Research Vessels News

Norwegian crane specialist Motus Technology has secured a contract to provide its cranes and handling equipment for National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Class B research vessels.Working in collaboration with Kongsberg Maritime, Motus’ new contract follows the equipment supply deal for NOAA’s Class A vessels in 2021.Motus will provide its CTD (Telescopic Deploy and Retrieval Arm), along with the MMC10 and MMC240 cranes.These systems are designed to operate effectively in tough marine environments…

Tuco Marine has delivered a "ProZero 15m Research Workboat" to Nord University in Norway.The workboat is designed for versatility and built using high-quality composite materials. It is equipped with winches and cranes to facilitate efficient water and seabed sampling.With its large fender lists for safe docking and mooring, and an interior layout optimized for research workflows, the workboat provides an ideal environment for both students and researchers, says Tuco Marine.The vessel was officially handed over to Skipper Morten Krogstad…

All American Marine (AAM) has secured a contract to build a 63-foot hybrid catamaran for the Orange County Sanitation District (OC San).The Teknicraft Designed vessel, designed to support ocean sampling and scientific research, will feature a hybrid propulsion system powered by Cummins QSB 6.7 engines paired with ABB’s Series Hybrid technology.The vessel is designed to meet California’s zero-emissions standards, providing 30% of its operational power through a BorgWarner Energy Storage System (ESS)…

Harvey, La. shipbuilder Midship Marine has launched a new low-emission battery hybrid research vessel for the Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.Described as a "floating classroom", the 65-foot aluminum catamaran Sadie Ann has been will support the university’s on-water education and research in the the icy waters of Lake SuperiorThe Incat-Crowther-designed vessel is 24-feet wide with a maximum capacity of 49 passengers and eight crew.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has revealed the names of two new charting and mapping vessels it ordered from Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors in 2023.The names Surveyor and Navigator were chosen from a list of suggestions by NOAA staff, adhering to the agency’s naming policy that emphasizes vessels named for their missions.The name Surveyor holds significant historical weight. It not only pays homage to NOAA's mission but also honors two previous vessels that bore the same name.

Port Angeles, Wash. aluminum boatbuilder BRIX Marine announced it will build a new catamaran research vessel designed for year-round environmental research along Connecticut’s coast. Commissioned by the Long Island Sound Study (LISS), the vessel will play a key role in marine and water quality research, expanding on the work of the RV John Dempsey, which has been active in the area since 1990.Built for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP)…

RV Resilience, a new hybrid research vessel designed by Incat Crowther and built by Snow & Company in Seattle, has been delivered to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).RV Resilience is the Department of Energy’s first hybrid electric-diesel research vessel. The 15-meter aluminum catamaran will help PNNL sustainably expand its research activities in the Sequim Bay region of Washington state.RV Resilience’s 28 m2 main deck is equipped with an A-Frame, boom crane and movable davit in addition to a foldable swim platform.

KAUST announced that Freire Shipyards will build its new research vessel at its yard in Vigo, Spain. Upon the expected completion in 2026, RV Thuwal II will be the first regional class research vessel for Saudi Arabia and enable complete access to the Red Sea, including coastal waters and the deep sea. The vessel was designed by Glosten (United States), who will continue to provide off-site engineering support during the construction. Maritime Survey International (Australia) was selected as KAUST’s on-site owners' representative and will oversee the day–to-day construction activities.

Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine (AAM) announced it has been awarded a contract to build a 73-foot research vessel for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). The vessel will operate as a multipurpose research platform capable of conducting a wide range of scientific missions, including oceanographic surveys, biological studies and educational outreach programs along the Mid-Atlantic, U.S. East Coast and offshore waters.The 73’ x 26.7’ aluminum catamaran…

Seattle shipbuilder Snow & Company announced it has delivered the newly built plug-in hybrid research vessel Resilience for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.The first and only hybrid vessel in the Department of Energy's (DOE) fleet, the 50-foot aluminum catamaran was designed by Incat Crowther with propulsion integration provided by Pacific Power. Hybrid propulsion is accomplished by joining twin Volvo Penta marine engines, and two Danfoss motor-generators. Power is stored…

NOAA held a groundbreaking ceremony to signal the start of renovations at its pier facility in North Charleston, S.C.The project, expected to wrap up in 2026, includes the demolition of the site's existing pier and construction of a new one for NOAA's ships homeported in Charleston, the Ronald H. Brown and Nancy Foster. The new pier will feature shoreside power for the vessels, as well as a warehouse, sea wall, living shoreline and other supporting infrastructure.In September 2023, NOAA awarded $59.8 million to Manson Construction Company for the renovations.

