Fisheries Research News

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…

The new maritime academy school ships being built at Philly Shipyard (officially designated as National Security Multi-Mission Vessels) are an exciting development and provide a significant boost to our national maritime educational system. The technology on our existing school ships has very little relevance to the present marine industry, and these new vessels will not only provide the students with a better educational setting, in their multi-role deployment, they will also provide more exposure to maritime education.Maritime education is one of the country’s educational gold standards.

The U.S. Navy uses unmanned and robotic underwater vehicles for a multitude of functions, including environmental sensing, mine hunting, and salvage. The Navy plans to evolve an unmanned systems operating concept that is platform agnostic and capable of operating in highly complex contested environments with minimal operator interaction.The most recent edition of the Navy’s Unmanned Systems (UxS) Roadmap was issued in 2018, and a new version is expected in the near future. The 2018 document states that UxS will operate in every domain…

Ireland's new marine research vessel due to enter service in 2022 will be named the RV Tom Crean, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue announced. "I am delighted to announce the name of Ireland's new marine research vessel is the RV Tom Crean, acknowledging the contribution of a legendary Irish Explorer," McConalogue said.Tom Crean was a renowned seaman and explorer who undertook three major groundbreaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world…

Dead dolphins that washed up in Mauritius near the site of an oil spill have so far been found to have wounds on their bodies but no trace of oil, preliminary autopsy results released on Thursday said.Environmentalists are urgently seeking an explanation for the mysterious deaths of 27 dolphins which washed ashore on Wednesday and Thursday, to determine whether they were killed by the spill. Scientists fear the toxic spill could hurt wildlife for many years on islands that depend on tourism.So far, veterinarians have examined only two of the dolphins.

Damen Shipyards Galati has made provisional delivery of the 74-meter fishery research vessel Baía Farta to the Angolan Ministry of Fisheries. The vessel will remain in Galati until November, when she will set sail for Angola where the final delivery will take place.With a 1,600 km Atlantic coastline, the development of the domestic fishing industry is a priority of the Angolan government and it currently employs over 100,000 people in both commercial and artisanal fishing.The Baía Farta…

A new research vessel for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has completed sea trials and is transiting to its home port in Virginia.The new vessel, the R/V Virginia, will support the institution’s fisheries research projects and greatly expand VIMS’ capability to perform general oceanographic research in the Chesapeake Bay as well as mid-Atlantic coastal waters. Interest in the new research vessel is already growing rapidly as next season is almost fully booked with science cruises.The 93-foot vessel was built by Meridien Maritime Reparation.

Two new 50-meter multi-mission offshore vessels (MMOV) will soon help the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) fight illegal fishing in Philippine waters. The sister ships – DA BFAR MMOV 5001, named BRP Lapu-Lapu, and DA BFAR MMOV 5002, named BRP Francisco Dagohoy – were built by Manilla-based Josefa Slipways, and have recently completed speed and endurance trials ahead of their upcoming delivery. According to designer Incat Crowther, the new vessels will enhance law enforcement’s capability to patrol and protect territorial waters…

Marine News showcases the best of North America’s 2017 workboat deliveries. There is something for everyone. Notwithstanding the lingering offshore energy downturn, there were plenty of bright spots for North American shipyards in 2017. If a hull was delivered in 2017, we took a look at it, with several areas as a focus for inclusion into this edition. For starters, it is always exciting when a domestic yard delivers a vessel – or multiple vessels, for that matter – to foreign buyers. We can compete in a foreign arena; on price, quality and on-time delivery. This year was no different. No less important is the environmental footprint of a vessel, and there was plenty to report on from that angle in the past 12 months. The domestic waterfront is indeed getting greener and cleaner.

Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has celebrated the launch of the first large vessel to be designed and built under the Government of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) - OFSV1, the first of three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV). In 2011, the Government of Canada competitively selected Seaspan to be its Non-Combat Shipbuilder as part of the NSS program. Under the NSS, Seaspan will build and deliver non-combat vessels at the company's state-of-the-art facility in North Vancouver for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and Royal Canadian Navy. OFSV1 is the first large vessel to be designed, built and launched under the NSS. It represents an important milestone in Seaspan's long-term strategic relationship with the Government of Canada.

The Elastec Inlander river utility boat (RUB) is a unique concept. But, Elastec already manufactures many other response and utility craft for this market. What prompted the internal effort to create such a craft was that while on oil spill deployments with customers, Elastec personnel began to notice quite a few response organizations using “reconfigured” recreational watercraft (fishing boats) to perform tasks. Those boats, according to Elastec, were not well suited to the tasks they were doing, both in terms of safety and operational utility.

Philippine-born Ananya Surangpimol won a prestigious scholarship to Japan in 1971 and, after a year of intensive Japanese, entered Tokyo University of Fisheries, one of the first Asian women to do so in a former all-male imperial university. There she completed a master’s degree in food science but one of her favorite memories of her attendance at this former naval academy was being required to swim a kilometer in the open sea and row a big 12-oar cutter in her freshman year.

