Clear Seas
About Clear Seas
Clear Seas is a Canadian non-profit organisation that provides independent, fact-based information to support safe and sustainable marine shipping. Its work spans topics such as underwater noise, ship safety, and environmental impacts, helping inform decision-making across industry, government, and the public.
The challenge
Clear Seas contributed to communicating the outcomes of Transport Canada’s Quiet Vessel Initiative, which funds research and development to reduce underwater radiated noise from ships and protect marine ecosystems.
The Quiet Vessel Initiative brought together a wide range of technical projects, from vessel design and retrofit technologies to operational practices aimed at reducing underwater noise. The resulting research was detailed and highly specialised, often spanning engineering, acoustics, and environmental science.
This material needed to be translated into a series of long-form articles for a general audience, without losing technical accuracy. The challenge was not only to explain complex concepts clearly, but to shape a coherent narrative across multiple projects, perspectives, and types of solutions.
What we delivered
Working closely with Clear Seas, we developed and delivered a four-part article series exploring different aspects of underwater vessel noise, including:
Technology for detecting and analysing underwater radiated noise (URN)
Quieter ship technologies, including new-build and retrofit options
Operational approaches to reducing noise across vessel types
A spotlight on Canadian ferries, including regional and frequency-specific challenges
This involved:
Synthesising extensive background materials, including project reports and technical documentation
Conducting and analysing 30+ interviews with engineers, researchers, and technology developers
Structuring and shaping the articles, and developing a consistent tone, format, and narrative across the series
Providing guidance on supporting visuals and reviewing graphics for accuracy and clarity
Outcomes
The work resulted in:
A coherent, accessible series translating complex technical research into clear, engaging content
A structured narrative connecting diverse projects under a shared theme of quieter shipping
Content that balanced technical accuracy with readability for non-specialist audiences
A resource supporting a broader understanding of underwater noise challenges and potential solutions
Reduced internal burden on the Clear Seas team to interpret and present highly technical material
