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Future Directions for Southern Ocean and Antarctic Nearshore and Coastal Research (2024)

Chapter: Appendix B: Capabilities of Potential Partners' Vessels

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Previous Chapter: Appendix A: Committee Member and Staff Biographical Sketches

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Suggested Citation: "Appendix B: Capabilities of Potential Partners' Vessels." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Future Directions for Southern Ocean and Antarctic Nearshore and Coastal Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/27160.

Appendix B

Capabilities of Potential Partners’ Vessels

TABLE B-1 Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough—Great Britain

Parameter	Design
Length	129 m
Draught	7 m
Endurance	Up to 60 days
Range	19,000 nautical miles at 13 kts (cruising speed)
Ice Capability	Polar Class 5 icebreaking capability (up to 1 m thick at 3 kts)
Berthing	30 crew (approximate), 60 scientists and support staff
Helicopter Capabilities	Forward helideck with hangar capable of fitting 2 Dauphin-sized (medium) helicopters
Work Boats	Scientific boat (10.5 m long, 2 crew plus 6 passengers), barge/landing craft (13.5 m long, 16 t cargo capacity)
Autonomous Vehicles	Sail buoys, gliders, Autosub
Cargo Hold Space	In reach of the main ship’s crane. Easy access for movement of cargo to the helideck. Stowage of aviation fuel in drums, including fire detection and extinguishing arrangements. Flexible internal handling systems for cargo in the hold spaces.
Working Deck	Direct access for working over the stern, over the side, or through the moonpool, using common transfer systems
Deck Cargo	In reach of the ship’s cargo crane
Dynamic Positioning	DP2 (DP[AA]) capable
Starboard Side A-Frame	To allow deployment and recovery of scientific packages from the hangar and over the side
Starboard Side CTD Gantry	To allow deployment and recovery of scientific packages from the hangar and over the side
Survey Towing Winch/A Frame	Arranged for over the stern deployment
Laboratories	Wet and dry laboratories, two controlled-temperature laboratories. Can carry up to 18 containerized laboratories (two can connect to wet lab).
Subsea Survey	Transducers/transceivers mounted behind titanium-plate “ice windows,” flush with the shell plating in optimum position to minimize bubble sweep-down effects and prevent ice damage to the sensors.
Scientific Moonpool	4 m × 4 m

NOTE: CTD = conductivity, temperature, and depth.

SOURCE: Data from NSF OPP Advisory Committee (2019) and presentation to the committee by Sophie Fielding, British Antarctic Survey, March 2023.

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TABLE B-2 Research Vessel Kronprins Haakon—Norway

Parameter	Design
Tonnage	9,145 gross tonnage
Length	100.382 m
Beam	21 m
Draught	8.666 m
Depth	10.408 m
Ice class	Polar Class 3 (operations in 2nd-year ice) 3.5 kts in 1 m thick ice (with 20 cm of snow on top)
Range	15,000 nautical miles (28,000 kmi) 65 days at cruising speed
Berthing	Room for 55 people in 38 cabins, takes 40 passengers
Research Facilities	15 laboratories 3 container laboratories 4 cold rooms 2 freezer rooms
Support Functions	20 20-ft containers 5 cranes
Helicopter Capabilities	Helipad on the ship’s bow plus hangar for two small/medium-size helicopters (e.g., NH90 or Super Puma search and rescue)
Hydroacoustics Systems	Bottom mapping, marine biological sonar, deep water bottom profiling and sub-bottom profiling
Geological Equipment	Giant piston corer, seismic shooting 2D/3D, cavity corer, MeBo coring system

SOURCE: Data from NSF (2019) and UiT (2018).

TABLE B-3 Research and Supply Vessel Nuyina—Australia

Parameter	Design
Length Overall	160.3 m
Maximum Beam	25.6 m
Maximum Draught	9.3 m
Displacement	25,500 metric tons
Icebreaking	1.65 m at 3 kts
Speed	12 kts economical, 16+ kts maximum
Range	>16,000 nautical miles
Endurance	90 days
Passengers	117
Crew	32
Scientific Capabilities	3 permanent laboratories, plus up to 20 containerized laboratories Moonpool (4 m × 4 m) Wet well system for underwater sampling
Support Vessels	6 total: 1 scientific tender (10.3 m length, 6 people, 500 kg cargo), 2 landing barges (16.3 m long), 2 personnel transfer (8 m long, 8 personnel, 150 kg baggage), and 1 stern tender (same specs as personnel transfers)
Helo Capacity	2 medium (e.g., Sikorsky S-92) or 4 small (e.g., AS350 B3) helicopters
A-Frame	30 metric ton capacity

SOURCE: Data from NSF OPP Advisory Committee (2019); Australian Antarctic Division, 2023a,b.

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TABLE B-4 Research Vessel Araon—South Korea

Parameter	Design
Length Overall	111.0 m
Maximum beam	19.0 m
Maximum Draught	6.8 m
Icebreaking	1 m at 3 kts
Speed	12 kts
Range	> 17,000 nautical miles
Endurance	Approximately 70 days
Passengers	60 researchers
Crew	25
Scientific Capabilities	Dry and wet research laboratory Seawater analyzer Conductivity, temperature, and depth
Helo Capacity	2 small (e.g., AS350 B3) helicopters, retractable helo hangar
Acoustic Instrumentation	ADCP/LADCP, fish finder, fishery sonar, multibeam echosounder, sub-bottom profiler,
Geologic Instrumentation	Marine gravity meter, magnetometer, multichannel seismic system, long corer system

NOTE: ADCP = Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler; LADCP = Lowered ADCP.

