German shipbuilder Fassmer has been awarded a contract for the construction and delivery of a new vessel to local polar research organisation Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI).
The vessel will have an LOA of 35.7 metres, a beam of nine metres, a draught of 2.2 metres, and two methanol-powered 200kW engines that will deliver a speed of 10 knots. It will also have an array of scientific equipment including sensors, cranes, and winches as well as an onboard laboratory.
The vessel's area of operations will be the North Sea, specifically the area around Heligoland.