Noise Exploration Program To Understand Noise Emitted by Seagoing ships

NOISE MEASUREMENT PROTOCOL MOORED SHIPS

Version 2.0

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Contents

1 Preliminary remarks .............................................................................................................................. 3

2 Normative references ........................................................................................................................... 4
3 Definitions and symbols ........................................................................................................................ 5
3.1 Terms ................................................................................................................................................. 5
3.2 Level parameters ............................................................................................................................... 5
4 Measuring equipment .......................................................................................................................... 8
4.1 Acoustic measuring equipment ......................................................................................................... 8
4.2 Additional measuring equipment ...................................................................................................... 8
5 Classification of ships and sound sources ............................................................................................. 9
5.1 Ship types........................................................................................................................................... 9
5.2 Sound sources on board of the ships ................................................................................................. 9
5.3 Operating conditions during sound measurements ........................................................................ 10
6 Measuring instructions ....................................................................................................................... 11
6.1 General overview ............................................................................................................................. 11
6.2 Measuring conditions for all measurements ................................................................................... 11
6.3 Sound emission measurement on board of the ship ....................................................................... 12
6.4 Complementary measurements at a certain distance from the ship............................................... 18
7 Documentation of results ................................................................................................................... 23
7.1 Formal details in the report ............................................................................................................. 23
7.2 Content to be documented in the report ........................................................................................ 24
8 Contributors........................................................................................................................................ 28

Appendix Exemplary calculation of the measurement position MP 1

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1 Preliminary remarks
This measurement protocol has the objective to provide a uniform, worldwide applicable
measurement standard describing how to measure, analyze, evaluate and classify individual ships (e.g.
container ships, cruise ships, tankers, RoRo/RoPax and bulk carriers) concerning their airborne noise
emission when moored at berth in ports. The measurement protocol shall especially ensure that the
measurements are carried out in a comparable manner in different ports and by different persons.
The measurements should be carried out by acoustic specialists / measurement institutes that are
accredited for the test procedures and standards specified in this measurement protocol according to
country-specific requirements. The respective country-specific accreditation companies should be
assigned to the umbrella association International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

The measurements shall preferably be performed as sound emission measurements on board of the
respective ship. The noise emission measurements on board of the ship will be performed to
determine the sound power level of the most dominant noise sources on this (respective) ship. The
total sound power level of the ship will then be calculated from the sound power levels of the
individual sound sources.

Only in exceptional cases, such as proven denied access to the ship, complementary sound pressure
measurements at a certain distance from the ship can be performed to estimate the total sound
power level of the ship (provided that the measurement requirements for measurements at a certain
distance can be met).

Apart from providing guidance for carrying out the acoustic measurements, the protocol will inform
about which details need to be documented during the measurements and what results are required
as an outcome of each measurement to be used for a noise label.

The results of each measurement need to be documented in a separate short report and filled in an
Excel-spreadsheet provided by NEPTUNES (to be found on the www.neptunes.pro).

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2 Normative references
[1] IEC 61672-1: Electroacoustics. Sound level meters. Part 1: Specifications. 2014-07.

[2] IEC 61672-2: Electroacoustics. Sound level meters. Part 2: Pattern evaluation tests. 2018-01.

[3] IEC 60942: Electroacoustics. Sound calibrators. 2018-07.

[4] IEC 61043: Electroacoustics. Instruments for the measurement of sound intensity – Measurement
with pairs of pressure sensing microphones. 2017-05.

[5] ISO 1996-1: Acoustics – Description, measurement and assessment of environmental noise. Part
1: Basic quantities and assessment procedure. 2016-03.

[6] ISO 1996-2: Acoustics – Description, measurement and assessment of environmental noise. Part
2: Determination of environmental noise levels. 2017-07.

[7] ISO 3746: Acoustics – Determination of sound power levels and sound energy levels of noise
sources using sound pressure – Survey method using an enveloping measurement surface over a
reflecting plane. 2011-03.

[8] ISO 9614-2: Acoustics – Determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound
intensity – Part 2: Measurement by scanning. 1996-12.

[9] DIN 45635-47: Measurement of airborne noise emitted by machines; enveloping surface method,
chimneys. 1985-06.

[10] ISO 6798: Reciprocating internal combustion engines – Measurement of emitted airborne noise –
Engineering method and survey method. 1995-12.

[11] ISO 9613-2: Acoustics – Attenuation of sound during propagation outdoors – Part 2: General
method of calculation, 1999-10.

[12] ISO 12354-4: Building acoustics – Estimation of acoustic performance of buildings from the
performance of elements – Part 4: Transmission of indoor sound to the outside. 2017-11

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3 Definitions and symbols
3.1 Terms
The acoustic quantities used in this document are stated in Table 1 together with their symbol and the
SI unit.

Table 1. Applied acoustic quantities and symbols.

Quantity Symbol (SI) unit1

Sound pressure p Pa
Sound power P W
Sound intensity I W/m2
Sound pressure level Lp dB
Sound intensity level LIn dB
Sound power level LW (Lp) dB
A-weighted sound pressure level LpA dB(A)
A-weighted sound intensity level LInA dB(A)
A-weighted sound power level LWA dB(A)
C-weighted sound pressure level LpC dB(C)
95 % percentile A-weighted sound pressure level LAF95 dB(A)
Maximum sound pressure level LAF,max dB(A)

Further level quantities together with their definitions are given in section Fout! Verwijzingsbron niet
gevonden..

