NaturalNatural EnvironmentEnvironment ResearchResearch CouncilCouncil (NERC)(NERC) MarineMarine FacilitiesFacilities ReportReport

Geraint West Head, UK Ocean Research Services NERCNERC MarineMarine FacilitiesFacilities FundingFunding ModelModel

• Changed at start of 2001 in response to falling ship demand • The new funding model redesigned to: – Reduce the overall cost to scientists for days at sea – Allow NERC to test the ‘actual’ science demand for ship-time. • Features of the new funding model: – Capital – funded direct from NERC – Infrastructure • Scientists who have secured funding for science of international quality (i.e. equivalent to a NERC alpha 3 grade) can bid ‘free at the point of use’ access to: – 450 - 500 operational sea days a year on the RRS Discovery and RRS Charles Darwin – 60-days a year on the RRS James Clark Ross • UK Ocean Research Service (UKORS) to manage NERC’s National Marine Equipment Pool – Superstructure - scientists are responsible for covering the UKORS technician and equipment support costs. RSURSU ShipShip UtilisationUtilisation Following the introduction of new funding model: All available NERC science days allocated in 2001, 2002, and 2003 Increase of 50-60% compared with 1998-2000 Demand increased by ca. 100% (compared with that in the period 1998-2000)

Demand & Utilisation of RSU Ships

700 Total demand for NERC 600 days at sea NERC days at sea 500 Charter days at sea 400 Days not in use 300 Number of Days [-] Other (incl. Mob/demob, 200 recertification, refit) 100

0 1998/9 1999/0 2000/1 2001/2 2002/3 2003/04

Financial Year [-] (projected) UpUp--datedate onon thethe 20012001 MFPMFP

•• Following 9/11 attack, NERC postponed a 30-day cruise on the RRS Charles Darwin scheduled to work to/from Muscat, Oman.

•• However it was decided to keep the ship in the Indian Ocean and she was moved into the Southern Indian Ocean for the remainder of the year. NERC MARINE FACILITIES PROGRAMME 2002 & 2003 OPERATIONAL VERSION 1 1st August 2002 2002 2003 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec SOTON SOTON SOTON SOTON SOTON CLYDE CLYDE CLYDE CLYDE CLYDE SOTON SOTON MADEIRA PLYMOUTH CLYDE CLYDE LISBON RECIFE RECIFE RECIFE

07 06 18 28 06 24 01 14 18 27 04 19 25 28 02 23 27 24 2501 06 20 01 01 18 25 08 13 20 26 21 26 14 18 08 12 04 13 26 28 01 08 21 269 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 270 271 272 273 274 TBC TB T C RRS DISCOVERY

10 Days 14 Days 45 Days 21 Days 7 Days RSU 64 Days 13 Days 25 Days 21 Days 34 Days UKORS TURLEY WHITE BRETT Engine Winch Refit UKORS TURLEY BRETT WATTS Trials PML Ocean Margins LINK BGS Maintenance Trials & winch Trials PML BGS Ocean Margins LINK Multi-Disciplinary Geophysics Geophysics replacement N. Atlantic Multi-Disciplinary Geophysics Geophysics SW Apps. N. Atlantic N. Atlantic N. Atlantic N. Atlantic Amazon Cone 30 Days 18 Days 39 Days 34 Days 27 Days 44 Days 7 Days 38 Days 19 Days 23 Days 13 Days Recertification COLLINS RICHARDS BRIERLEY PRIEDE Marine RSU BETT SHARPLES IFREMER BMBF Period Aberdeen Marine Marine Aberdeen Productivity Winch SOC SOES Barter cruise Barter cruise Biology Productivity Productivity Biology Multi-Disciplinary Trials Multi-Disciplinary Multi-Disciplinary Phys. Oceanog. Phys. Oceanog. Porcupine Multi-Disciplinary Multi-Disciplinary Porcupine N. Atlantic N. Atlantic N. Atlantic Celtic Sea Azores Vema Channel Seabight N. Atlantic N. Atlantic Seabight

DURBAN DURBAN FREMANTLE SEYCHELLES P. LOUIS CAPE CAPE WALVIS WALVIS CAPE MUSCAT MUSCAT DUBAI SEYCHELLES DUBAI MUSCAT DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI SEYCHELLES MUSCAT MUSCAT SEYCHELLES CAPE RRS CHARLES DARWIN TOWN TOWN BAY BAY TOWN DUBAI SEYCHELLES DUBAI DURBAN TOWN 24 25 01 15 09 30 01 11 14 24 25 28 03 18 2124 30 18 20 20 2224 13 21 23 04 12 07 10 25 27 10 13 24 30 18 21 06 07 16 22 15 17 20 25 11 12 28 03 08 137C 139 140P 141 142C 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 C

45 Days 14 Days 30 Days 39 Days 45 Days 11 Days 16 Days 33 Days 5 Days BRYDEN RSU Recertification COLLIER COWIE NIOZ MURTON COWIE NIOZ SOES Winch Period Imperial Edinburgh Arabian Sea SOC Edinburgh Phys. Oceanog. Oceanography Training Geophysics Biogeochemistry Geology Biogeochemistry Mozambique S. Indian Ocean Indian Ocean Arabian Sea Arabian sea Arabian sea Arabian sea Channel 67 Days Engine 40 Days 58 Days 30 Days 26 Days 14 Days 18 Days 24 Days 17 Days 36 Days SINHA Maintenance NEW SINHA JACOBS BETT Engine TRIMMER BETT TRIMMER HALL SOES SOC SOES SOC SOC Maintenance QMC SOC QMC Cardiff SE. Atlantic Oceanography SE. Atlantic Multi-Disciplinary Biogeochemistry Biochemistry Biogeochemistry Biochemistry Geology Indian Ocean Arabian Sea Arabian sea Arabian Sea Arabian sea Arabian Sea S. Indian Ocean

