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Clean Arctic Alliance Calls for Reduction of Underwater Noise from Ships in the Arctic to Protect Wildlife and Fragile Ecosystems.
The Clean Arctic Alliance is making an urgent appeal to the maritime sector to take concrete action and significantly reduce the impact of underwater noise from shipping on Arctic wildlife.
The increasing underwater noise emissions resulting from shipping are threatening indigenous communities and wildlife that depend on marine resources to survive in the Arctic – however, noise pollution is not regulated. During the meeting of the International Maritime Organization’s Ship Design and Construction Sub-committee (SDC 10) in London, the Clean Arctic Alliance’s Chief Advisor, Sian Prior, lamented the lack of mandatory measures to reduce underwater noise. She also emphasized the importance of the IMO shifting focus from voluntary guidelines to adopting effective regulations to address this threat to marine life.
Underwater Noise: A Growing Problem
For many marine organisms, sound is the most important means of communication. Underwater, vision is limited, and without good hearing capability, essential functions such as navigating, finding prey, and mates can be compromised. This is particularly important for marine mammals, as well as for fish and even invertebrates.
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The Arctic has been almost free of anthropogenic (human-made) sounds for a long time, but with the increase in human activity, the Arctic Ocean is becoming noisier each year. A significant source of continuous noise is shipping, specifically from propellers and engines. Given that shipping has substantially increased over the past few decades, underwater noise is a growing problem, contributing to a serious impact on the Arctic ecosystem. According to a study conducted by Transport Canada, the World Maritime University, and WWF, existing guidelines have been ineffective in reducing underwater noise, notably due to their voluntary and non-regulatory nature.
Noise Pollution: A Global Challenge
The International Maritime Organization adopted voluntary guidelines for underwater noise in 2014. There are no signs that these guidelines have had any effect, and in June 2021, the IMO agreed to ‘initiate further work on the underwater noise from ships’.
The Revised Guidelines for Reducing Underwater Noise from Commercial Shipping (MEPC.1/Circ.906) were adopted in 2023 to address adverse impacts on marine life. A three-year experience-building phase in using the guidelines was agreed upon, along with a complementary action plan that includes measures to increase awareness and acceptance of the guidelines.
Regulation and Management of Underwater Noise
During this week’s meeting, the IMO has the opportunity to implement an action plan that includes formulating best practices for planning underwater noise management, building experience to reduce underwater noise, and establishing the groundwork for new policies, all important steps toward mandatory measures that ensure the reduction of ship noise pollution across our oceans.
During SDC10, the Clean Arctic Alliance specifically appeals to IMO member states to:
- Develop a recommended framework and a plan for IMO’s Experience Building Phase (EBP). This could be achieved by adding this task to the terms of reference of the proposed Working Group for the Review of the Guidelines.
- A new task will be included in the proposed action plan guiding SDC 10 to submit an informational document to MEPC 82 (September 30 to October 4, 2024) detailing energy efficiency measures that provide benefits for reducing underwater noise and those that do not offer benefits or have a negative effect on underwater noise for MEPC to consider in its review of the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII).
- During SDC 10, discuss and agree on a recommendation that identifies an appropriate process for timely implementation of the action plan and urgently request the approval of the recommendation from MEPC 81 (March 18 to 22, 2024).
- Support the inclusion of an Implementation Framework for the Guidelines for the Reduction of Underwater Radiated Noise in Inuit Nunaat and the Arctic. In a document submitted to SDC 10, the Inuit Circumpolar Council is requesting a ‘how-to’ document to be developed for ships to implement the Inuit Nunaat guidelines. Since the Arctic is a special case, there needs to be a specific focus on ways ships can reduce noise, taking indigenous knowledge into account and…
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Source: © OFF Shore Energy
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