3.2 Level parameters

For this measuring instruction, especially the level parameters as defined in the following apply:
LAeq A-weighted continuous sound level for continuous sound signals,
LCeq C-weighted continuous sound level for continuous sound signals,
LInA A-weighted continuous sound intensity level for continuous
sound signals,
LAF95 95 % exceedance level,
LAF10 10 % exceedance level,
LAF,max maximum sound pressure level during the measurement
interval,

1 According to the standards of DIN, IEC and ISO, the described physical level quantities have to be marked by a
corresponding index. Besides, information on the weighting and other supplements (like time and frequency weightings)
have to be added to the evaluated quantity, and not to the (pseudo) unit dB. Nevertheless, the non-standard notation dB(A)
can still be found in textbooks or legislative texts and should be stated here.
The correct notation would be, for example, LpAF= 75 dB(A) (spectral A-weighted sound pressure level, temporally weighted
with the time constant „fast“.)

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 LWA A-weighted sound power level.
The applied level quantities are in accordance with the definitions given in ISO 3746 [7] and ISO 9614-
2 [8], but are not identical with these.

3.2.1 Time-averaged sound pressure level (equivalent continuous sound pressure level) Leq2
T
1/ T  p(t )2 dt
in dB (1)
Leq = 10 lg 0
2
p0

where
Leq is the time-averaged sound pressure level (equivalent continuous
sound pressure level) in dB,
p(t) is the sound pressure in Pa,
p0 is the reference sound pressure (here p0 = 20 μPa) and
T is the averaging time in s 3.

3.2.2 Sound intensity level LIn

T
1/ T  I (t )dt  n
in dB (2)
LIn = 10 lg 0

I0

where
LIn is the time averaged sound intensity level,
I (t ) is the instant flow of sound energy through an area unit in the
direction of local momentary sound velocity,
n is the unit normal vector, which is defined to point out of the space
enclosed by the measuring surface,
I0 is the reference Intensity (here I0 = 10-12 W/m²) and
T is the averaging time.

2 The weighted levels will be stated with an additional subscript, e.g. LAeq, LCeq.
3 According to ISO 1996-1 the equivalent continuous sound level can also be marked with the index T, LeqT.
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3.2.3 Sound power level LW
P
LW = 10lg in dB (3)
P0

where
P is the sound power and
P0 is the reference sound power P0 = 1 pW.

3.2.4 95 % exceedance level LAF95

The 95 % exceedance level LAF95 represents the A-weighted sound pressure level, which is present or
exceeded during 95 % of the measurement interval (measurement time), measured with the time
weighting fast.

3.2.5 Residual noise or background noise

Residual noise or background noise describes an extraneous sound which can be heard while listening
to or monitoring other sounds. For example, when measuring the sound emission from individual
sound sources on a ship residual noise from e.g. cargo handling during loading and unloading can be
heard and recorded.

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4 Measuring equipment
4.1 Acoustic measuring equipment
The equipment for acoustic measurements must consist of:
- Integrating sound level meter with a microphone, (cable) and windscreen, in compliance with
IEC 61672-1 [1] and IEC 61672-2 [2], class 1.
- Acoustic calibrator in compliance with IEC 60942, class 1 [3].
- Optional equipment: Sound intensity probe in compliance with IEC 61043 [4].
The microphones need to be equipped with a windscreen (diameter ≥ 6 cm) for each measurement.
The calibration of the measuring system needs to be checked with the sound calibrator before and
after each measurement series.
For post-processing, analysis software is required comprising the following methods4:
- Third-octave band analysis according to IEC 61672-1 [1].
- Frequency weighting, time weighting and averaging.
During all measurements the time weighting fast will be used.
Optional equipment: If sound intensity measurements are carried out, a 12 mm spacer between the
microphones for all sound sources and especially for measurements at the funnel outlet additionally a
50 mm spacer necessarily need to be used for the respective frequency response of interest.

4.2 Additional measuring equipment

Besides the acoustic measuring equipment, the following equipment is needed for the measurements:
- Distance measurement device (accuracy of 2 % with results from 0.1 to 600 m).
- Photo camera.
- Tripod with a height of at least 6 m.
- Optional equipment: Grid airflow measurement device (10 % accuracy).
- Optional equipment: Wind speed measurement device (anemometer) and wind direction
measurement device at a height of 10 m or higher in free field (10 % accuracy). Preferably these
data should be recorded by the ship crew during the measurements.
- Optional equipment: Headphones for monitoring of the measured signal
- Optional (recommended) equipment: connecting bar and extension cable for positioning the
microphone or the intensity probe at remote positions

4 Post-processing might already be part of the sound level meter.

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5 Classification of ships and sound sources
5.1 Ship types
This measurement protocol shall especially be applicable for the following ship types:
a) Container ships
b) Cruise ships
c) Tankers
d) RoRo/RoPax
e) Bulk carriers
f) General cargo/service ship

