Holistic noise and vibration abatement within the EU 7FP. The SILENV Project: Ship Innovative soLutions to rEduce Noise and Vibrations

Transports are well known to be major contributors to noise pollution. Noise and vibrations (N&V) abatement naturally appears as an important objective for 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 project assesses the problem of reducing the shipgenerated Noise & Vibration pollution with a holistic approach. After a definition of realistic target levels, existing experimental data from main types of ships and on-site measurements have been analysed to identify the most critical sources of noise and vibration. Innovative solutions have been individually assessed on technical and economical criteria. Finally a pre-normative requirements formulation, called “Green Label”, is presented, aiming at reducing the noise inside the ships as well as outside in air and water.