Overview
Transport is renowned for being a major contributor to noise pollution. Noise and Vibrations (N&V) abatement naturally appears as an important objective for in the greening of surface transports. The SILENV project is a response to this requirement for the maritime domain. The consequences of N&V emissions from the ships are multiple. N&V emissions constitute a disturbance for both passengers and harbour area residents, and in some cases it may be a health issue for crew members. Moreover, the increasing ship traffic-generated underwater noise causes ecological nuisances on marine wildlife.
The effects of N&V generated from ships are multiple. The objective of SILENV is to study all these elements and to propose solutions, adapted to each type of ship, to reduce internal and external noise.
The interest of this project lays in its very large scope: all effects of noise and vibrations are considered and a large range of ships are included in the studies. The main types of passenger ships but also fishing and cargo ships will be concerned with the results of SILENV.
This project provided a holistic approach to reduce ship-generated Noise & Vibration pollution. After a definition of realistic target levels, existing experimental data from main types of ships and on-site measurements will be analysed to identify the most critical sources of noise and vibration. Innovative solutions will be listed and individually assessed on technical and economical criteria. These solutions shall subsequently be virtually tested and refined on numerical models of entire ships, thus allowing us to scientifically grade N&V improvements.
SILENV final main deliverable is a green label proposal that includes recommended target levels for N&V and associated design guidelines.
Funding
Results
The project has defined innovative calculation methods and procedures for noise and vibration. Experimental data, collected in an earlier phase, has been used for validation. The refined models enable noise and vibration predictions, the assessment of effectiveness of adopted solutions and comparison with noise and vibration requirements.
An important result of this project is the definition of the 'noise and vibration green label' that is applicable to most prevalent ship types. Furthermore the project has progressed the state-of-the-art in, among others, the following areas: synthesis and analysis of regulations, standards related to noise and vibration onboard ships, noise in ports and underwater noise effects, innovative solutions to reduce noise pollution, definition and validation of noise and vibration tools dedicated to ship design.
Other results
The project results impact on, for example:
- improvement of health, and safety, for sea workers;
- improvement of comfort for users of maritime transports;
- reduction of noise pollution for populations living near ports;
- reduction of underwater noise pollution and its effects on the ecosystem.
Strategy targets
An efficient and integrated mobility system:
- Promoting quality jobs and working conditions
- Service quality and reliability