http://noc.ac.uk

Current State & Future of UK

Research Vessels

Geraint West

http://noc.ac.uk

18.6

18

15

12.8

15.8

18.85

17

89.2

99.7

68.6

52.25

73.9

99.04

80

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

RRS James Cook

RRS Discovery

FRV Scotia

RV Corystes

Cefas Endeavour

RRS James Clark Ross

RRS Ernest Shackleton

Beam Overall lengthUK Research Vessels

£24M (1998)

£36M (2006)

£75M (2013)

£25M (2003)

(1988)

(1990)

http://noc.ac.uk

Shelf Seas Fleet Operating Areas

http://noc.ac.uk

NERC Operations •Annually on average

•20,000 equipment movements

•1,000T of equipment freighted

http://noc.ac.uk

Growth in Ships

DIS

COV

ERY

14.4

14

18.6

18

69.4

90.2

89.2

99.7

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

RRS Charles Darwin

RRS Discovery

RRS James Cook

New RRS Discovery

DIMENSIONS Beam Overall length

1.976

3.75

7.08

5.76

0 2 4 6 8

RRS Charles Darwin

RRS Discovery

RRS James Cook

New RRS Discovery

Installed Power (MW)

2,556

4,310

4,500

6,075

1,936

3,008

5,401

5,941

580

899

1,610

1,782

0 2,000 4,000 6,000

RRS Charles Darwin

RRS Discovery

RRS James Cook

New RRS Discovery

Maximum displacement Gross tonnage Net tonnage

RRS Charles Darwin

RRS Discovery

RRS James Cook

New RRS Discovery

2014

2005

http://noc.ac.uk

Scientific Utilisation

NOC 17%

Other NERC 14%

UK University 41%

Other UK institutions

3%

European 18%

USA 5%

Other world-wide 2%

Scientist days 2006-2012 (by cruise participation)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13

Se

a d

ays

Financial Year

Total Scientist Sea Days

Non-NERC other Non-NERC US

Non-NERC Europe Non-NERC UK

NERC - Other NERC - NOC

http://noc.ac.uk

Ship Availability for Science

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

JamesCook

Discovery Meteor MariaSMerian

Poseidon PolarsternSarmientodaGamboa

PorquoiPas

L'Atalante Thalassa LeSuroit MarionDufresne

Pelagia GOSars JohanHjort HåkonMosby

Days

Ship

Science Transit Port UnavailableforScience(Maintenance/Layup/Charter)

http://noc.ac.uk £-

£200

£400

£600

£800

£1,000

£1,200

01/04/04 01/04/05 01/04/06 01/04/07 01/04/08 01/04/09 01/04/10 01/04/11 01/04/12 01/04/13

Actual £/T paid

Market £/TValparaiso, Chile

Walvis Bay, Namibia

Punta Arenas, Chile 23/3/12

Southampton 23/3/12

Punta Arenas, Chile

Punta Arenas, ChilePunta Arenas, Chile

Vigo, Spain

Falmouth

Falmouth

Port Stanley

Underlying trend – fuel

prices have trebled over the

past decade

Location for fuelling can

involve a significant

premium

Fuel Costs

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Market Marine Fuel Price (£/Tonne)

http://noc.ac.uk

• 50 days endurance (L 99.7m, B 18m, D 6.5m)

• Scientific Transit Speed – 12 knots max

• 23 Officers & Crew

• 28 Scientists & Technicians

• DP Capable (DP2) SS6/7

• Minimal Ice Class – for hull life (Lloyds 1D)

• Overside/overstern lifting - 20tonnes

• Low URN but not as low as RRS James Cook

2 x Azimuth

Thruster

(2 x 2,200kW

Motors) Drop Keels: Port:

• EA600 12kHz

• 10kHz TX/RX

• Flow noise Hydrophone

Stbd:

• EK60

18/38/60/120/200/333kHz

• Scanmar

1,575kW

Tees Gill

Thruster

Multibeam Blister: • EM122 1° x 1° 12kHz

• SBP120 3° x 3°

• EM710 2° x 2° 70-

100kHz

• 75kHz ADCP

• 150kHz ADCP

• Flow noise Hydrophone

•

1,350kW

Azimuth

Thruster

New RRS Discovery – Outline • 4 x Wartsila 8L20 (1,770kW ea. – 5,760kW

tot.)

