Keel-laying for R/V Sikuliaq

The University of Alaska Fairbanks and Marinette Marine Corporation held a keel-laying ceremony in April for the R/V Sikuliaq at Marinette Marine Corporation in Marinette, Wis.

The 261-ft oceanographic research ship, formerly known as the Alaska Region Research Vessel, will be owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by UAF.

The launch of the ship is scheduled for mid-2012 and the ship will be ready for full science operations in 2014. The Sikuliaq will be headquartered at the UAF Seward Marine Center in Seward, Alaska. The name of the vessel, Sikuliaq, is pronounced [see-KOO-lee-auk] and is an Inupiaq word meaning “young sea ice.”