What is the impact of underwater noise on marine mammals?

The effects are investigated in the Nature Assessment.

Construction phase

The driving of the anchoring piles to install the production platform is the main source of underwater noise. This takes approximately two days.

The driving of the anchor piles requires mitigating measures. To mitigate the effects of underwater noise on marine animals, a bubble screen is installed around the platform during the pile driving. This will lead to a considerable reduction of the underwater noise by 7 to 11 decibels. The noise pollution therefore remains within the Dutch and German standards. ONE-Dyas will keep the option open to apply other noise-reduction techniques, as long as these can reduce the noise by a sufficient number of decibels.

Drilling phase

The most significant noise emissions in the drilling phase are caused by the driving of the conductors (maximum of twelve). The driving of each conductor takes approximately twelve hours. The driving of the conductors comply with the legal standards.