SILENV · Ships oriented Innovative soLutions to rEduce Noise & 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 in 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. This project proposes a holistic approach to reduce ship-generated Noise & Vibration pollution.After a definition of realistic target levels, existing experimental data from main types of ships and on-site measurements will be analysed to identify the most critical sources of noise and vibration. Innovative solutions will be listed and individually assessed on technical and economical criteria. These solutions shall subsequently be virtually tested and refined on numerical models of entire ships, thus allowing us to scientifically grade N&V improvements.SILENV’ final main deliverable is a “green label” proposal that includes recommended target levels for N&V and associated design guidelines.