• 2 x Wartsila DC Motors (2,200kW ea.)

• 2 x azimuth thrusters

• 5-bladed fixed-pitch 3.6m diameter props

• Diesel capacity 596m3

• Fresh water capacity 310m3

http://noc.ac.uk

James Cook:

L 89.5m; B 18.6m; D 5.5 – 5.7m

Discovery:

L 99.7m; B 18.0m; D 6.5m

http://noc.ac.uk

Hullform

http://noc.ac.uk

National Marine Equipment Pool

• Replacement Value of ca. £20M.

• Annual Investment of ca. £1M

• Additional Grants (ca. £15M since 2001 incl. ROV)

• Deep Platforms – Autosub2, ISIS,SHRIMP, BRIDGET

• Sensors & Moorings – CTDs, Seasoar/Penguin, MVP, Scanfish,

Current Meters, SC/LADCP, Moored Profilers

• Ships Systems – Container Labs, Seismics, Echosounders,

Positioning, Computing

http://noc.ac.uk

Equipment Suite Usage

2001D2 5 1T

D2 5 2

D2 5 3 Leg 1

D2 5 3 Leg 2

D2 5 4

D2 5 5

D2 5 7

D2 5 7 T

D2 5 8 Leg1

D2 5 8 Leg2

CD12 6 P

CD 12 7

CD12 8

CD12 9

CD13 2

CD13 4 B

CD13 5 Leg1

CD13 5 Leg2

CD13 6 T

JR6 3

St at oil

Ailet t e

2002D259T L1

D259T L2

D260

D261

D262

D263 Leg1

D263 Leg2

D264

D265

D266

D267

CD137C

CD139

CD140

CD141L1

CD141 L2

CD142C

CD143

JR71

JR75

Sonne

Pelagia

2003

D268

JR 98 (ex-D272)

D273

D274B

Tria ls

Tria ls

D275

D276B

CD144

CD145

CD146

Tria ls

CD148

CD149

CD150

CD151

CD152

CD153

Tria ls

CD154

Poseidon PAP

Poseidon SAMS

JR80

JR90

JR91

JR94

Urania

Melv ille

Pelagia - TOBI

Pelagia - Coring

2005

D287

D288

D289

D290

D292T

D293T

D294

D295T

D296

D297

D298

D299

D300

CD168

CD169

CD170

CD171

CD172

CD173

CD174

CD175

CD176

CD177

JR97

JR127

JR112a

JR136

JR

Pelagia

Knorr

Madog

Poseidon

2006

D301

D302

D304

D306

D308

D309

D310

D311

D312

D313

CD178

CD179

CD180

JR144/145/1477

JR149

JR 142 TOBI

JR 169 ROV Tria ls

JR 155 Jic k e lls

Pelagia Trimmer

P332

P343

P345

Tersc hilling Autosub

Tersc hilling Simpson

Seward Johnson

Brown RAPID

Shac k leton

COOK TRIALS JC01

COOK TRIALS JC03

COOK TRIALS JC04

2004

D276

D277

D278

D279

D280T

D281T

D282

D283T

D284

D285

D286

CD155 L1

CD155 L2

CD156

CD157

CD158

CD159

CD160

CD161B

CD162B

CD163B

CD164B

CD165T

CD166

CD167

AMT 14

JR106 L1

JR106 L2

JR110

JR112

Meteor

Meteor

Poseidon

Poseidon

Poseidon

2007/08D317

D318 a

D318T

D318 b

D319

D320

D321

D323

D324

D325

JC007

JC009T

JC010

JC10b

JC10cJC011

JC015

JCO17

JC018

JC019

JC021

JC022T

JC023a

JC023b

JR177

JR179

Hudson

Met eor

PAP

2006/07D301

D302

D304

D306

D308

D309

D310

D311

D312

D313

CD179

CD180

JR149

JC005

JC001T

JC003T

JC004T

JR 142 TOBI

JR 169 ROV Trials

JR 155 Jickells

JR161

P343

P345

Terschilling Aut osub

Terschilling Simpson

Seward Johnson

Shacklet on

R. Brown

Shacklet on (ES024)

