Norway’s designer and shipbuilder of specialized vessels Vard, a subsidiary of the Italian Fincantieri Group, signed a new contract with the US-based research organization Inkfish for the design and construction of a VARD 9 42 design modern research vessel, with the value of the contract being nearly 700m euros.
The custom-built research vessel, project name RV11000, is specially designed for scientific exploration. It will join Inkfish’s growing fleet, alongside RV Hydra and RV Dagon, and the RV6000 type newbuild, to support marine research globally.
The new research vessel is developed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway, in collaboration with Inkfish and their technical partner YTMC and with the support of the shipbuilder Fincantieri Group.
It will feature a length of 162 meters and a beam of 28 meters. The RV11000 will also feature the largest battery installation ever fitted on a ship, as Vard reports, enabling 12 hours of silent scientific sub operations.
RV11000 is a tailor-made research vessel designed for seafloor mapping, corer operations, submarine handling and support, and ROV operations at depths of up to 11,000 meters.
The vessel offers accommodation for 130 crew members and scientists, mostly in single cabins, along with extensive public facilities. Dedicated working spaces such as offices, laboratories, and workshops are also arranged.
The hull of the vessel will be built at Vard Shipyards Romania – Tulcea, while the outfitting, commissioning and delivery will be from one of VARD’s yards in Norway. The delivery is scheduled to be in the first quarter of 2030.
Video credit: VARD
