2022 Underwater Noise Detection Solutions

 

As the worry for sustaining the world’s marine life keeps increasing, 2022 shall see various underwater noise detection solutions and research groups brought into the fore.

 

One such group conducting investigations is the American Bureau of Shipping. They are conducting an investigation to characterise the sources of underwater noise from the current fleet of vessels specifically focusing on propeller and hull-mounted machinery noises. The results from this study will help improve the prediction of underwater noise from current vessel designs. It will also assess the effectiveness of current noise measurement standards, and guide the optimisation of future quiet vessel designs

 

Another project on the go is a product being developed by BPE Technologies Inc. The organisation will develop a real-time tool to monitor a vessel’s underwater noise performance. Testing and trials will verify whether their technology can quantify the effectiveness of new vessel designs, retrofits, or operational practices aimed at reducing underwater vessel noise.

 

A company called Cellula Robotics will install hydrophones and other equipment onto a “Solus-LR,” a Hydrogen Powered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, to conduct a two week operation. They will collect background acoustic and environmental data in Southern Resident killer whale habitat. The data will be made available to support future research into the effects of vessel traffic on orca populations. It will also demonstrate the viability of zero emission technology for use in monitoring underwater vessel noise.

 

A new software tool is being developed to identify and predict different human-made underwater noise sources by Clear Seas. The tool could be used to model different potential mitigation strategies and enable an adaptive management approach to reducing noise across regions. This tool is expected to help government and industry develop new approaches to address underwater noise on a regional basis.

There are so many exciting projects within the shipping industry to reduce pollution, be is carbon emissions or sound pollution. The future looks bright for eco-friendly shipping across the oceans.