Shipping is one of the main sources of underwater radiated noise (URN), which can affect marine biodiversity and disturb the marine environment.

To help Member States better understand and address this challenge, the GLONoise Partnership of the GEF, UNDP and IMO has completed a series of national workshops held between March and April 2026 in the six main pilot countries: Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, India, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago, with additional participation from Georgia, Madagascar and Mexico.

The workshops, conducted primarily in person, brought together nearly 200 participants from government agencies, academic and research institutions, and the shipping sector. Through practical exercises and group discussions, participants explored how to assess underwater noise, identify potential hotspots and examine mitigation measures within their respective national contexts.

A central element of the workshops was the new URN toolkit, developed by the GloNoise Association to help countries build technical knowledge and capacity on underwater noise from shipping. Participants worked directly with the Toolkit’s training modules and modelling tools, gaining practical experience in evidence-based assessment and analysis.

Designed as an open and accessible platform for stakeholders in the maritime sector, the toolkit is structured across three levels – ranging from basic knowledge to simplified and more advanced assessments – enabling countries to implement it in line with their capabilities and the data available.

Access the URN toolkit: https://glonoise.blueoasis.pt/

The successful completion of all national workshops within a short timeframe reflects the close collaboration between participating countries and partners. Discussions held throughout the series also highlighted the need for greater national coordination, improved research and data collection, and closer collaboration with the shipping sector in developing practical solutions.

The toolkit will be finalised by the end of this year and will be made available to Member States to support the implementation of the revised IMO Guidelines for the Reduction of Underwater Radiated Noise from Shipping.

Next step: global webinar on the Underwater Radiated Noise (URN) toolkit.

Building on the momentum from the national workshops, the GloNoise partnership will organise a global webinar on the URN toolkit, open to all IMO Member States.

News and imagen obtained: "Organización Marítima Internacional"

https://www.imo.org/es/mediacentre/pages/whatsnew-2449.aspx