The United Nations Agency, the International Maritime Organisation, is proposing to carry out a study of what it has described as “actions to reduce underwater radiated noise from ships and the consequent impact on marine life.”
“The study will support the development of targets for reducing URN by generating in-water estimates and help in determining a URN baseline for ships, as well as for contemporary and future projections of URN emissions,” says the IMO.
This follows a three-year “experience-building phase” initiated in 2024, which had been due for completion next year, implementing revised guidelines for the reduction of underwater noise from shipping.
That year, the IMO issued ‘revised guidelines for the reduction of underwater radiated noise from shipping’ to address adverse impacts on marine life.
“After analysing and discussing lessons learned to date from this phase,” the IMO says that its Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction has suggested the extension of the work for two more years until 2028, “to allow more time to address remaining gaps, needs and barriers.”
The proposed study would further examine how underwater noise and its impacts on marine life can be mitigated.
Underwater noise has been described as a concern by marine scientists, with some estimating a doubling of ambient noise levels in the ocean every ten years, which is claimed to impact marine life such as whales, dolphins, fish, and sea turtles
The IMO issued revised guidelines in 2024 for the reduction of underwater radiated noise from shipping to address adverse impacts on marine life.