5.2 Sound sources on board of the ships

The overall sound emission radiated from each ship can be traced back to several individual sound
sources on board of the ship. Some of these individual sound sources exist for all aforementioned ship
types, whereas others can only be found for specific ship types/ships.
Based on experience the most relevant sound sources that have to be measured are listed below.5 The
sources are assigned to the ship types from section 5.1.
(1) The funnel outlet(s) of the auxiliary engine(s), all ship types (a) to (f).
(2) The opening(s) of engine room ventilation inlet and outlet, all ship types (a) to (f).
(3) The opening(s) of the cargo holds ventilation and air conditionings inlet(s) and outlet(s), all ship
types (a) to (f).
(4) The opening(s) of the ventilation and air-conditioning of passenger rooms,
ship types b) and RoPax d).
(5) Further relevant ventilation openings (e.g. sanitary or galley exhaust)6
(7) Pumps on deck, ship type c).
The operation of cooled containers / reefers on container ships is strongly depending on several
indicators such as (cooling) type of the container, type and size of the ship, ships load and port
conditions. Furthermore, their operation is also belonging to the cargo handling process of a ship at
berth. Therefore, the cooled containers / reefers are not considered for measurements and will not be
considered for the calculation of the total sound power level of the measured ship in this
measurement protocol.

5 The smaller sound sources like HVAC systems on the bridge and ventilation of galleries etc. will typically not be
considered because, in general, they do not contribute to the sound emission of a ship in total.
6 All further ventilation openings on board should be checked for relevant sound emissions.
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5.3 Operating conditions during sound measurements
During the measurements, the ship shall be operating in the characteristic/normal load of the ship at
berth. It must be ensured that the load condition during measurements is chosen in such a way that
the measured sound emissions will not be exceeded at berth in any further calling port (in most cases
during high / maximum load conditions of the ship). It is important that the electric load is kept as
constant as possible during all measurements.
To adjust the electric load of the auxiliary engine(s) to the representative load, consumers on board
might need to be switched on or off. Consumers that (in most cases) can be controlled manually are,
e.g.:
- cargo hold fans,
- engine room fans,
- fans and air-conditioning of passenger rooms and
- further fans on board.
Furthermore, the operating conditions during all measurements need to be documented in detail, see
also section 7.

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6 Measuring instructions
6.1 General overview
The measurements for each ship to be measured shall be performed as
1. Sound emission measurements on board of the respective ship and/or
2. In exceptional cases only: Complementary acoustic measurements at a certain distance from the
ship (provided that the measurement requirements for measurements can be met at a certain
distance; e.g. low residual noise and accessibility).

The sound emission measurements should preferably be performed on board. Nevertheless, if due to
not predictable circumstances (such as proven denied accessibility to the ship) measurements on
board of the ship cannot be performed, the acoustic measurements at a certain distance can
complementary be performed. The performance of measurements at a certain distance presupposes
certain stricter requirements to the measurement environment (e.g. low residual noise and
accessibility). Details are shown in chapter 0.
The two measurement methods are described in detail in the following chapters 6.2 and 6.3.
This report gives a general recommendation for carrying out measurements for both methods. If the
measurements cannot be strictly carried out in the given manner, they shall be performed in a close
approximation to these instructions. Each deviation from the measuring instructions needs to be
carefully documented (see also section 7). Among other things, possible reasons for deviation from
the measuring instructions could e.g. be limited accessibility to measurement positions and too high
residual noise at the measurement positions.
The measurements should be carried out by acoustic specialists / measurement institutes that are
accredited for the test procedures and standards specified in this measurement protocol according to
country-specific requirements. The respective country-specific accreditation companies should be
assigned to the umbrella association International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

6.2 Measuring conditions for all measurements

The required operating conditions of the ship during measurements are specified in section 5.3.
The measuring system must have a calibration certificate and a valid calibration status at the time of
the measurement.
The measuring system is to be calibrated (single point calibration) before and after the measurements.
The calibration signal must be recorded accordingly (see also section 4.1).
Residual noise is to be avoided as far as possible in the vicinity of the measuring positions. It must be
assured that the measurements are not distorted by ambient noise (e. g. from cargo handling or port
noise). If possible, the berthing site for the ship shall be chosen in such a way that the residual noise
level is as low as possible during the measurements.
Measurements shall only be performed when no rain or snow is present (≤ 0.1 mm/m²). Further
conditions for the individual measurements are shown in chapter 6.4.1 and 6.3.1.

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6.3 Sound emission measurement on board of the ship

6.3.1 General remarks

The sound emission measurements on board of the ship will be performed to identify the most
dominant sound sources on a ship. Furthermore the measurement results will give an overview of the
sound power level of the individual sound sources on board of the ship.
During measurements the wind speed shall be below 6 m/s for all measurements on board of the ship.
The flow velocity at the measurement positions (e.g. caused by the exhaust of the funnel or the fans
of the ventilation systems) shall be as low as possible, preferably below 6 m/s. If the flow velocity is
too high at the measurement positions, another measurement surface with lower flow velocity needs
to be chosen (e.g. sideways from the ventilation opening). The divergent measurement surface
preferably needs to be chosen following a comparable measurement surface as stated in
section 6.3.2. Each deviation must be documented including a sketch of the alternatively chosen
measurement surface, see also section 7.
If not stated differently in the following, measurements shall be performed as sound pressure
measurements in accordance with ISO 3746 [7] or alternatively as sound intensity measurements in
accordance with ISO 9614-2 [8].
Note:
Sound intensity measurements have the advantage that the present environment is basically not
influencing the measurements (e.g. measurements can be performed even if there is a high residual
noise from other sound sources). Furthermore, measurements in the near field of the sound sources are
less susceptible to interferences. Nevertheless, for sound intensity measurements advanced
measurement equipment and advanced acoustic knowledge are required. If such equipment and
advanced acoustic knowledge are available, sound intensity measurements are to be preferred.

