Silence on the River Thames
Exhaust specialists Halyard helping to reduce noise on the river
Traffic on the River Thames will hit an all-time high as tourists flock to London this summer, so the London Port Health Authority, Transport for London and other vessel operators are working to ensure that all craft are as quiet and as eco-friendly as possible. In pursuit of that, UK exhaust specialist, Halyard, has created a custom-designed solution to reduce noise emitted by ‘MV Millennium of London’ - one of a fleet of 14 vessels owned and operated by London’s leading river cruise company, City Cruises.
Built in 1996, MV Millennium of London can carry up to 350 passengers on sightseeing tours from Westminster Pier to Greenwich during the day, with dinner cruises at night. It had been scheduled for renovation in time for the 2012 summer celebrations and one of the requirements of the refit was finding a way to reduce the noise emitted from her engines and generators.
Halyard was commissioned to design and manufacture the solution. Noise readings taken before renovation registered in excess of 90 decibels on the main engines and generator sets - and after the new silencer system had been installed, this was recorded at just 65 decibels. Noise is generally reckoned to halve in scale with every 10 decibels reduction, so Halyard’s system has changed the noise level by an impressive 80 per cent.
Richard Bain, Fleet Operations Manager, said City Cruises had chosen Halyard to carry out this project after the company had completed a successful silencer system for another vessel in its fleet, MV Mayflower Garden. He said: “The new systems fitted to Millennium of London have dramatically reduced engine noise. This has improved crew morale and ultimately our customers’ experience whilst aboard.”
