UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to select a shipyard to perform the final design and assembly of the university’s new Coastal-class research vessel (CCRV), which Scripps claims is the first-ever research vessel that will run primarily on renewable fuels.
The vessel will be a dual-powered hydrogen fuel cell/diesel electric hybrid oceanographic research vessel that will be able to conduct 75 per cent of its missions using only liquid hydrogen fuel.
When operating on hydrogen, CCRV will have zero emissions and a quiet operating profile, enabling contamination-free sampling and the performance of its underwater acoustic sensors.
The American Bureau of Shipping approved the preliminary design of the CCRV in June 2024, and Scripps received further approval from the US Coast Guard in November.
The CCRV will be dedicated to California research missions to observe and measure biological, chemical, geological and physical processes including research to better understand fisheries, harmful algal blooms, severe El Niño storms, atmospheric rivers, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and oxygen depletion zones.
The 163-foot (49.7-metre) ship will replace the Scripps research vessel Robert Gordon Sproul, which has been operating for 43 years.
After delivery and acceptance, the CCRV will conduct scientific missions in the eastern Pacific as part of the U. Academic Research Fleet, serving hundreds of scientists and students each year.