Research Equipment News

A classic 1930s-built boat with a storied history has been updated with a hybrid propulsion system from Transfluid.Originally built in 1937 in Tacoma, Wash., the Western  Flyer is most well known as the boat chartered by John Steinbeck in his 1940 expedition to the Gulf of California chronicled in The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Called “the most famous research vessel to ever have sailed”, the Flyer is a 77ft wooden fishing vessel that has been restored in Port Townsend, Wash. by the Western Flyer Foundation.The boat was recommissioned as a fishing vessel, and a showpiece for green technology.

Seattle shipyard Snow & Company has launched a new 15-meter hybrid catamaran research vessel that will be operated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.The plug-in hybrid research vessel, Resilience, will be delivered to the Department of Energy's (DOE) PNNL-Sequim marine research facility in 2024.The Incat Crowther designed vessel, equipped with both standard diesel engines and electric motors, will be the first hybrid vessel in the DOE fleet. The vessel will be powered by an advanced parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system…

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…

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility, known as Ohmsett, has now reopened after undergoing significant refurbishment over the past eight months as part of BSEE’s ongoing maintenance plan. Originally constructed and operated by the U.S. EPA in 1974, the facility was passed to the U.S. Navy and then to the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service in 1990. Today, it is the only facility in the U.S. conducting full-scale oil spill response research, equipment testing and training using live oil.

The sources and impact of sea-based marine litter form the focus of a new report by the Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), an advisory body to the United Nations sponsored by 10 UN entities. The report outlines the various sources of marine litter and the impact and assesses the current availability of data and identifies knowledge gaps for the main categories of sea-based sources of marine plastic litter. The Working Group was established by GESAMP…

A MacGregor project team has been involved in the polar icebreaker Xue Long (Snow Dragon) 2 project for China’s 36th Antarctic expedition from the very early stage back in 2011MacGregor is working collaboratively with the he Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) project team and the Marine Design and Research Institute of China (MARIC) in Shanghai to develop different technical solutions required to enable deck handling equipment to operate effectively at temperatures of minus 45 degrees centigrade.MacGregor’s deck handling solution and scope of supply for Xue Long 2 comprises three offshore cranes, the research equipment deck handling systems, oceanographic winches, deck machinery and hatch covers.

Construction of a new Oregon State University (OSU) bound research ship that will advance the science of coastal environments, and support research on topics such as ocean acidification, hypoxia, and sea level rise, officially began today at Gulf Island Shipyards in Louisiana.Officials from OSU the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Gulf Island Shipyards LLC gathered at the shipyard in Houma, La. for the keel-laying ceremony, marking the start of fabrication of the state-of-the art ship.

China's government controlled China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) is going beyond building navy vessels and making advanced scientific research ships, Xinhua reported. CSSC has been focussing on defence sector till now. It was the largest supplier of surface combatants to the Chinese Navy, said the report. CSSC has been using its expertise in the research and development of naval hardware to construct high-tech civilian ships, encouraged by government measures to boost transfer of defense-related technologies to civilian and business sectors, said company officials. The company is currently making a polar research icebreaker－the first to be built from the keel up by China－at the Jiangnan Shipyard…

The Sally Ride, a Neil Armstrong Class Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) vessel, dry docked at Bay Ship and Yacht on April 15, 2017, to carry out modifications to superstructure and to perform general vessel maintenance. Named for the late astronaut Sally Ride, the ship is 238 feet long and incorporates the latest technologies, including high-efficiency diesel engines, emissions controls for stack gases, and new information technology tools both for monitoring shipboard systems and for communicating with the world.

The Polar Research Institute of China has ordered a new 14,300gt polar research vessel. Designed by Aker Arctic Finland, it will be the first vessel of its type to be built in China, though a shipyard has yet to be named. The 122.5-meter multifunctional icebreaker will be able to handle ice up to 1.5 meters thick, achieving a continuous icebreaking speed of two to three knots. It will have an endurance of 20,000 nautical miles and with a full 90-person crew, it will be able to cruise for 60 days without resupply.

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has won an order to supply MacGregor offshore cranes and a Triplex handling system for a 14,300gt polar research vessel being built for the Polar Research Institute of China. Designed by Aker Arctic Finland, it will be the first vessel of its type to be built in China; the shipyard has yet to be named. "Our ability to deliver tailor-made packages of equipment and a reputation for successful low temperature operations were key factors in winning this contract," says William Storvik, Shiptype Group Sales Manager, MacGregor Offshore Deck Machinery. "MacGregor products have a proven track record of performance in extreme environments, which makes them ideal for this type of vessel.

The U.S. Navy’s research vessel Neil Armstrong (AGOR-27), scheduled for completion this year, is equipped with a modern array of oceanographic research equipment. To handle this equipment, Allied Marine Crane, a division of Allied Systems, Co., was chosen to design and manufacture two cranes, one A-frame, one davit, two handling systems and two hydraulic power units. Allied Marine Crane equipment was specified based on their history with research equipment handling, their proven design and build capabilities, and strong working relationship with marine winch supplier Markey Machinery.

Vesper Marine will provide its Virtual Aid to Navigation technology to the French company CGG, a  geoscience company that provides geological and geophysical survey and analysis primarily to the oil and gas industry. In its ongoing quest to map the ocean’s floors, CGG survey vessels tow an array of cables in the water at a up to a 50 ft. depth, an array of cables that contain seismic energy sources, usually a series of airguns that are fired at regular intervals as the vessel moves along predetermined survey lines.

Last week, the Dutch governmental shipping company Rijksrederij (part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, Rijkswaterstaat) took delivery of its scientific research vessel Tridens after an extensive refit at Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam in the Netherlands. Tridens underwent a major midlife conversion to boost the vessel’s multifunctional capabilities for fisheries research, including installation of a ‘drop keel’. The Rijksrederij is the custodian of the North Sea and manages a fleet of specialist vessels.

Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering company Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) announced that the christening ceremony for the Oceanographic Research Vessel AGOR 27, named in honor of the famed Neil Armstrong, was held at Dakota Creek Industries (DCI) in Anacortes, Wash., on March 29, 2014. Kali Armstrong, granddaughter of the late astronaut and the Maid of Honor, sang the National Anthem and Carol Knight Armstrong, Neil Armstrong’s wife, served as the ship’s sponsor, performing the honor of breaking the traditional bottle of champagne across the ship’s bow.

Fujian province expects to have the ability to build more than 8 million deadweight tons of ships each year, by the end of 2015. The government’s “11 Measures to Transform and Upgrade the Shipbuilding Industry” calls the province to develop into an important shipbuilding base on the southeast coast of China within three years, by raising its national industrial status and technological level, reports the China Daily. It is expected to get close cooperation from four industrial zones - Sansha Bay, Minjiang River Estuary, Meizhou Bay, and Xiamen-Zhangzhou Bay – which will work to develop two or three major enterprises that can produce one-million-DWT ships each.

The CCGS Vladykov is the first of three new Near-Shore Fisheries Research Vessels to be delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard. Commissioned in August 2012, the vessel was constructed at Meridien Maritime Inc. in Matane, Quebec to a design developed by Robert Allan Ltd of Vancouver, B.C. The CCGS Vladykov and its sister vessels will conduct scientific research in the Newfoundland and Labrador region. Secondary missions include search and rescue, environmental response and the support of marine programs for other government agencies.

Hyde Marine’s chemical-free, IMO Type Approved ballast water treatment solution packs performance in a smaller footprint. That’s good news for small vessel operators who may soon find themselves impacted by a problem that previously was thought to be a “bluewater” issue. The notion that ballast water treatment and invasive species are both strictly the domain of big, bluewater liners coming from the Far East and other exotic locales quickly went out the porthole last November when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its long-awaited, updated draft Vessel General Permit (VGP) rule. The new rules potentially bring regulations to bear on vessels as small as 79 feet LOA and others, depending on service and routing.

Military Sealift Command-chartered container ship MV Green Wave departed McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Feb. 25, after delivering more than 6.8 million pounds of vital supplies in support of Operation Deep Freeze. ODF is the annual Joint Task Force Support For Antarctica mission to resupply the remote scientific outpost. Green Wave followed MSC-chartered tanker MT Maersk Peary, which brought more than 6.3 million gallons of crucial diesel, gasoline and jet fuel to McMurdo Station Jan. 28-31.

Military Sealift Command-chartered container ship MV BBC Ems departed McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Feb. 13 after delivering more than 84,000 square feet of vital supplies in support of Operation Deep Freeze. ODF is an annual U.S. Air Force-led mission to resupply the remote scientific outpost. BBC Ems followed MSC tanker USNS Richard G. Matthiesen, which delivered more than 5.5 million gallons of crucial diesel, gasoline and jet fuel to McMurdo Station Jan. 29 to Feb. MSC ships…

STX Finland Oy and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs has signed a contract for construction of a Polar Supply and Research Vessel. The ship with a value of approximately $173m will bring some 600 man-years of work. The ship will be build in  the Rauma shipyard and it will be delivered in spring 2012. The ship will function as a multi-purpose vessel, serving, among other things, as a supply vessel, research vessel, icebreaker, expedition vessel, as well as a passenger ship.

The Spanish sales division for Simrad and Kongsberg Maritime have signed contracts for one of its biggest projects to date; the supply and installation of navigation, positioning and research systems on two newbuilds for the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (I.E.O). The twin 45m research vessels are specifically designed for research on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal areas although both will call the home. The first vessel is expected to be delivered in December 2009 and the second, a year later in December 2010.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has taken delivery of Tioga, a new coastal research vessel from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Designed by Roger Long Marine Architecture, the all-aluminum vessel, replaces the Institution’s aging 46-foot vessel Asterias. The new vessel’s shallow-V planing hull measures 60 ft. overall, with a 17.7-ft. beam and 5-ft. draft. The vessel is U.S. Coast Guard-certified for up to 49-passengers. According to Institution officials…