The European Union is to give €6.3m ($6.5m) to a pan-European project investigating how underwater noise radiating from ships can be reduced.

Marine scientists have said underwater sounds can have a detrimental effect on marine life and the noise from shipping is one of the largest culprits.

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The topic has been picked up at the International Maritime Organization and among various governments around the world in recent years, with the IMO publishing guidance on noise reduction.

The EU-backed Lownoiser project has brought in 15 companies to develop noise reduction technologies, and to work on the development of regulatory standards.

Brussels has included noise as a pollution factor needing to be addressed in its Marine Strategy Framework Directive with the European Maritime Safety Agency publishing the SOUNDS report in 2021. This report included an inventory of underwater noise sources and possible solutions.

Norway’s Maritime Cleantech, a cluster organisation based in Bergen, said Lownoiser will now begin to assess some of these technologies.

It said the potential solution might lie in hull air-lubrication systems, a technology being deployed on ships that reduces friction to increase fuel performance.

Lownoiser will also examine bevel gears and new engine mounts to reduce vibrations, better monitoring systems and new acoustic sensing to take underwater noise measurements.

Two ships have been earmarked as test beds for some of the potential tools including Hurtigruten’s expedition vessel Roald Amundsen (built 2019) and the 159,179-dwt tanker Montesperanza (built 2012) owned by Spain’s Ibaizabal Group.

“We’re very proud to launch the Lownoiser project, which represents a pivotal step in addressing the critical environmental challenge of underwater noise pollution from shipping,” Maritime Cleantech chief executive Ada Jakobsen said.

“With a holistic approach, we are ensuring that the technologies are part of a sustainable, long-term solution to protect marine ecosystems, safeguarding our oceans for future generations,” she added.

As well as the two shipowners and Maritime Cleantech, the partners in the project include engineering firms Kongsberg, Alfa Laval and Bergen Engines, and classification societies Lloyd’s Register and Bureau Veritas.

There are also research institutes and universities from around Europe among the 15 project partners including SINTEF in Norway and VTT in Finland.