Next Generation European Research Vessels Current Status and Foreseeable Evolution
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EUROPEAN Next Generation Position Paper 25 MARINE BOARD European Research Vessels Next generation European Research Vessels Current Status and Foreseeable Evolution European Marine Board IVZW Belgian Enterprise Number: 0650.608.890 Wandelaarkaai 7 I 8400 Ostend I Belgium Tel.: +32(0)59 34 01 63 I Fax: +32(0)59 34 01 65 E-mail: [email protected] www.marineboard.eu EMB_PP25_Research_Vessels_binnenwerk_v9.indd 1 18/11/19 16:57 NEXT GENERATION EUROPEAN RESEARCH VESSELS European Marine Board The European Marine Board provides a pan-European platform for its member organizations to develop common priorities, to advance marine research, and to bridge the gap between science and policy in order to meet future marine science challenges and opportunities. The European Marine Board was established in 1995 to facilitate enhanced cooperation between European marine science organizations towards the development of a common vision on the strategic research priorities for marine science in Europe. Members are either major national marine or oceanographic institutes, research funding agencies, or national consortia of universities with a strong marine research focus. In 2019, the European Marine Board represents 33 Member Organizations from 18 countries. The Board provides the essential components for transferring knowledge for leadership in marine research in Europe. