Research Vessel News

ABB has received an order from the Guangzhou Shipyard International to supply an Azipod® DI propulsion system for the new compact icebreaker of China’s Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering. The ship is expected to be delivered in 2025, after which it will begin to carry out operations in the Arctic and Antarctic Ocean.A complete electric propulsion system including two 4.5MW Azipod® units will drive the vessel through harsh weather and thick first-year ice to enable research on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Freire Shipyard signed a contract with IFREMER - the French national institute for ocean science - for the construction of a new 40.3-m vessel for the French oceanographic fleet. It will be designed to deal with all disciplines of oceanography in Atlantic coastal areas: geosciences and paleoclimatology, physical oceanography and biogeochemistry, biological oceanography, and ecosystem functioning, from the coastline to the continental shelf. It will also perform duties related to fishery on the continental shelf and will accommodate a crew of 12 people and 10 scientists…

Snow & Company of Seattle started construction of a 50-ft. hybrid research vessel for the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.Dubbed RV Resilience, the boat is designed by Incat Crowther with propulsion integration provided by Pacific Power. Hybrid propulsion will be accomplished by joining twin Volvo Penta D8-510 (374kW) marine engines, and two Danfoss Editron 20kW motor-generators. Power is stored using a Spear Trident battery system. This combination allows the vessel to operate in a zero-emission “quiet” state…

At the end of February 2022 a new oceanographic research vessel was launched in Vigo, built by the shipyard Construcciones Navales P Freire, SA (Freire Shipyard) for the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD). Several company representatives were present at the event led by Jesús, Guillermo and Marcos Freire, who were accompanied by a delegation from the shipowner and supervision teams."We are very pleased to proceed with a milestone in the construction of such an innovative ship," said the company's commercial director, Santiago Sío.

Houlder won two new contracts by Marine Scotland, the Scottish Government Directorate responsible for the integrated management of Scotland’s seas. The two-vessel design contracts ensure support for the design and build of two new vessels which will have enhanced vessel capabilities and be designed to operate in the harsh conditions of the North Atlantic and the North Sea.Following a fleet evaluation in 2019, Marine Scotland developed a fleet plan to meet the future needs of marine protection and research in Scotland.

Ocean science is in high demand by scientists studying ocean acidification, wave energy, seabed composition, changing water temperatures, fish populations and dozens of other research projects. The Oregon State University (OSU) has a proud history in the field. The wide variety of research project require a variety of vessels.One boat that has made large contributions to research is the 54 by 16.5-foot Elakha which was built in 2001 at Rozema Boat Works of Mount Vernon Washington.

MacArtney completed its order of a launch and recovery (LARS) system for Taiwan National University, the fifth Ocean Research Vessel (ORV) in the Asia Pacific region to date. MacArtney Asia Pacific provided the full launch and recovery system solution for the new vessel R/V New Ocean Researcher 1 (ORV 1), including slip rings, cables and docking heads. The 1,000 GT RV was completed on July 21, 2020.Behind ORV 1 is the CSBC Corporation, which built the ship for end-user Taiwan National University. CSBC, owning two shipyards, is the largest shipbuilding company in Taiwan.