Research vessel deliveries include a new Arctic workboat for Svalbard in Norway and a multi-disciplinary vessel for an Irish owner. Orders have meanwhile been placed for two new vessels for Chinese use and a large Antarctic research support ship to be operated by the Brazilian Navy.
Finnish builder delivers Arctic research boat to Norwegian university
Finnish builder Kewatec Aluboat has delivered a new research boat to the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) on Norway's Svalbard archipelago.
The newbuild has been named Hanna Resvoll after a famed Norwegian Arctic scientist and environmental protection advocate.
The boat measures 14.1 by 4.2 metres and is powered by two Yanmar engines. It is capable of operating in temperatures as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius and wave heights of up to three metres in Arctic waters.
Construction completed on new vessel for Ireland's Marine Institute
Spain's Armon Shipyard has completed construction on a research vessel ordered by the Marine Institute of Ireland.
The Skipsteknisk-designed Tom Crean will replace Celtic Voyager, which came into service as a marine research vessel in 1997.
Tom Crean has an LOA of 52.8 metres, a beam of 14 metres, a draught of 5.2 metres, accommodations for 12 crewmembers and 14 scientists, and a range of 8,000 nautical miles. The vessel also has a dynamic positioning system and capacity for three 20-foot containers.
Tom Crean will provide a year-round service for expanded fisheries surveys, seabed mapping, deep water surveys, and oceanographic and environmental research. The vessel will enable 300 operational days at sea each year and up to 3,000 scientist days per year.
Based in Galway, the vessel will be used by the Marine Institute, other state agencies, and universities to undertake research and surveys. It will also maintain and deploy weather buoys, observational infrastructure, and the Marine Institute's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Holland I.
Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources orders two new vessels
The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources has awarded contracts to China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) subsidiaries Guangzhou Shipyard International and Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding for the construction of two new vessels.
One vessel will be an icebreaking survey ship while the other will be a buoy handling vessel with a spacious aft deck and a large A-frame on the stern.
Both vessels will be built in compliance to China Classification Society rules.
Contract awarded for new Brazilian Navy Antarctic research ship
Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine, through wholly owned subsidiaries Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz (EJA) and Sembcorp Marine Specialised Shipbuilding (SMSS), have secured a contract for the construction of a new ice-capable scientific research vessel for the Brazilian Navy.
The vessel will have a length of 93.9 metres, a beam of 18.5 metres, a draught of six metres, and a displacement of 5,800 tonnes. It will be capable of operations in Antarctic waters.
The vessel newbuilding contract was awarded by Emgepron, a Brazilian state-owned company linked to the country's Ministry of Defence. Construction will commence before the end of 2022 and will be completed in the third quarter of 2025.