2006/07 2007/08

http://noc.ac.uk

Ccomplex Multi-disciplinary Cruise

http://noc.ac.uk

Handling

Stern ‘A’ Frame

Capacity – 30t

Max. Height – 8m

Aft Cranes

40T.m

Aft Cranes

40T.m

Midship/aft

Crane 250T.m

Starboard Bull-horn Boom

Capacity – 20T

Max. Height – 4.5m

Starboard ‘A’ Frame

Capacity – 20t

Max. Height – 5m

http://noc.ac.uk

Type Purpose CONSTRUCTION LENGTH

(m)

DIAMETER

(mm)

SWL

(T)

MBL

(T)

WEIGHT

INWATER(kg.km-1)

OPERATION PULL

(T)

SPEED

(ms-1)

Coring

Obtainingseabedcoresampleswhen

pull-outloadisnotextreme

Steel 7,000 16.5 11 18.56 780 Conventionaldirectpull

11 2.0

Trawling Towingdeeptrawlsandnets.

TaperedSteel 8,300 14.5 11.5 13.00 638 Conventionaldirectpull

12.5(firstlayer)

2.0

4,350 16.5 18.10 780

2,350 18.00 12.5 20.90 1,133

DeepTow Towingdeep

vehicleswheredata-

rates(suchasfromimageryormapping

system)arehighrequiringfibre-optic

transmission.

SteelArmoured

Electro/Optical

10,000 0.68"

(~17.3)

11 18.14 806 Shared

traction

winchwithlevelwinds

foreachstoragedrum

11 2.0

Deep

Coring

Obtainingseabed

coresampleswhenpull-outloadsareso

highthatweightofasteelcablecombines

toexceedsafe

workingloadofthewinch.

Plasma 8,000 0.875"

(~22.0)CHECK!!

30 75.00 Buoyant

SG=0.98

20 2.0

StandardCTD(x2)

DeploymentofConductivity/Tempe

rature/Densitysensorpackages.

SteelArmoured 8,000 0.45"(~11.43)

5 8.39 417 Tractionwinchwith

levelwind

5.0 2.0

Winch Suite

http://noc.ac.uk

Increasing Scientific Facilities

LABORATORY SPACE (m2) RRS Charles Darwin

(now Ocean

Researcher)

RRS Discovery RRS James Cook

New RRS Discovery

MAIN LAB & SCIENTIFIC CONTROL 130 92 110 121

COMPUTER ROOM 16 21 14 15

DECK LAB 65 65 65

CHEMISTRY LAB 18 30 -

GENERAL PURPOSE LAB - - 53

CLEAN CHEMISTRY LAB - - 16

CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE LAB 16 18 24 26

WATER SAMPLING ROOM 16 23 32 27

SEALED LAB/DARK ROOM 7 8 4 8

SALINOMETER ROOM - - 13

STABLE LAB/GRAVIMETER ROOM 18 10 5 4

TOTAL LABORATORIES 203 255 284 348

• Container slots increases from 4 on RRS Charles Darwin to 14 on new RRS Discovery

• Stbd gantry increased from 12.5T SWL to 30T SWL on RRS James Cook and 20T SWL on new Discovery

• Scientific cabins increased from 18 to 32 on RRS James Cook and 28 on new RRS Discovery

Trend towards

multidisciplinary science

diving demand for more

facilities onboard.

http://noc.ac.uk

Clean Chemistry Lab

Constant Temp Lab

Main Lab Control

Deck Lab

General Purpose Lab

Salinometer Room

http://noc.ac.uk

ROV

http://noc.ac.uk

PAP Met Office Telemetered Buoy

http://noc.ac.uk

OSMOSIS

• 12 month deployment at Porcupine Abyssal Plain

• 13 moorings 1.8 - 5km apart, in 5840m water

• 62,000m of wire, 22,000m of rope

• 62 Current Meters

• 62 SBE Microcat CTDs

• 7 High Frequency ADCPs

• 5 Long Range ADCPs

• 250 Temperature Loggers

• 18 Acoustic Releases

• 9 ARGOS & Xenon Beacons

• 4 Real Time GPS Trackers

http://noc.ac.uk

NIOZ Piston Coring

http://noc.ac.uk

Image courtesy Leighton Rolley

UAV Launch & Recovery

http://noc.ac.uk