The German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung, BLE) has signed a contract with Damen Shipyards Group for the construction of a new fisheries research vessel following a European tendering process, realized by the Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau, BAW). With the vessel, to be called the Walther Herwig, the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) will support Germany’s fisheries and oceanographic research programs.

Sparks are flying on the keel of the $1.9 million, 57-foot aluminum fisheries research vessel for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), at Moran Iron Works (MIW). The project was announced in November of 2016 when the two parties met for an inaugural meeting in Onaway. Preliminary design of the vessel was performed by Seacraft Design, LLC, with MIW working to finalize the design and construction drawings. “The official laying of keel day was January 23,” said Jason Willis, project manager at MIW.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science of Gloucester Point, Va. awarded a contract to Meridien Maritime Reparation of Matane, Quebec to construct a 93-foot research vessel. JMS Naval Architects of Mystic, Conn. designed the research vessel to replace VIMS’s current vessel, the R/V Bay Eagle. The primary mission of the Institute’s fleet is to provide inshore and offshore work platforms for the support of fisheries related oceanographic research projects. The new vessel will be capable of conducting fisheries assessments of greater capacity…

Based on the present traffic and cargo scenario of Major Ports, a Master Plan has been prepared for expansion of port capacity, which includes a number of new ports. Sagar Island (West Bengal):  Public Investment Board (PIB) has appraised the project subject to the condition that state Government shall ensure possession of the land is available to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)  or any other Agency providing road connectivity and to railways/agency providing rail connectivity. Projected Traffic is to be around 3.5 MTPA in 2020 increasing to around 27 MTPA in 2035. Enayam near Colachel, (Tamilnadu): Detailed Project Report (DPR) is under preparation. The Port is proposed to be developed under the Landlord model. Projected traffic is around 127.05 MTPA by 2030.

IMC’s latest fisheries research and survey vessel design was built in Malaysia for the Bangladesh Department of Fisheries. RV Meen Shandhani arrived in Bangladesh in June after completing extensive sea and fishing trials and its delivery voyage. The Australian consultancy’s naval architects and engineers drew on a wealth of relevant experience, data and expertise when developing the research vessel’s design. Formed in 1994, IMC and its principals have a long interest in, and association with, the fisheries sector.

A fisheries research vessel operated by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), was recently repowered with new eco-friendly fuel-efficient engines from Volvo Penta. The vessel R/V Palmetto underwent an overhaul at the Metal Trades shipyard near Charleston, S.C., and was put back into service in July. As part of the overhaul project, the original 1980s-era diesels were replaced by a pair of new Volvo Penta D16 MH600 Tier 3 engines with ZF W650 gears. The installation also included electronic controls and a seven-inch display screen in the wheelhouse.

The 78’ research vessel designed and engineered by Boksa Marine Design (BMD) in 2015 is headed to the building phase beginning in June. BMD contracted with the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) in February 2015 for the design of a new vessel to replace its current research vessel, the 71’ R/V Bellows. Originally built in 1968, FIO has operated the research boat since 1979 as a floating laboratory for scientists and students studying in the waterways of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas.

The Sumber Samudra Sdn. Bhd. of Perak, Malaysia recently delivered a 37.8-meter fisheries research and survey vessel. Built for the Bangladesh Department of Fisheries, the R/V Meen Shandhani completed official sea trials in June 2015. Additional trials for the fishing gear were carried out in late 2015. With all trials complete, the vessel crews will receive training as a part of the build package. After making her delivery trip to her homeport of Chittagong, Bangladesh she will undertake fisheries research in the Bay of Bengal.

Art Anderson Associates informs it has been awarded a five year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for program and project management as well as other services supporting the Marine Engineering Branch for oceanographic and fisheries research ships and small vessels operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Marine Operations (OMAO). The agreement will allow NOAA to contract with Art Anderson Associates for integration and project management services including acquisition, program and mission management, technical writing, ship construction supervision services, post shakedown availability support and waterfront production oversight. The award is the second major BPA awarded to Art Anderson Associates this year from NOAA.

Krill Systems Inc., leader in advanced Vessel Fuel Measurement and Monitoring Systems (VFMMS), installated and conducted sea trial on-board the NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker. The NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker is the fifth in a series of Fishery Survey Vessels (FSV) and one of the most technologically advanced fisheries vessels in the world. Funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and built by Marinette Marine Corporation in Wisconsin, the ship’s primary objective is to support fish, marine mammal, and turtle surveys off the U.S. West Coast and in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Reuben Lasker is classed as a Fishery Survey Vessel (FSV). All FSVs are American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Ice Classed "C0".

JMS Naval Architects will complete the Contract Design Package next month of a 93-foot research vessel for Virginia Institute of Marine Science to replace its current research vessel, R/V Bay Eagle. A solicitation will be issued to shipyards by the end of the year. The primary mission of the Institute’s fleet is to provide inshore and offshore work platforms for the support of fisheries related oceanographic research projects. The new vessel will be capable of conducting fisheries assessments of greater capacity in deeper waters and with a larger science complement than the Bay Eagle.