Page 34: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2025)

VESSELS NEWBUILDS, CONTRACTS & CONCEPTS ¯ IFREMER ¯ Vard ¯ IFREMER Fleet Welcomes and map the seabed and water column. It system will be installed on the starboard

New Research Vessel also has laboratories and a scienti? c PC. side for operations at depths of up to 2,500

A new research vessel built for the The vessel will feature an oceano- meters. The vessel will be equipped with

French oceanographic ? eet and oper- graphic marine telescopic main crane a hydroacoustic survey system capable of ated for the National Science Com- at the stern for marine use for launch- high-resolution seabed mapping, with a munity by the French national Institute ing and retrieval of scienti? c equipment resolution of 0.5 x 1 degree, and analyz- of Ocean Sciences (IFREMER), Anita and general maneuvering at the stern of ing the water column at all depths.

Conti, has been launched at the Freire the vessel. In addition, it will have an The technical con? guration includes

Shipyard in Vigo, Spain. A-type stern gantry, a T-type side gan- hybrid power generation and propulsion.

Designed to replace the vessel Thalia, try. For scienti? c ? shing operations, The hull is designed to ensure advanced the Anita Conti will fully integrate the this vessel will also have two trawling seabed mapping performance and ex-

French Oceanographic Fleet in 2026. It winches and a removable net drum. cellent seakeeping qualities, thanks to will have an overall length of 45 meters anti-roll technologies that reduce move- and a beam of 11.5 meters. ¯ Vard, Ink? sh Sign Shipbuilding ment and acceleration, ensuring excel-

It has been designed to carry out re- Research Vessel Contract lent hovering performance. The ship search missions in coastal areas in Vard has signed a new contract with the will also be equipped with laboratories, mainland French waters (Bay of Biscay, US research organization Ink? sh for the of? ces, and workshops, as well as ac-

Channel) but may also be deployed in design and construction of an advanced commodations and recreational areas certain years on the coast of Africa and research vessel. The deal is valued at designed for maximum comfort. These in the Antilles and French West Indies- over $233 million. spaces will accommodate up to 70 crew

Guyana zone. It will house a crew of 12 The custom-built research vessel, des- members and researchers and will meet people and 10 scientists. ignated Project RV6000, is speci? cally the stringent requirements of the DNV

The Anita Conti has a wide range of designed for scienti? c exploration. It will COMF (Comfort Class) notation, ensur- energy-saving technologies and low- join Ink? sh's expanding ? eet, alongside ing low noise and vibration levels.

consumption solutions implemented. the RV Hydra and RV Dagon, to support

The diesel-electric propulsion system global marine research. In close collabora-

Ink? sh RV Main Particulars will be composed of three variable- tion with host countries, the data collected

Length: 100m speed, biodiesel-compatible generator will contribute to open-source repositories.

Beam: 20.7m sets feeding two shaft lines driven by The vessel is designed for seabed map-

Max speed: 15 knots

Autonomy: 30-day ops sequence electric motors and a direct current (DC) ping, submersible support, and ROV

Ultra deep winch: 6000 m electrical distribution system. operations. It will be 100 meters long

Capacity [Crew and scientist]: 70

This set, together with a battery pack, and 20.7 meters wide, with a maximum will enable good energy ef? ciency, speed of 15 knots and an operational au-

Amenities optimization of consumption, opera- tonomy of up to 30 days.

• DP capability • ROV Hangar tional redundancy and compliance with The RV6000 is equipped with an ROV • SUB Hangar acoustic requirements according to BV capable of operating at depths of up to • Stern A-Frame for Submarine handling

COMF 2 class notation and DNV SI- 6,000 meters. It will be capable of sup- and routing for Scienti