Innovative research moves shipping closer to quieter ocean
Underwater noise from ships poses a serious threat to marine life, disrupting the communication, navigation and reproduction of species such as whales and dolphins. The LOWNOISER project, led by Maritime CleanTech and partners, is tackling this growing problem head-on by developing practical solutions to reduce underwater radiated noise (URN).
Supported by the EU, LOWNOISER combines existing and adaptable technologies to create quieter, more marine-friendly ships. Its approach includes developing monitoring tools, industry guidelines and certification frameworks, offering solutions for both new builds and retrofits to help the maritime sector meet emerging environmental standards.
Lab-scale ship-like structure
In June 2025, the project reached a major milestone on its path to reducing harmful underwater noise – a key step in protecting marine ecosystems and improving vessel performance. At partner Vibrol’s state-of-the-art test facilities in Finland, researchers from VTT successfully designed and simulated a lab-scale ship-like structure equipped with a vibrating machine. This setup mimics how mechanical vibrations from onboard equipment propagate through a vessel’s hull and into the surrounding sea, creating a controlled test bed for evaluating innovative vibration dampers developed by Vibrol.
These specially engineered dampers aim to reduce vibrational energy directly at the source or along its transmission paths through the ship’s structure. Initial simulations focused on two low-frequency one-third-octave bands – 63Hz and 125Hz – which are known to travel long distances underwater and interfere with sensitive marine species.
Although physical testing will commence later this summer when the test rig is fully built, the team has already conducted detailed finite element analysis (FEA) to understand the performance of various damping solutions.
“These preliminary findings will now be used in full-scale acoustic simulations to predict the real-world effectiveness of these solutions aboard actual vessels. The insights gained from this work will support the development of quieter ships that align with emerging regulatory standards and sustainability goals,” Jarkko Keinänen, CEO of Vibrol, commented.
This achievement marks a major step forward in LOWNOISER’s mission. By combining advanced simulation, rigorous testing and cross-sector collaboration, the project is paving the way for scalable noise mitigation technologies that benefit both the maritime industry and marine life.