6.3.2 Measuring instructions

If not stated otherwise in the following, the measurements shall preferably be performed by
continuous meandering averaging over the surface area (both horizontally and vertically), as shown in
Figure 1. The averaging shall take place with a speed of between 0.1 m/s and 0.5 m/s. If the averaging
surface is divided into several segments, the averaging needs to be performed subsequently for all
segments to obtain one averaged sound pressure level for the whole measurement surface area7. The
averaging time for each segment shall not be shorter than 20 s. Further details on the measurement
method can be found in ISO 9614-2 [8].

7 This represents a simplified measuring method. According to [7] and [8] each segment of the measuring
surface shall be measured separately and the overall sound power level will be calculated as the logarithmic
sum of all individual sound power levels from all segments.
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Note
To simplify the measurement effort, the continuous meandering averaging shall be applied in the same
manner for the sound pressure measurements in accordance with ISO 3746 [7].
Alternatively, measurements at several discrete measurement positions distributed over the
measurement surface can be chosen in accordance with ISO 3746 [7]. This method can, for example, be
advantageous for measurements on a hemispherical measurement surface, as suggested for
measuring the sound emission of cooled containers/reefers.

Figure 1. Example of the meandering averaging surface in both horizontal and vertical direction.

There may be a large number of sources for each source type (e.g. a great number of ventilation inlet
and outlet openings from the cargo hold of a container ship). To minimize the number of separate
measurements, it will be sufficient to measure up to three representative sound sources for each
source type (e.g. three different openings of ventilation outlets from the cargo hold), implying that all
sources have a similar subjective sound emission. The overall sound power level of those sources
needs to be subsequently extrapolated to the number of such sources in operation during
measurements.
In the following, the preferred measurement surface(s) for the most relevant sound sources from
section 5.2 are described in detail.
A) Funnel outlet of the auxiliary engine(s), all ship types
The sound emission of the funnel outlet of the auxiliary engine(s) shall be measured in accordance
with DIN 45635-47 [9] 8. Following DIN 45635-47 [9], the sound pressure will be measured at two
measurement positions (MP 1 and MP 29) as shown in Figure 2. The distance from the outer wall of
the funnel outlet to the measurement positions will be 1 m. The arrangement of the measuring points
in the horizontal direction is arbitrary10. The measurement time for each measurement position shall
be at least 30 seconds. The measurement positions (1) and (2) from Figure 2 shall be chosen from the
axis of the opening. The calculation of the surface areas S1 and S2 is shown in Figure 2.

8 The measurement procedure described in DIN 45635-47 [9] is similar to the approach described in ISO 6798 [10].
9 The choice of two measurement positions (in front and behind of the outlet) is especially important for the comparability
with additional measurements (e.g. measurement on the deck house and measurements in a certain distance from the
ship).
10 The influence of directivity in horizontal direction is negligible.
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 Top view Side view

Figure 2. Measurement positions for measuring at the funnel outlet(s). The figure is taken from DIN 45635-47,
Figure 1 [9].

Note: In the near field of sound sources, the sound pressure and the sound velocity are out of phase,
which can lead to unusual high sound pressure levels that are measured in the near field. Especially
high care should be taken to this phenomenon when measuring at the funnel outlet, since it is very
often radiating high sound emissions in the low frequency range (especially for 1/3 octave frequency
bands ≤ 160 Hz). When measuring at a distance of one meter from the funnel outlet the determined
sound power level could, therefore, be higher than the actual sound power level relevant for the noise
radiation into the environment. Alternatively, sound intensity measurements in the near field and/or
sound pressure measurements in a larger distance (recommended ≥ 10 m) from the funnel outlet can
lead to more precise measurement results.
B) Opening of ventilation inlets and outlets
The measurement surface shall be chosen in the plane of the shape of the opening at a distance of
0.25 m ≤ dv ≤ 0.5 m in front of the opening. The surface area S corresponds to the surface area of the
opening (mostly rectangular or round surfaces are expected) and is calculated by S = a  b , where a
and b are the side lengths of a rectangular surface, or S =   r 2 , where r is the radius of a round
surface.

Figure 3. Sketch of a rectangular measurement surface for measuring the sound emission in front of a
rectangular opening of a ventilation inlet or outlet. The contour of the measurement surface is marked red.

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Alternative approach for ventilation openings
The ventilation openings are not always accessible or sometimes only hardly accessible (such as the
outlets of the engine room ventilation). In such situations the following alternative approach can be
used for passive ventilation openings that are accessible from the inside, unless the fans are directly
connected to the opening itself.
The spatial average sound pressure level inside and in front of the respect opening shall be measured
in 1 m distance to the opening. The determined sound pressure level will then be used for calculating
the sound power level that is radiated from the opening into the environment in accordance with ISO
12354-4 [12].

