LR has released a new airborne noise emission notation (ABN) and ShipRight procedure to meet increasing demand for a standard and methodology to control airborne noise emissions from ships.
The new notation defines a set of limit levels for airborne noise emission from ships. This enables ports to better monitor overall noise levels from ship calls. It will assist ports in determining which and how many ships can access the most noise sensitive areas of the port. It will also allow ports to specify ships require a certain ABN notation to stay in a noise sensitive area of the port, for example those locations close to residential areas.
Similarly, the new ABN notation enables ship owners to demonstrate that their vessels have controlled airborne noise emissions to gain access to noise sensitive areas, such as ports in city centres or natural sanctuaries.
Airborne noise levels present similar challenges for inland waterways. Directive (EU) 2016/1629 specifies the maximum noise level from a ship in the EU when sailing and at berth, however, achieving the ABN notation will ensure that the ship complies with these requirements.
The new notation defines five limit levels for the airborne noise emission:
Super Quiet (SQ)
Quiet (Q)
Standard (S)
Inland waterways (IW)
Commercial (C)
The notation also describes how the compliance can be ensured at design stage by giving examples of how to calculate the expected noise levels.