Underwater noise from fairways – policies, incitaments and governance to reduce the environmental impact

Underwater noise is an environmental pollutant that increasingly impacts marine life, but emission control and incentives are missing.

Ships are the dominating source of underwater noise but the existing policy instruments for ships are voluntary and abatement measures are seldom implemented. Environmental quality standards for underwater noise are currently being developed in order to address this problem.

As a government agency, the Swedish Maritime Administration wants to take responsibility for the national governance of underwater noise.

By convening relevant stakeholders involved in underwater noise pollution, the project’s long-term aim is to propose a management strategy including control, follow-up and mitigating measures.

Experts in underwater acoustics, marine technology and ecology, and national economy collaborate in order to design fairways with reduced environmental impact from underwater noise.IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and the Swedish Maritime Administration have a vision that Sweden, as the first country in the world, introduces incentives and measures to reduce underwater noise from fairways.

A key component is the joint development of economic incentives promoting reduced underwater noise radiation from ships, supported by research on the environmental impact of underwater noise and fairway design for noise reductions. This will be achieved through a broad collaboration between government authorities, research institutions and industry.