War with Iran leads to unexpected threat in South African waters

Houthi attacks and the war with Iran have forced ships to reroute around Africa, leading to a sharp increase in maritime traffic off the coast of South Africa. This has created a threat to humpback whales: collisions with container ships and tankers have become more frequent. Carcasses with propeller damage are being found near Cape Town. The threat emerges as whale populations recover after the moratorium on whaling.

Houthi attacks and the war with Iran have forced major shipping companies to change routes, sending vessels around Africa. Since late 2023, the number of container ships and oil tankers off the coast of South Africa has increased roughly fourfold. This has created a direct physical threat to humpback whales, whose feeding and breeding grounds are in these waters. Large vessels are not always able to change course in time, and whales are struck by hulls or propellers. Carcasses with characteristic deep wounds are being found near Cape Town. The threat comes at a time of historic population recovery: after decades of mass whaling, humpback whale numbers in the Southern Hemisphere fell to less than 10,000, but after the 1986 moratorium, the population exceeded 100,000. Recently, the largest recorded supergroup of 299 whales was spotted off the west coast of South Africa. Now one of the greatest successes in marine fauna recovery faces an unexpected threat caused by military actions against Iran and Houthi attacks.