cetacean strandings. Professor Fernández explained that veterinarians’ role in such cases is to diagnose, treat, and prevent, in order to determine what happened, how, and why. He noted that any preventive measures adopted should be based both on scientific evidence and on social awareness.
During the meeting, Fred. Olsen Express representatives presented the innovative systems currently used by the company for early detection and route reconfiguration. Fleet Director Juan Ignacio Liaño described the company’s onboard digitalization solutions, which use sensors and big data as tools for informed decision-making, and highlighted the scope of the Fred. Olsen Vigía program, which enables the recording of sightings of cetaceans and other marine fauna and displays real-time alerts across the fleet.
The event also featured other technological innovation projects that the shipping company has developed in recent decades for the early detection of objects on the surface at short and medium distances. Iván Fernández, head of the company’s Technical Department, and representatives from Aeromarine—a firm specializing in technological solutions for the maritime and aeronautical sectors—explained advances such as the system that combines radar signal processing technology, high-definition video software with thermal cameras, and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance detection range. The panel also included Melchor González Dávila, professor at ULPGC and Doctor of Chemical Sciences specializing in Physical Chemistry, who is a member of the CanBIO program.
Fred. Olsen Express’s commitment to environmental protection is reflected in its En Armonía con el Mar (In Harmony with the Sea) program. The company’s Head of Communication and Marketing, Marina González, reviewed some of the program’s achievements and ongoing challenges.
After the presentations, attendees witnessed a live demonstration of the marine wildlife detection devices from the ship’s bridge, experiencing firsthand how these technologies are applied in real navigation.
Closing the event, Fred. Olsen S.A. General Manager, Andrés Marín, thanked attendees for their participation, stating: “With these conferences, we reaffirm our role as a pioneering shipping company in incorporating technological innovation in the service of environmental sustainability. Our priority is to sail responsibly and actively contribute to the preservation of the valuable marine ecosystem of the Canary Islands—a unique region due to its extraordinary biodiversity of cetaceans. For us, protecting this natural heritage is not only an environmental commitment but also a responsibility to Canarian society and to future generations.”
See video here