Slowing deep-sea commercial vessels reduces underwater radiated noise

TLDR

The study tested whether voluntarily slowing commercial vessels to 11 knots in Haro Strait would reduce underwater radiated noise. During a two‑month trial in Haro Strait, vessel noise was recorded by three hydrophones, AIS data tracked movements, and an automated system calculated radiated noise and source levels for passing vessels. The slowdown lowered mean broadband source levels by 5.9–11.5 dB across five vessel types, demonstrating its effectiveness.

Abstract

During 2017, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation program carried out a two-month voluntary vessel slowdown trial to determine whether slowing to 11 knots was an effective method for reducing underwater radiated vessel noise. The trial was carried out in Haro Strait, British Columbia, in critical habitat of endangered southern resident killer whales. During the trial, vessel noise measurements were collected next to shipping lanes on two hydrophones inside the Haro Strait slowdown zone, while a third hydrophone in Strait of Georgia measured vessels noise outside the slowdown zone. Vessel movements were tracked using the automated identification system (AIS), and vessel pilots logged slowdown participation information for each transit. An automated data processing system analyzed acoustical and AIS data from the three hydrophone stations to calculate radiated noise levels and monopole source levels (SLs) of passing vessels. Comparing measurements of vessels participating in the trial with measurements from control periods before and after the trial showed that slowing down was an effective method for reducing mean broadband SLs for five categories of piloted commercial vessels: containerships (11.5 dB), cruise vessels (10.5 dB), vehicle carriers (9.3 dB), tankers (6.1 dB), and bulkers (5.9 dB).