Sound Transmission Regulations and Testing on Marine Vessels

Crewmembers working on commercial and military marine vessels live in noisy environments. These environments can lead to poor communication and lack of sleep, which in-turn leads to reduced job performance, discomfort, and other issues. Regulatory bodies are now requiring that in-situ testing be performed to assess room-to-room partition attenuation on certain vessels. Specifically, IMO has adopted Resolution MSC.337(91) which requires that sound transmission performance of partitions meet specific requirements designed to allow uninterrupted rest and recreation, regardless of noise in adjacent compartments. The ultimate goal of implementing these requirements is to provide safer vessel operation as well as improved quality of life. An overview of relevant standards, typical approaches to measurement, and calculation methodologies are summarized. A comparison of estimated partition performance and in-situ measured values is made in this paper, with a discussion of typical flanking paths. Applicability of the Rw criteria to the marine industry and practical aspects of performing these tests in a marine environment are also discussed. These new requirements may help improve the life and safety of marine workers. However, to be effective many details of partition design, installation, and testing have to be properly executed.