Alternative approach for ventilation openings with high air flow

If due to high air flow (flow speed ≥ 6 m/s) measurements in front of the ventilation openings on the
above mentioned measurement surface are not possible, a suitable alternative measurement surface
should be chosen.
As an alternative measurement surface, a hemisphere with a radius of 0.5 m ≤ r ≤ 2 m from the
acoustic centre of the opening could be chosen. The surface area S will then be calculated by

S = 2    r 2.
C) Cooled containers/reefers
The sound emission of the cooling containers/reefers (sound source (5) from section 5.2) is mainly
caused by the sound emission from the fan and the compressor next to the fan.
As measurement surface, a hemisphere with a radius of 1 m ≤ r ≤ 2 m from the acoustic centre
between the fan and the compressor shall preferably be chosen. The surface area S will then be
calculated by S = 2    r 2 . A sketch of the measurement surface is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Sketch of the hemispherical measurement surface for measuring the sound emission of a cooled
container. The contour of the measurement surface is marked red.

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D) Pumps
The measurement surface shall preferably be a square with a distance of dp= 1 m from the contour of
the pump to each side including the drive. The surface area S will then be calculated by
S = (a + b)  2  c + a  b . In a suitable measurement environment (especially low residual noise) a
hemispherical measurement surface with a radius of 1 m ≤ r ≤ 2 m can alternatively be chosen. The
surface area S will then be calculated by S = 2    r 2 .
A sketch of a rectangular measurement surface is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Sketch of the square measurement surface for measuring the sound emission of pumps. The contour
of the measurement surface is marked red, the pump is marked grey.

6.3.3 Acoustic data to be recorded

During each individual measurement the following data shall be recorded:
LAeq equivalent A-weighted continuous sound pressure level,
LAFmax maximum sound pressure level during the measurement
interval.
All data shall be recorded as 1/3 octave band level from 25 Hz to 10 kHz and total level including
those 1/3 octave bands; the LAFmax only needs to be recorded as the total level.

6.3.4 Evaluation of the measurement results – sound power level LWA

From sound pressure level measurements (A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level
LAeq) the sound power level of the specific sound source (i) need to be calculated in accordance with
ISO 3746 [7] for each 1/3 octave frequency band from 25 Hz to 10 kHz by
Si
LWA,i = LAeq − K + 10lg in dB (4)
S0

where
LWA,i is the A-weighted sound power level in dB with a reference
sound power level of 10-12 W for the specific sound source (i),
LAeq is the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level
averaged over the measurement surface area S,
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 S is the area, in square meters, of the measurement surface,
S0 is the reference surface of 1 m² and
K is the correction factor for residual noise and environmental
issues (in this measurement protocol K = 0…3 dB).

From sound intensity measurements (A-weighted sound intensity level LAIn) the sound power level of
the specific sound source (i) will be calculated in accordance with ISO 9614-2 [8] for each 1/3 octave
frequency band from 25 Hz to 10 kHz by
Si
LWA,i = LAIn − K + 10lg in dB (5)
S0

where
LWA,i is the sound power level in dB with a reference
sound power level of 10-12 W for the specific sound source (i),
LAIn is the sound intensity level averaged over the measurement surface
area Si.
As an exception, the sound power level of each measured funnel outlet (j) will be calculated as shown
in equation (4) separately for the measurement surfaces S1,j and S2,j. The total sound power level of
each funnel outlet (j) will then be calculated as shown in equation (6) for each 1/3 octave frequency
band from 25 Hz to 10 kHz

 LWA,1, j LWA,2, j

LWA,funnel , j = 10lg  10 10
+ 10 10  in dB (6)

 

where
LWA,funnel.j is the total sound power level of each funnel outlet (j) and
LWA,1,j and LWA,2,j are the sound power levels calculated for both separate measurement
positions of each funnel outlet (j).

Correction for residual noise

If temporary residual noise cannot be fully avoided during an individual measurement, the sound
power level needs to be corrected by the factor K = 0 … 3 dB, see equation (4) and (5). All corrections
of the sound power level need to be documented (see also section 7). The magnitude of correction up
to 3 dB can e.g. be chosen based on the subjective impression. Here, simplifying, a correction of
K = 0 dB means that the measurement is not influenced by residual noise and a factor of K = 3 dB
means that basically the residual noise and the sound from the source under test are perceived with
the same loudness. The correction factor K shall be chosen constant for all 1/3 octave band
frequencies.

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Total sound power level
The total sound power level of the measured ship will be calculated from the calculated sound power
level of all individual sound sources as shown in equation (6) for each 1/3 octave frequency band from
25 Hz to 10 kHz.

 LWA ,i LWA ,funnel , j


LWA,total = 10lg   10 10 +  10 10  in dB (7)
 i
 j 

The broadband total sound power level will then be calculated by the energetic sum of the total sound
power levels for all 1/3 octave frequency bands from 25 Hz to 10 kHz.
The low frequency total sound power level will then be calculated by the energetic sum of the total
sound power levels for all 1/3 octave frequency bands from 25 Hz to 160 Hz.

