The ocean has never been silent. Whales sing across basins, snapping shrimp crackle like static, and fish drum to attract mates. But in the last 50 years, we added a deafening industrial noise — and marine life is paying the price.
At the Nigerian Marine Environment Protection Association (NIMEPA), we believe conservation and food security must go hand in hand. That means tackling invisible pollution, not just plastic.
The Ocean Noise Is Getting Louder, Fast
Human activities now dominate the underwater soundscape.
Data shows ocean noise sources break down to roughly: Shipping 55%, Seismic Surveys 20%, Sonar and Military 10%, Other 15%. Commercial shipping is the largest continuous source, generating approximately 150 dB of noise at 10-100 Hz, while seismic airguns used for oil and gas exploration exceed 250 dB re 1 μPa @ 1m.
The trend is exponential. Marine scientists estimate ambient ocean noise levels are doubling every ten years. In the OSPAR assessment of the Greater North Sea, noise already exceeds natural sound in low frequency bands by over 20 dB for over 50% of the time along major shipping routes — a pattern mirrored in busy corridors like the Gulf of Guinea off Lagos.
And we have barely measured the damage. Recent research notes that the effects of Ocean Noise pollution have only been studied in 35% of marine species.
How Ocean Noise Kills
Sound travels 4.5x faster underwater than in air. For marine animals that evolved to rely on sound for everything, noise is not a nuisance — it’s a survival threat.
- Communication Masking: Baleen whales lose up to 90% of their communication space near shipping lanes. Studies confirm noise from shipping disrupts whale communication.
- Panic and Flight: Beluga whales can detect sounds from icebreaking ships up to 52 miles away, causing them to panic and flee.
- Migration and Feeding Collapse: Fish and invertebrates alter migration routes and feeding behaviors in response to Ocean Noise. This directly threatens Nigeria’s artisanal fisheries.
- Stress, Deafness, Death: Chronic exposure leads to increased stress hormones, hearing loss and even death. Naval sonar at 1-240 kHz is linked to mass strandings.
For Nigeria, the stakes are local: the critically endangered Atlantic humpback dolphin, leatherback sea turtles, and sardine stocks in the Niger Delta all depend on a healthy acoustic environment.
Nigeria’s Waters: A Hotspot
The Lagos port complex, Bonny oil terminals, and constant dredging in our estuaries create a wall of sound. Unlike chemical pollution, you can’t see it — but NIMEPA’s community monitors report dolphins abandoning traditional feeding grounds near high-traffic anchorages.
This is why global action matters to us.
In June 2025, 37 nations formed the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean, led by Panama and Canada, to implement quieter shipping designs and noise protocols in Marine Protected Areas. It is the first coordinated global response to this invisible threat.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has produced voluntary guidelines on noise reduction, including from key sources such as propellers or machinery vibrations and in 2023 released revised guidelines. The trial phase has now been extended to 2028 to develop technical guidance on co-optimizing energy efficiency and underwater radiated noise.
How We Turn Down The Volume: 7 Proven Solutions
Reducing Ocean Noise is cheaper than we think — and it saves fuel too.
- Slow Down: Reducing vessel speed by 10% can cut underwater noise by up to 40% and cut fuel consumption. IMO recommends speed reduction and re-routing to avoid sensitive areas.
- Smarter Design: Quieter propeller designs, optimized hull shapes, and wake flow improvements. IMO guidelines explicitly recommend this.
- Maintenance: Regular hull cleaning and propeller polishing reduces cavitation noise.
- Quiet Zones: Establishing quiet zones or marine protected areas where noise limits are enforced — a future direction recommended by researchers.
- Bubble Curtains & Soft-Start: For pile driving and dredging, bubble curtains and hydro sound dampers are very effective mitigation.
- Better Assessments: Comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessments before seismic surveys and offshore construction, as advocated in NIMEPA’s Collaboration & Partnerships programs.
- Monitoring: Deploying hydrophones off Lagos, Brass and Calabar to create Nigeria’s first underwater noise map.
A quiet ocean is not a luxury. It is a prerequisite for a productive blue economy.
What NIMEPA Is Doing
NIMEPA was established to promote responsible marine environmental protection and sustainable maritime operations in alignment with Nigeria’s Blue Economy agenda. Our Pollution Reduction Programmes tackle both visible and invisible pollution through education, advocacy, and community action.
You can help: Join a beach cleanup, support our water quality monitoring, or become a NIMEPA Volunteer. Every decibel we reduce helps fish stocks recover and protects livelihoods for coastal communities.
The ocean will never be silent again — nor should it be. But we can turn down the volume from destructive to tolerable.
