EMSA publishes the NAVISON report, lead authored by JASCO

The NAVIs SONus (NAVISON) report, recently published by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), provides the first ever unified estimation of historical and future underwater noise levels for all European seas. The study was conducted by a consortium of organisations led by the European branch of JASCO Applied Sciences, together with its vessel noise control subsidiary JASCO ShipConsult and the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN).

Underwater noise radiated from ships is recognised as a stress factor for marine life, particularly for cetaceans like whales and dolphins, who use sound to locate prey and to communicate with each other. It can harm marine biodiversity and cause behavioural changes in animals. Prior studies aimed at estimating the entity of this radiated noise were regional in scope and did not adhere to a uniform standard of computation or reporting, yielding results that could not be compared or interpreted on a common scale.

Using a single methodology, NAVISON has mapped underwater noise levels in all European seas for the first time, providing a comprehensive, pan-European overview, and allowing quantitative like-for-like comparisons of shipping contributions to ambient sound between regions, vessel categories, years, and forecast scenarios. As announced earlier this year, this constitutes an unprecedented advancement in the mapping of shipping noise at a spatial detail and geographic scale only made possible by the development of innovative modelling approaches in the course of the project.

The study yields readily interpretable findings that can be applied to the assessment of the environmental status of European seas. According to the estimates, the areas that currently have the highest sound pressure level (SPL) values in Europe are parts of the English Channel; the Strait of Gibraltar; parts of the Adriatic Sea; the Dardanelles Strait; and some regions in the Baltic Sea. The lowest values are found in the northwest part of the northeast Atlantic Ocean, particularly around the Denmark Strait and the Irminger Sea, the southern part of the Mediterranean, and the eastern Black Sea.

NAVISON has also yielded forecast sound maps to predict the future impact of maritime technology and operational measures on the mitigation of underwater noise caused by shipping for 2030, 2040, and 2050, under scenarios that consider the gradual adoption within the industry of combinations of measures ranging from improved hull design to speed optimisation. Some of the examined measures are part of the European Union’s current roadmap for reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, others are targeted specifically to the reduction of radiated noise. The study evidences that GHG reduction measures by themselves may lead to a worsening of underwater radiated noise for certain vessel categories and acoustic frequencies, and suggests that a coordinated strategy aimed at both environmental goals must be followed to achieve desired outcomes.

Download the report from the EMSA website.