German shipbuilder FSG has laid the keel of a new research vessel slated for the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR).
Classed by DLR as a seagoing technology platform, it will serve as a laboratory for maritime technologies under the name Modularis.
The vessel will be 48 metres long and 11.5 metres wide and will have accommodation for 20 people upon completion. It will be homeported in Kiel while test voyages will take place primarily in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean, with missions lasting up to seven days.
The German Government will provide funding of around €36 million (US$42 million) to support the project. The focus of the use of the vessel will be on climate-compatible propulsion systems, autonomous technologies, and applications for security and defence.
"With Modularis, we are creating a globally unique foundation for maritime transformation," said Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chair of the DLR Executive Board. "New energy, navigation and communication systems can in future be integrated, tested and brought to certification readiness more quickly under real operating conditions. In doing so, we are strengthening innovation, security, resilience and technological sovereignty in Germany and Europe."
The vessel is scheduled to be handed over to DLR in 2027.