6.4 Complementary measurements at a certain distance from the ship

6.4.1 General remarks

Sound pressure level measurements at a certain distance from the ship should be performed only
complementary, if due to not predictable circumstances (such as denied accessibility to the ship)
measurements on board of the ship cannot be performed. The performance of measurements at a
certain distance presupposes certain stricter requirements (e.g. low residual noise and accessibility) to
the measurement environment, which are described below.
Furthermore, the sound pressure level measurements at a certain distance can also be performed in
addition to the sound emission measurement on board of the ship. The measurements can indicate
the presence of low frequency noise at a certain distance and can be used for comparisons with the
sound emission measurements on board of the ship.
During measurements the wind speed shall be below 5 m/s. From 2 m/s to 5 m/s the wind has to
come within 60 degrees from source (ship) to receiver (microphone position)11.
The measurements need to be performed in accordance with ISO 1996-2 [6].
Residual noise
For performing measurements at a certain distance from the ship it is important that the
measurements are not disturbed by residual noise (e.g. noise caused by cargo handling, noise caused
by ships that are berthed nearby or passing ships)12.
Before starting the actual measurements at a certain distance from the ship, the residual sound
pressure level (background noise level) shall be recorded at each measurement position from
section 6.4.2. The recording time shall be at least 5 minutes. The residual noise level needs to be at
least 3 dB below the sound pressure level caused by the ship at each measurement position to fulfil

11 To make sure that wind noise is not disturbing the measurement, the signal can e.g. be checked by headphones.
12 To avoid noise caused by cargo handling, it could be helpful to perform the measurements at a certain distance before
starting/after finishing the cargo handling on that ship or in breaks/changes of working shifts of the port staff.

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the measurement requirements. The recording of residual noise is e.g. possible at large distance from
the vessel or before the arrival or after the departure of the ship. It needs to be assured, that the
ambient conditions do not change significantly during measurements, e.g. by observing the
surrounding and monitoring the background noise at a larger, but representative distance.

6.4.2 Measuring instructions

The measurements at a certain distance from the ship shall be performed at least at three
measurement positions (MP). The measurement positions shall be chosen sideways from the ship, so
that the most dominant sound sources of the ship will be captured with the measurement. If one side
of the ship is subjectively much noisier than the other side (e.g. due to the presence of ventilation
openings only at one side of the ship), both sides shall be measured if possible. However, in most
cases measurements at one side of the ship will be representative for the overall sound radiation from
the ship.
It is recommended to choose the following three measurement positions sideways from the ship:
- MP 1: one position sideways from the funnel outlet of the auxiliary engine,
- MP 2: one position midway between the ship bow and the centre of the ship,
- MP 3: one position sideways from the stern or behind the stern of the ship. It is
important that there is a clear view from the microphone position to the
ventilation openings at the deckhouse or at the stern of the ship.
If due to the location of the funnel the measurement position MP 1 lies within less than 10 m to MP 2
or MP 3, another representative measurement position needs to be chosen for the concerning MP 2
or MP 3 (e.g. centre of the ship). In at least one measurement position there shall be a clear line of
sight between microphone and exhaust pipe outlet to avoid acoustic screening by structures like
bridge wings.
The measurements can be performed successively at the different measurement positions.
The horizontal distance (dH) from the funnel outlet of the auxiliary engine in operation and the
measurement position MP 1 shall preferably be chosen in such a way that the angle () between the
direct distance to the funnel outlet (dc) and the horizontal distance dh fulfils the relation
5    20. For measurement positions MP 2 and MP 3 the same horizontal distances to the ship
hull as for MP 1 shall be chosen. Deviations from the suggested angle  (e.g. by choosing a
measurement position closer to the ship) are allowed, as long as there is a clear sight from the
microphone to the funnel outlet of the ship available.
The height of the measurement position is to be chosen at least hm = 6 m above the quay ground.
An exemplary calculation of the horizontal distance dh from the funnel outlet to the measurement
position MP 1 is shown in the Appendix.

19
The recording time for each measurement position shall be at least 2 minutes13 of extraneous noise
free measurement time. Depending on the presence of residual noise, the measurement time might
need to be extended.
A sketch of the measurement positions is shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7.

Figure 6. Sketch of the measurement positions sideways from the axis of the ship at a certain horizontal distance dh.

Figure 7. Sketch showing the relative position of the measurement position MP 1 to the funnel outlet of the auxiliary
engine in operation. hc is the height of the funnel outlet above quay ground, hm is the microphone height above quay
ground at the measurement position MP 1, dh is the horizontal distance from MP 1 to the funnel outlet and dc is the direct
distance between the funnel outlet and MP1.

13 Under normal conditions, the measurement time at each measurement position will most likely be between 2 and 10
minutes.
20
Note
The measurement position shall preferably be chosen in such a way that no reflections or screening
from surrounding objects (e.g. buildings) will disturb the measurements. If reflections and screenings
from surrounding objects and/or temporary residual noise cannot fully be avoided by changing the
measurement position, detailed documentation of the surroundings and the time and nature of
residual noise is essential (see also section 7). The measurement results might need to be corrected to
account for the influence of reflections.

