Tackling ocean noise pollution

Paolo Moretti, head of the Marine Business Line at RINA Services, said, “Noise is the new pollution. The international community has raised concern that the underwater noise generated by commercial shipping may have negative consequences on marine life, especially marine mammals. RINA is tackling that with a new voluntary notation, DOLPHIN, which gives shipowners a clear option to specify commercial vessels that have implemented solutions to minimise radiated underwater noise.”
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has recently published MEPC Circ. 833 “Guidelines For The Reduction Of Underwater Noise From Commercial Shipping To Address Adverse Impacts On Marine Life”, setting out advice on design and operational solutions that may be adopted to reduce underwater radiated noise.
Furthermore, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed the (ISO/PAS) 17208-1 – Acoustics – Quantities and procedures for description and measurement of underwater sound from ships – Part 1: General requirements for measurements in deep water and ISO/DIS 16554 – Ship and marine technology – Measurement and reporting of underwater sound radiated from merchant ships – deep-water measurement.
RINA has combined the two standards into the DOLPHIN notation, which will be applicable from July 1st 2014. It has been developed in response to demand from clients who operate in sensitive marine areas and who wish to demonstrate that they have acted to mitigate the impact of their vessels.
The notation will only be granted to vessels that comply fully with both sets of regulations. The notation will give requirements on instrumentation, site and procedures to carry out the measurements, and will describe the information and post-processing activities necessary for reporting. Limits both for when the ship is underway and quiet ship operational modes are established.
RINA Services is able to provide sound radiation evaluation services, including underwater sound radiation, and measurements and design recommendations to reduce aerial noise and underwater noise.