Research and Training Vessel News Roundup | February 16 – US, Swedish and Dutch research and survey boats and an Australian training vessel refit

New survey boats have been delivered to a Dutch waterway authority and the US Army Corps of Engineers. A research vessel for the Baltic Sea is handed over to a Swedish non-profit. Finally, work is underway to modernise a training vessel used by an operator in Western Australia.

Research vessel delivered to Swedish marine science non-profit

Finnish boatbuilder Kewatec Aluboat recently delivered a new research vessel to Swedish non-profit Voice of the Ocean.

Ocean Seeker will be operated by Swedish company Midocean on behalf of Voice of the Ocean. It is the first in a series of two vessels designed for research missions in the Baltic Sea.

The newbuild has a length of 23 metres, a beam of 6.4 metres, and accommodations for six people. Other onboard facilities include laboratory and research spaces while an aft deck features an A-frame, a winch, and a crane.

Diesel engines will enable the vessel to transit at high speed to and from research sites while electric motors will allow for low-noise, long-endurance sailings.

Ocean Nomad, the second vessel in the series, is scheduled for delivery before the end of the year.

Dutch waterway authority adds new boat to survey fleet

The Scheldt River Water Board (Waterschap Scheldestromen) of the Netherlands has taken delivery of a new survey vessel built by the Holland Shipyards Group.

Meermin IV (“Mermaid”) replaces an older vessel in the operator’s fleet. The newer boat is slightly larger and offers additional onboard space but is designed to accommodate some of the existing survey equipment on the earlier Meermin.

Meermin IV will be operated primarily in the coastal waters of Zeeland province.

Coastal survey boat enters service with US Army Corps of Engineers

The US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Portland District in Oregon has begun operational sailings of a new coastal hydrographic survey vessel.

The boat has been named Beeman in honour of Ogden Beeman, who led the Portland District’s Waterways Navigation Branch from 1960 to 1967.

The new vessel replaces Patterson, an earlier survey boat that had been operated by the district for over 22 years.

Refit underway on training vessel for Western Australia vocational college

Western Australia shipbuilder Dongara Marine has begun work to upgrade an existing training vessel operated by local vocational college Central Regional TAFE.

The AU$2 million (US$1.3 million) upgrade program on the training vessel Master Class includes installation of new engines, gearboxes, navigational systems, and air conditioning systems.

Following the modernisation, Master Class will be operated out of Central Regional TAFE’s Batavia Coast Maritime Institute to provide training in fishing boat operations, boating services, and marine engine operations. It will also support on-water activities for components of other training programs such as aquaculture, tourism, coastal conservation, and land management in the region.