6.4.3 Acoustic data to be recorded

During measurements the following data shall be recorded for each measurement position:
LAeq,k equivalent A-weighted continuous sound pressure level at the
measurement position (k),
LCeq,k equivalent C-weighted continuous sound pressure level at the
measurement position (k),
LAF95,k 95 % percentile sound pressure level at the measurement position (k),
LAF10,k 10 % percentile sound pressure level at the measurement position (k),
LAF,max,k maximum sound pressure level during the measurement
interval at the measurement position (k),
Time signal preferably uncompressed in .wav format.
All data shall be recorded as 1/3 octave band level from at least 25 Hz to 10 kHz and total level
including those 1/3 octave bands; the LAF,max,k only needs to be recorded as the total level.
Residual noise during measurements is to be avoided as far as possible. If temporary residual noise
cannot be fully avoided, times with high residual noise need to be excluded from the measurements, if
possible.
If, for the evaluated measurement series, the residual sound pressure level (background noise level) is
10 dB or more below the measured sound pressure level, the results do not have to be corrected.
For cases when the residual sound pressure level is within a range of 3 dB to 10 dB below, (only) the
measured equivalent continuous sound pressure level needs to be corrected according to ISO 1996-
2 [6] as

 LAeq ,k Lresidual , k

LAeq,corr ,k = 10lg  10 10
− 10 10  in dB (8)

 

where
LAeq,corr,k is the corrected equivalent sound pressure level at the
measurement position (k) and
Lresidual,k is the residual sound pressure level (background noise level) at
the measurement position (k).
In case of determining LCeq,corr,k, LAeq,k from equation (8) is replaced by LCeq,k

21
If the residual sound pressure level is less than 3 dB below the measured sound pressure level, no
corrections are allowed. In this case, the measurement uncertainty is too large. The correction can be
applied for each 1/3 octave band, if the conditions are conspicuous (e.g. low-frequency noise from
ships passing by).

6.4.4 Evaluation of the measurement results – sound power level LWA

From sound pressure measurements at a certain distance from the ship the sound power level of the
measured ship will be calculated for each measurement position (k) from the (corrected) sound
pressure level as shown in equation (9) for each 1/3 octave frequency band from 25 Hz to 10 kHz.

 1 
LWA,k = 10 lg   + LAeq ,corr ,k in dB (9)
 2  d2
 c ,k 

where
LWA,k is the calculated sound power level at the
measurement position (k).

Total sound power level

The total sound power level of the measured ship will be calculated from the calculated sound power
level of all individual measurement positions as the quadratic (energetic) average as shown in
equation (10) for each 1/3 octave frequency band from 25 Hz to 10 kHz.

1 LWA ,k

LWA,total = 10lg   10 10  in dB (10)
n i
 

where
n is the total number of measurement positions (k).
The broadband total sound power level will then be calculated by the energetic sum of the total sound
power levels for all 1/3 octave frequency bands from 25 Hz to 10 kHz.
The low frequency total sound power level will then be calculated by the energetic sum of the total
sound power levels for all 1/3 octave frequency bands from 25 Hz to 160 Hz.
Note: The calculations of the sound power level are based on the assumption, that the exhaust of the
funnel outlet is the main noise source of the ship. If the acoustic centre of the ship is different (due to
other dominant noise sources on board, e.g. the engine room ventilation), the distance term 𝑑𝑐,𝑘 needs
to be adjusted to be the distance between the respect measurement position and the actual centre of
noise of the ship.

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7 Documentation of results
The report is to be written in .docx and .pdf format and need to be send to the members of the central
project team of NEPTUNES ([email protected]). Furthermore, the results need to be filled in the
Excel-spreadsheet which also needs to be send to the members of the central project team of
NEPTUNES. The Excel-spreadsheet can be downloaded from the NEPTUNES website
(www.neptunes.pro).
All measured data (raw time data); evaluated data and sound propagation models must be kept
available for further assessments and will be made available to the project board of NEPTUNES on
request.
In the following sections, the contents of the report will be described in detail. All contents shall be
stated as far as the information is accessible. If some data is not available, this shall be marked with
“N/A” in the report.

7.1 Formal details in the report

Front page
The front page is to contain at least the following information:
- Ship type and name of ship including registration number
- Company name (performing the measurements)
- Address of the company
- Report date
- Date of the measurements
- Position of the measurements (name of the port and berth)
- Names of the persons involved (author(s) and measurement personal)
- Information on the report’s total number of pages, including appendices
- (optional) quality procedure items

Constant information on the following pages

All pages following the front page must contain the following information:
- Company name
- Date
- Numbering

Signatures
Generally, the report is to be signed by its author (optional: and the quality reviewer).

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7.2 Content to be documented in the report
General information
a) Day, time and place (port name and berth name) of the measurements;
b) Meteorological conditions during measurements (including wind speed, wind direction,
temperature, barometric pressure, humidity). This information shall preferably be requested
from the ship owners/crew (measurement data from the ship itself);

General Information on the ship

c) Ship type
d) Name of ship including IMO registration number
e) Year of built of the ship
f) Dead weight tonnage
g) Length and width of the ship
h) (Simplified) sketch of the ship’s contour, indicating relevant sound sources, the position of the
funnel outlet(s), bow and stern of the ship;

Technical Information on the ship

Preferably to be requested from the ship owner/crew:
i) Number of auxiliary engines (including number and type of different
auxiliary engine systems; number of funnel outlets)
j) The existence of a silencer in the exhaust system of the auxiliary engines
k) Maximum possible load of each auxiliary engine in kW
l) Rotational speed of the auxiliary engine(s) in maximum possible load
m) Maximum combined electric load of all pumps/heaters/lights etc. installed that could be used
while moored in kW
n) Number of each sound source on board (e.g. number of openings from the different ventilation
inlets and outlets, number of cooling containers/reefers on board)
o) Total container capacity in TEU
p) Maximum possible number of plugged in reefers
q) Typical average number of reefers at berth
r) Maximum combined electric load of all pumps/heaters/lights/reefers etc. installed that could be
used while moored
s) Average electric load that normally occurs while moored

