Environmental vibrations and noise due to offshore installation of foundation piles

Foundation piles are often used to support offshore structures such as oil and gas platforms or offshore wind power
generators. The pile installation process, which is a key step in the construction of many structures offshore, is hindered
by a serious by-product; seabed vibrations and underwater noise pollution. Seabed vibrations and noise have drawn
the attention of many environmental organisations and regulatory bodies worldwide. In particular, the noise emission
is strictly regulated nowadays, especially when it comes to impact piling noise. When noise levels exceed the
thresholds set by the (inter)national authorities, noise mitigation is often required. This paper reviews the state-of-theart
computational methods to predict the underwater noise emission and the associated seabed vibrations by the
installation of foundation piles offshore. Various noise mitigation strategies are discussed and the modelling framework
applied to predict noise mitigation in the case of air-bubble curtains is presented in more detail. A brief overview of
the available noise regulations in Europe and abroad is also given. The paper identifies the future challenges in the
field under the prism of the ever-increasing size of piles and the new pile driving technologies.