Commercial Services

Vessel Noise in Falmouth Bay

Falmouth Harbour takes residents’ views seriously. Falmouth harbour’s aim is to safely manage Falmouth Harbour in a responsible and professional manner; to facilitate sustainable development and long-term prosperity of the harbour to the benefit of all its users and the wider community.

Falmouth has a long history as a working port and vessel movements, anchoring, and associated sounds are an intrinsic part of the Harbour’s operation.

What influence does Falmouth Harbour’s Harbour Master have regarding noise from vessels at anchor?
Commercial ships operate in line with international marine regulations which can be enforced by country specific governing bodies and authorities, in the UK this is the MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) and international by the IMO (International Maritime Organization). The legislation controlling noise pollution from ships is currently very limited.

As a Statutory Harbour Authority, Falmouth Harbour has an ‘open port duty’. This is a requirement to keep the Harbour open for the shipping and unshipping of goods and FH cannot prevent vessel entry to the Harbour.

The safe anchoring of a vessel remains the responsibility of the vessels Captain and Falmouth Harbour has limited powers to control the anchoring position of vessels unless they are under pilotage.

What steps has Falmouth Harbour taken to reduce the noise being emitted from ships in Falmouth Bay?
Falmouth Harbour acknowledges residents’ concerns, and we have and will take action to reduce the impact of vessel noise, as follows:

1. When appropriate request that vessel masters anchor in locations further from shore, to reduce vessel noise onboard during nighttime operations and very still weather.
2. Local Pilots understand and consider vessel noise when selecting anchorages.
3. Contact local ships agents to ensure operators and vessel crews are aware of the importance of reducing vessel noise, when possible.
4. Engage with ship owners and operators when a resident vessel poses noise concerns to encourage solutions.

Navigational and operational safety always remains the priority when anchoring vessels.
Falmouth Harbour has been a working port for centuries and Falmouth Bay provides a safe anchorage for ships awaiting berths in Falmouth Docks, sheltering from weather, or conducting necessary operations including bunkering (refuelling at anchor). This activity is essential to our local, regional and national economy, supporting local jobs, businesses, and the wider maritime industry.

Summary
Some level of noise is an inherent aspect of maritime operations, for example, ships at anchor use equipment like generators to power essential onboard systems. It is also important to also acknowledge that there are many other sources of noise pollution within the Falmouth area.

Noise reported as a result of the operational activities aboard vessels, are beyond our direct control and we have no powers to direct or control noise, or direct a ship under our Harbour powers, purely to address noise.

Falmouth Harbour is a “Trust Port”, an independent statutory body run on a commercial basis by an independent Harbour Board – Falmouth Harbour Commissioners – for the benefit of its stakeholders comprising marine users, both commercial and leisure, and local interests and communities.

We fully understand that, at times, noise from ships in Falmouth Bay can be heard ashore. This can often occur in calm conditions, but we are unfortunately very limited in the actions that we can take.

That said we recognise residents’ concerns. While some level of operational noise is unavoidable, we will continue to engage with ship operators to deliver practical steps to minimise disturbance where that is possible.