SOURCE: Data from KOPRI, n.d.; presentation to the committee by Won Sang Lee, KOPRI, March 2023.

TABLE B-5 Research Vessel Polarstern—Germany^a

Parameter	Design
Length Overall	118 m
Maximum Beam	25.0 m
Maximum Draught	11.2 m
Icebreaking	1 m at 3 kts
Speed	Max speed 15 kts
Range	19,000 nautical miles
Endurance	75 days
Passengers	53 researchers
Crew	44
Scientific Capabilities	Dry and wet research laboratory, CTD, moonpool (.8 m × .9 m), pCO₂ monitoring, underway profiling CTD packages
Helo Capacity	2 BK117 C1 helicopters and hangar
Support Vessel	2 zodiaks (6.5 m, 14-person capacity)
A-Frame	30 metric tons stern boom capacity
Acoustic Instrumentation	ADCP, fish finder, fishery sonar, multibeam echosounder, sub-bottom echosounder
Geologic Instrumentation	Marine gravity meter, magnetometer, marine seismic equipment (airguns, ocean-bottom seismometer, seismic streamers), corers, drege

^a Germany is also planning a replacement R/V Polarstern II to replace the R/V Polarstern.

NOTE: ADCP = Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler; CTD = conductivity, temperature, and depth; pCO₂ = partial pressure of carbon dioxide.

SOURCE: Data from AWI, 2020, 2023.

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TABLE B-6 Supply and Research Vessel Agulhas II—South Africa

Parameter	Design
Length Overall	134.2 m
Maximum Beam	21.7 m
Maximum Draught	7.65 m
Icebreaking	Polar Class 5 (5 kt in 1 m thick ice)
Speed	Max speed 16 kts
Range	15,000 nautical miles
Passengers	100
Crew	45
Scientific Capabilities	8 laboratories (both wet and dry), plus 6 container laboratories, CTD, moonpool (2.4 m × 2.4 m), stern hydrolic A-Frame
Helo Capacity	2 Atlas Oryx helicopters, helideck, and hangar

NOTE: CTD = conductivity, temperature, and depth.

SOURCE: Data from Davis, 2012; South African National Antarctic Programme, n.d.

TABLE B-7 Research Vessel Laura Bassi—Italy

Parameter	Design
Length Overall	80 m
Maximum Beam	17 m
Maximum Draught	6.85 m
Icebreaking	Polar Class 5 (1–2 m)
Speed	12 kts cruising, 14 kts max
Range	74,000 km
Endurance	60 days
Passengers	45 scientists/technicians
Crew	25
Scientific Capabilities	Wet and dry laboratories, plus 6 container laboratories, CTD, moonpool (2.4 m × 2.4 m), telescopic boom crane aft and main, 50-t crane starboard side, piston coring, sub-bottom profiler, ADCP, multicorer, marine magnetometer, GI guns, multibeam
Helo Capacity	Helipad for landing/take off, no hangar capability

NOTES: ADCP = Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler; CTD = conductivity, temperature, and depth.

SOURCE: Data from OGS (n.d.a,b); PNRA, 2019; ARICE, 2019; presentation to the committee by Franco Coren, OGS, March 2023.

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TABLE B-8 Icebreaker Oden—Sweden^a

Parameter	Design
Length Overall	108 m
Maximum Beam	31 m
Maximum Draught	8.5 m
Icebreaking	1.9 m at 3 kts
Speed	11 kts cruising, 16 kts max
Range	56,000 km
Endurance	100 days
Passengers	Up to 45 scientists/technicians
Crew	22
Container Capacity	40 TEU
Scientific Capabilities	Wet and dry laboratories, plus up to 13 container laboratories, seawater intake, multibeam echosounder, sub-bottom profiler, 20-t A-frame, 2 CTDs, multibeam echosounder, sub-bottom profiler
Helo Capacity	Helicopter deck with space for 1-2 small helos, no hangar capability
Work Boat	2 for short trips and sample collection

^a Mainly used in Arctic for research but had deployed to Antarctica for 5 scientific seasons.

NOTE: CTD = conductivity, temperature, and depth.

SOURCE: Data from presentation to the committee by Åsa Lindgren, Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, March 2023; Swedish Maritime Administration, n.d.; Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, n.d.

TABLE B-9 Research and Supply Vessel Xue Long 2—China

Parameter	Design
Length Overall	122.5 m
Maximum Beam	22 m
Maximum Draught	8.3 m
Icebreaking	Polar Class 3; 1.5 m at 2-3 kts
Range	20,000 nautical miles
Endurance	60 days
Passengers	60
Moonpool	yes
Crew	30
Helo Capacity	Landing platform and hanger for two helicopters

SOURCE: Data from CruiseMapper, 2019; Maritime Executive, 2019; Wang, 2019.

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TABLE B-10 Icebreaker Polaris—Finland

Parameter	Design
Length Overall	110 m
Maximum Beam	24 m
Maximum Draught	9 m
Icebreaking	Polar class 4
Speed	17 kts
Endurance	30 days (10 days when operating on liquefied natural gas and an additional 20 days when operating on oil)
Beds	24
Crew	16
Engines	Environmentally friendly dual-fuel engines capable of using both low-sulfur marine diesel oil (LSMDO) and liquefied natural gas (LNG)

SOURCE: Data from Arctia, 2016.

TABLE B-11 Research Vessel Sikuliaq—University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System

Parameter	Design
Length Overall	80 m
Maximum Beam	16 m
Maximum Draught	5.8 m
Icebreaking	1 m at 2 kts
Speed	10 kts
Endurance	42 days
Passengers	24 scientists
Crew	20, plus 2 technicians