KIGAM Orders New Research Vessel

South Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co will build a new research vessel for Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM).

The ULSTEIN SX134 design vessel will be 92 meters long and 21 meters wide and fulfil the general demands of the seismic and oceanographic research industry for operations of seismic streamer cables, seismic bottom nodes, seismic high-resolution seafloor mapping, seafloor survey and sediment sampling.

The vessel has been designed to include a variety of installed equipment, such as a 3D/4D seismic eight-streamer system, high resolution 2D/3D seismic P-cable system, a multicomponent OBN acquisition system, a Marine Gravity and Magnetic system, Multibeam and Single beam echosounders and auxiliary equipment for in sea acoustic sounding systems. Further, the vessel incorporates a Deep Sea Chirp Sub-bottom profiler, an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and a High profile Underwater Positioning system. Sediment samplers and geochemical analysis equipment are available for the on-board researchers.

The vessel will function as a base for up to 30 researchers, and will additionally, accommodate a crew of up to 20. 

According to designer Ulstein, the vessel's X-BOW hull line design helps to minimize slamming and vibrations for improved onboard comfort, increased operability and reduced speed loss with less fuel consumption and environmental footprint.

“The calmer movements in the X-BOW vessels have a big impact on the crew's well-being,” said the chief officer on one of Ulstein’s previously delivered seismic research vessels.

In 1996, Ulstein’ s shipyard Ulstein Verft delivered the vessel  Tamhae II for KIGAM.