Repcet: protecting cetaceans
Highly-involved in protecting the environment and in promoting sustainable development, La Méridionale was the 1st shipping company in 2011 to equip its fleet with REPCET.
This collaborative software shares the positions of dolphins, whales, fin whales, sperm whales, etc. present in the Mediterranean with other ships so as to avoid collisions with these mammals and to limit acoustic disturbances.
How does REPCET work?
REPCET is software imagined by Captain Frédéric Capoulade and Pascal Mayol, respectively President and Director of the Souffleurs d'écume association, now known as Miraceti. REPCET, originally developed for the Pelagos Sanctuary, is a system designed to be rolled out everywhere collisions between ships and large cetaceans are a threat for protected species.
In 2009, La Méridionale provided one of its ships to help develop this solution.
During the crossing between Marseille and the Island of Beauty, the watch officer or deckhand of the ferry to Corsica keeps an eye on navigation and the water body from the bridge.
This watch duty means that, any time a marine mammal is observed, the coordinates of its position are recorded in REPCET's scientific database.
The data is transmitted to all ships in the area that use the software, so they are notified and, as such, can avoid a collision that is generally fatal for cetaceans.
Protecting the Pelagos Sanctuary during Marseille-Corsica crossings
La Méridionale's fleet crosses the Pelagos Sanctuary, a maritime environment with incredibly-rich heritage, on a daily basis. Our ferries to Corsica coexist here with the whale populations present.
Our commitment for protecting cetaceans during crossings between Corsica and the continent is part of a responsible management approach for our activities. Since 2005, La Méridionale has taken a firm stance to reduce the environmental footprint of its ferries to Ajaccio and Porto-Vecchio.
Where is the Pelagos Sanctuary?
The Pelagos Sanctuary is a Mediterranean marine area covering 87,500 km². It is the subject of an agreement between Italy, Monaco and France for protecting the marine mammals that live in it. Through REPCET, La Méridionale plays a role in safeguarding cetaceans during its crossings between the Island of Beauty and the continent.