The exact cause of a 2023 fire aboard a research vessel in Alaska has eluded investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which issued its final report on the incident on Tuesday.On January 19, 2023, small vessel Qualifier 105 was being stored ashore for the winter in the Northern Enterprises Boat Yard in Homer, Alaska when a fire started in a stateroom below the main deck. The local fire department extinguished the fire and no pollution or injuries were reported.

South Korea's first domestically built geophysical exploration research vessel was commissioned during a ceremony at Pohang Yeongilman Port on May 31.The 92-meter Tamhae 3 is a fully state-funded research vessel owned by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). The KRW 181 billion (US$132 million) newbuild replaces its 1996-built predecessor, Tamhae 2, for geophysical explorations in domestic and foreign waters, starting with Korea’s continental shelves…

Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine (AAM) announced it has been awarded a contract to build a new research vessel for the marine sciences program at  the California Polytechnical Institute at Humboldt (Cal Poly).The vessel is a 78’ x 26.7’ semi-displacement aluminum catamaran that was developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand. The vessel will be inspected to U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter T standards and will operate as a multipurpose research vessel in the Near Coastal Waters of Northern California and Oregon, as well as Offshore on Ocean Routes.

Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has taken delivery of a new state-of-the-art research vessel. Designed by Incat Crowther and built by Thai shipbuilder Seacrest Marine, the 25-meter catamaran will be used by the DMCR to patrol Thailand’s coastal environments and monitor the nation’s fisheries and marine resources.Based the Incat Crowther 25 design, the vessel has a range of innovative features and equipment to help its crew monitor and protect sensitive…

Scientists aboard Britain's high-tech polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough are headed to the Weddell Sea to investigate how carbon dioxide moves and transforms in the Southern Ocean.The ship departed Tuesday from Punta Arenas, Chile for the 30-day scientific expedition.As the carbon in the seawater rises to the surface near Antarctica, it interacts with the atmosphere, ice, and microscopic plants and animals, called phytoplankton and zooplankton, near the ocean surface, before descending to the ocean depths.

A Chinese research vessel is on its way to the Maldives, according to an Indian military official and an independent researcher, as new Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu deepens ties with Beijing, distancing from New Delhi.It is likely to raise concern in New Delhi, which has previously viewed the presence of such vessels close to its shores, including in Sri Lanka in 2022, as problematic.These vessels are not military ships, officially, but India and others worry about the military use of their research.Relations between traditional friends New Delhi and Male have soured since President Muiz

Glosten announced it has been selected to develop the concept design of a coastal research vessel for the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).The naval architecture and marine engineering firm said it has been working closely with SARDI to refine the vessel’s capabilities and is beginning to develop a design that best fits their operational requirements: a 30-37-meter monohull with extended range, a launch and recovery system, the ability to perform fisheries research…

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri held a steel cutting ceremony to mark the start of construction on a new Hydro-Oceanographic Ship (N.I.O.M.) for the Italian Navy.Scheduled for delivery from the integrated shipyard in Riva Trigoso-Muggiano in 2026, the new vessel is intended for mapping and scientific monitoring activities, as well as in support of the initiatives of the Hydrographic Institute, took place today at the Riva Trigoso shipyard.The ship will feature technologies to contain emissions…

Naval architecture firm Glosten announced it has completed the design for the R/V Thuwal II, KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)’s new research vessel optimized for generalized oceanography and tailored to the Middle East’s hot climate.Once built, it will be the largest and most specialized research vessel based in the Red Sea, supporting everything from biology to geology.The new vessel will replace the existing Thuwal, which is more than 20 years old and has served KAUST scientists for as many as 220 days at sea per year since 2013.

Bellingham, Wash. boatbuilder All American Marine (AAM) has launched the newly built research vessel Gannet for NOAA Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS).The newbuild is a 52- by 19-foot semi-displacement aluminum catamaran hull that was developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand. The vessel is based on the proven design elements found in the recently commissioned research vessel Storm Petrel, built for NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine…

Shipbuilder Chantier Naval Forillon in Gaspé, Quebec has received an order to build a new Near-Shore Fishery Research Vessel (NSFRV) for the Canadian Coast Guard.Expected to join the Canadian Coast Guard fleet as early as 2027, the new vessel will be the agency's first-ever diesel-electric hybrid vessel with a battery energy storage system, designed to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.Announced last week by Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard…

Seattle-based deck machinery company Markey Machine said it has recently secured a contract from Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding for winch refurbishment aboard NOAA research vessel Ronald H. Brown. The three Markey oceanographic winches that have been aboard for 27 years will receive varied upgrades.“NOAA is working to maximize the service life of each of its vessels, in part by investing in mid-life repairs,” said Jamie LeCompte, NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown project manager.