Minimizing ship noise in harbours – NEPTUNES final conference in Rotterdam
Complaints about noise from seagoing vessels at berth are increasingly becoming an environmental issue. To achieve sustainable port development and operations there is a desire to reduce the noise pollution from ships at berth. As this problem concerns ships calling at different international ports, the NEPTUNES (Noise Exploration Program To Understand Noise Emitted by Seagoing ships) project is initiated and intensively accompanied by eleven ports from Europe, North-America and Oceania in order to increase the awareness and support to mitigate noise from seagoing vessels.
Due to its many years of experience in all areas of ship acoustics, industrial acoustics and noise protection, Müller-BBM plays an important role as acoustic specialist in the NEPTUNES project. Within the scope of NEPTUNES acoustic investigations for the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and the Port of Rotterdam have been supported by Müller-BBM.
The project especially includes quantification, characterization and classification of the airborne noise emission from individual seagoing ships at berth in ports and best practices for preventing and controlling noise pollution and noise propagation. A noise label is proposed by NEPTUNES which could be used to benefit ships visiting ports based on a specific score.
In order to compare and exchange measurements worldwide, a uniform measurement protocol was developed with the assistance of acoustic specialists from Müller-BBM. The measurement protocol especially combines several valid and proven standards to give a practical recommendation for measuring the sound emissions of ships at berth. Additionally, the protection of residents living near the port area plays an important role and was considered during the project. The outcomes and deliverables of the project NEPTUNES will be presented in a congress on Thursday 28th of March in Rotterdam. Furthermore, the congress will create a moment to exchange knowledge with participants working in the maritime domain.
Please visit the conference website for further details and to sign up for the conference here.
