Holistic noise and vibration abatement within the EU FP7. The SILENV Project: Ship Innovative soLutions to rEduce Noise and Vibration

Transports are well known to be major contributors to noise pollution. Noise and vibrations 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 ship generated noise pollution with an 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 source 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.