Warning that increase in shipping around South Africa to avoid Middle East could harm whales

Ships have rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope since 2023 to avoid conflicts in the Middle East. Middle East conflict: Increase in sea traffic off South Africa could harm whales, scientists warn Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Scientists fear that more ships are sailing through areas with lots of whales A humpback whale is seen breaching in Cape Town's Atlantic Ocean Warning that increase in shipping around South Africa to avoid Middle East could harm whales Scientists are warning of an increased risk of collisions between whales and ships off South Africa's south-western coast, caused by changing shipping routes due to conflicts in the Middle East. The rerouting of ships around South Africa since 2023, when Houthi rebels hijacked a British-owned vessel near Yemen, has substantially increased the chances of vessels striking the mammals in the region, they say. The US and Israel's ongoing war with Iran has worsened the situation. This has led to more ships transporting goods between Asia and Europe sailing around Africa to avoid the Middle East. Around 89 commercial vessels sailed around the Cape of Good Hope between March and April this year, almost double the figure of 44 over the same period in 2023, according to AFP, quoting the International Monetary Fund's PortWatch report. Chief scientist at the University of Pretoria's Whale Unit Professor Els Vermeulen and her team presented their findings to the International Whaling Commission recently. She told the BBC said her team had "looked at distribution models of different whale species around the Western Cape and overlaid these models with shipping routes to see where there's a risk of collisions" to make their findings. Vermeulen added that it was hard to quantify the number of whales struck due to a lack of current data. She noted that most collisions tended to happen deep offshore, leading to the animals sinking to the bottom of the ocean rather than washing up on the coast. This is referred to as "cryptic mortality", which makes it difficult to estimate the scale of the problem. Vermeulen offered suggestions to deal with the issue, including tweaking shipping routes and reducing the speed at which vessels travel at certain times of the year. But until more data is collected, solutions are hard to recommend, she said. Vermeulen and her team plan to do a systematic survey of whale populations offshore by plane or boat but they "need support for this work", she told the BBC. "It's been nice to see how much people want to come together to solve this. So now the onus is on the scientific community to come up with reliable data on the offshore whale population," she said. A grainy screen grab showing a rope with a crocodile on the end with a man holding on higher up Police officer tells of operation to retrieve human remains from crocodile Emmerson Mnangagwa wears a scarf bearing Zimbabwe's national colours. He smiles next to one of the stone bird sculptures. Zimbabwe's iconic stone birds were taken by colonialists. Finally, they're all back home Julius Malema is seen in his signature red overall in parliament What next for South African opposition firebrand Malema after his five-year prison sentence? A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica One restaurant owner said there is "no substitute for Iranian saffron" because of its quality. Iran is reported to want lifting of the US naval blockade, recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for war damage. To fly the helicopter it now costs £483 an hour, up from £222 an hour in February. The Strait of Hormuz waterway remains effectively shut, severely disrupting global energy shipments. A fishermen's leader tells the BBC that 40 people are feared dead - either in the strikes or drowning as they tried to flee. The defence secretary accuses the senator of "blabbing on TV", after Kelly expressed concern about the US munitions stockpile. He said the austerity measures would reduce India's fuel use and help save foreign exchange. Iranian authorities have imposed an internet ban but using trusted sources, special correspondent Fergal Keane hears from those traumatised by conflict and government repression.