The project brings together 15 partners to develop innovative noise reduction technologies, establish regulatory standards, and advance industry practices to protect marine habitats.
Underwater radiated noise from ships has been found to be a significant source of continuous underwater noise pollution. It impacts marine species that rely on sound for survival, such as whales, fish, and invertebrates.
The European Commission has highlighted this issue in its Marine Strategy Framework Directive, requiring 80 per cent of habitat sizes for target species to remain free from biologically harmful noise levels.
The four-year LOWNOISER project will demonstrate practical and durable methods to reduce underwater noise from ships, applicable to new ship designs and retrofitted vessels.
Some of the noise-mitigation strategies and environmentally friendly technologies include air lubrication systems that create a layer of bubbles beneath the ship to reduce drag and noise while lowering fuel consumption; and low-noise bevel gears and engine mounts designed to minimise vibrations and structural noise emitted by engines and propellers.
Further noise mitigation strategies under investigation include onboard monitoring systems to track and adjust ship noise emissions in real-time, and the use of distributed acoustic sensing, which uses fibre optic cables to monitor underwater noise in busy maritime areas without disturbing the marine environment.
Five full-scale demonstrators, including HX Hurtigruten Expedition’s Roald Amundsen cruise vessel and Ibaizabal’s Montesperanza oil tanker, will validate the effectiveness of these noise-reduction technologies and measure their benefits for marine species.
LR will lead work package 7, focusing on regulatory aspects and the development of guidelines for stakeholders and authorities. Additionally, LR will participate in other work packages, developing numerical and analytical methods and models for underwater radiated noise and assessing the efficiency of tested noise mitigation measures.
In a statement, Per Trøjgård Andersen, technical lead in engineering dynamics at Lloyd's Register, said: “LR’s involvement in the LOWNOISER project demonstrates our commitment to creating sustainable, long-term solutions for protecting marine ecosystems and safeguarding our oceans for future generations.”
The LOWNOISER project partners are: Maritime CleanTech (Norway), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, SINTEF Ocean (Norway), Técnicas Y Servicios De Ingeniería (Spain), Kongsberg Maritime (Norway), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain), Ibaizabal Tankers (Spain), Alfa Laval Rotterdam (Netherlands), Vibrol (Finland), Bergen Engines (Norway), Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare (Italy), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italy), Bureau Veritas (Portugal); HX Hurtigruten Expeditions (Norway ) is an associated partner.
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