On board structure borne noise measurements and underwater radiated noise: AMT 2015

Underwater noise generated by shipping has become an important point of concern in the shipping industry. This concern comes from the growing awareness of the impact underwater noise can have on the underwater environment. Underwater noise from vessels can be managed not only from a machinery/propeller design point of view, but also from a ship operational point of view. In the latter case, a ship may have to operate in silent mode, e.g., at lower vessel speeds when it passes through acoustically sensitive geographical areas and therefore a noise monitoring tool is required. This paper focuses on the relationship between on board vibration (structure borne noise) measurement and the related underwater noise signatures of the Princess Royal, Newcastle University’s research vessel. Furthermore, the uncertainty with measurements will be discussed.