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General information on the measurements
t) Number of each sound source on board that was in operation during the measurements
u) Electrical load of each auxiliary engine during the measurements, preferably documented over
time.
v) Number of plugged in reefers during the measurements
w) Sketch of the measurement positions at a certain distance from the ship with respect to the ship
contour and orientation of the ship (bow and stern), including the position of the funnel outlet
x) Height of the funnel above quay ground
y) Height of the microphone at the measurement positions at a certain distance from the ship
above quay ground (hm)
z) Soil texture (especially percentage of absorbing and reflecting ground) between ship and
measurement positions at a certain distance
aa) If different from the instructions given in section 6.3.2, sketch of the alternatively chosen
measuring surfaces for the sound emission measurements on board including the surface area in
m² for each sound source
bb) If possible, a picture of each measured sound source
cc) If possible, a picture of each measurement position for the measurements at a certain distance of
the ship
dd) Further deviations from the measuring instructions
ee) Short explanation of unexpected observations (e.g. rattling sounds, pronounced tones etc.).
ff) Short explanation about the presence of high sound emissions that are radiated from the ship’s
hull (e.g. pumps under deck)

Acoustic information
gg) Acoustic measuring equipment used during the measurements (including type, serial numbers
and documentation of calibration before and after measurements)
hh) All recorded time signals (.wav files) shall be sent to the central project team upon request. The
title of the .wav files shall be named so that it can easily be linked to the respective
measurements stated in the report. This includes e.g. the ship name, the date of measurements
and the measurement position. The time signals shall at least have a sampling rate of 16 bit and a
sampling frequency of 24 kHz.

25
ii) For each measured sound source (i, j), (sound emission measurements on board of the ship, see
section 0):
I) LAeq: equivalent A-weighted continuous sound pressure
level
II) LAF,max* maximum sound pressure level during the
measurement interval
III) LWA or
LWA,corr calculated (corrected) A-weighted sound power level;
each correction needs to be documented, including
the chosen correction factor K
Note: All data shall be recorded as 1/3 octave band levels from at least 25 Hz to 10 kHz (if possible
from 10 Hz to 10 kHz) and broadband level including those 1/3 octave bands; the LAF,max only needs
to be recorded as total level.
IV) Type (and recorded level) of background noise/residual noise disturbing the
measurements.
jj) For each measurement position at a certain distance from the ship and each measurement
position (k), (complementary measurements at a certain distance, see section 6.4.4):
I) LAeq: equivalent A-weighted continuous sound pressure level
II) LCeq: equivalent C-weighted continuous sound pressure level
III) LAF95: 95 % percentile sound pressure level
IV) LAF10: 10 % percentile sound pressure level
V) LAF,max: maximum sound pressure level during the measurement
interval
Note: All data shall be recorded as 1/3 octave band levels from at least 25 Hz to 10 kHz (if possible
from 10 Hz to 10 kHz) and broadband level including those 1/3 octave bands; the LAF,max only needs
to be recorded as total level.
The measurement time needs to be documented.
VI) Type (and recorded level) of residual noise/background noise (e.g. what kind of
sources causing residual noise were present during measurements and at which
time; for example passing ships and air planes, port noise etc.).
kk) The total broadband sound power level LWA,total of the ship (including all 1/3 octave frequency
bands from 25 Hz to 10 kHz).
ll) The low frequent sound power level LWA,total,≤160Hz of the ship (including all 1/3 octave frequency
bands from 25 Hz to 160 Hz).

26
Additional information
Additionally, each deviation from the measurement instruction needs to be documented; if possible,
including sketches.
Any comment and information that is relevant for adapting the outcome of the measurement protocol
or for its reproducibility shall be documented at the end of the report. This includes any difficulties
occurring during the measurements and that is of relevance for the report.

27
8 Contributors
Contact details NEPTUNES

Homepage: https://www.neptunes.pro/
E-Mail: [email protected]

Project board members (participating ports)

This measuring report was produced with the assistance and consultancy of:

www.MuellerBBM.de

Further contributors / consultancy

28
 Appendix
Exemplary calculation of the measurement position MP 1

29
In the following the horizontal distance dh from the funnel outlet to the measurement position MP 1 is
calculated for an exemplary measurement setup.
The height of the funnel will most likely be taken from ship drawings. In the following the height is
assumed to be hc = 66 m above quay ground. The microphone height will be chosen with hm = 6 m
above quay ground. The horizontal distance dh will then be calculated by the angular function
hc − hm
dh =
tan ( ) in dB (11)

For the given condition 5    20 this will result in a rounded distance of 165 m ≤ dh ≤ 690 m.
Note: The horizontal distance dh is not similar to the horizontal distance to the ship contour. For the
height of the funnel outlet hc the distance from the quay ground is important. The distance from the
ship keel to the quay therefore needs to be taken into account when taking the height hc from ship
drawings.

30