70 71 73 74 75 76 79 80 77 78 81 82 83 84 TB

CLARK ROSS C RRS JAMES

40 Days 2 Days 21 Days 4 Days 15 Days 4 Days 2 Days 14 Days 8 Days additional to passage 8 Days additional to passage 6 Days BAS/ POL BGS BAS Antarctic Funding CUNNINGHAMAntarctic Funding PARSON JICKELLS AMT Consortia SOC/POL Antarctic Funding S. Atlantic Geophysics Southern Ocean Initiative SOC Initiative SOC AMT Consortia Multi-Disciplinary Drake Initiative Rockall Southern Ocean Drake Passage Southern Ocean S. Atlantic Multi-Disciplinary North & South Passage Southern Ocean S. Atlantic North & South Atlantic Atlantic S. Atlantic 33 Days Annual Refit 40 Days 40 Days 26 Days Annual Refit 1 Day 4 Days 46 Days JENKINS 3 Days 5 Days BAS PARSON DML Antarctic Funding BAS BAS Autosub Under Ice POL Antarctic Funding Biology SOC Multi-Disciplinary Initiative Southern Ocean Biology Multi-DisciplinaryS. Atlantic Initiative Southern Ocean S. Atlantic Norwegian Sea Southern Ocean Southern Ocean Pine Island Southern Ocean OTHER SHIPS SOTON AZORES BREST TENERIFE 25 09 28 30

16 Days 14 Days 15 Days 33 Days 31 Days LAMPITT GERMAN GRIFFITHS GERMAN BARTON SOC SOC DML SOC CAMBRIDGE R/V Poseidon (BMBF) R/V Knorr (NSF) R/V Poseidon (BMBF) R/V Thalassa (IFREMER) R/V Ewing (NSF) Porcupine Abyssal Plain Bahamas N. Atlantic Azores Gulf of Mexico

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Confirmed Provisional Charter Ships Barter Passage Ship Cruise Cruise Cruise Maintenance Cruise Leg Available 20022002 MFPMFP

Cruise No. Institution PI Discipline Days at Sea • NERC has continued to fully CD137C ExxonMobil Geophysics 67 utilize all available sea days: CD 139 SOES Bryden Oceanography 45 – RRS Discovery - North CD141 SOC New Oceanography 40 Atlantic CD142C Active EM Geophysics 58 – RRS Charles Darwin - Indian Ocean CD143 SOC Jacobs Multi 30 – RRS James Clark Ross – (ca. 240 60 days) for two summer cruises in the North Atlantic Cruise No. Institution PI Discipline Days at Sea • R/V Poseidon - Opportunistic D259T UKORS West Trials 10 Barter D260 Aberdeen Collins Biology 18 – to recover & re-deploy D261 PML Turley Multi 14 moorings on the Porcupine D262 MARPROD Richards Multi 39 Abyssal Plain – Unfortunately cancelled due D263 Cambridge White Geophysics 45 to poor weather D264 MARPROD Brierley Multi 34 D265 BGS Brett Geophysics 21 D266 Aberdeen Priede Biology 27 D267 MARPROD Allen Multi 44 252 20032003 MFPMFP • All available sea days utilised: – RRS Discovery - North Atlantic

– RRS Charles Darwin - Indian Ocean

– RRS James Clark Ross – Autosub Under 6 (TBC) Barter cruises provisionally programmed Ice and Atlantic Meridional Transect EquipmentEquipment

• Increased (stable) investment in the NMEP – ca. £0.5M pa from NERC – ca. £0.2M pa from charter/hire. • New scientific winch for the RRS Discovery – ca.£3M – Will be fitted in February-April 2003. • New Seismic Airgun Suite – ca.£300k) – Trialled in early 2002 – Used in June-July for a 45-day geophysics cruise in the N. Atlantic. • Jason II derivative ROV – Trials first half of 2003 – Operational on IFREMER barter cruise late 2003 DarwinDarwin ReplacementReplacement

• RRS Charles Darwin will reach the end of its scientifically useful life in early-2006 • Project Management Board set up to oversee provision of a replacement ship • NERC Council approved science case in late 2001, since been submitted to the UK Government as part of a NERC bid to the 2002 Spending Review. • Total cost projected to be £35M: – ca.£10M from NERC baseline. • Final decision on the funding in November 2002. ProjectedProjected shipship programmeprogramme forfor 20042004

• Currently anticipate: – RRS Discovery - primarily N. Atlantic – RRS Charles Darwin - return to UK for refit e. 2004, then primarily N. Atlantic • Depending on the science demand one may return to the S. Atlantic &/or S. Indian Ocean in the second half of 2004. – RRS James Clark Ross and RRS Ernest Shackleton, will operate in the Antarctic/Southern Ocean, Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic. • Majority of available NERC-funded time in 2004 will be allocated to two cruises (one in the Antarctic & one in the Arctic) for the ‘Autosub-Under-Ice’ thematic programme. MarineMarine FacilitiesFacilities TripartiteTripartite GroupGroup (MFTG)(MFTG) •• Currently examining opportunities to share a greater variety of its marine equipment (incl. smaller equipment & equipment spares) and calibration facilities. •• Anticipate RNIOZ joining this year and possibly Spain.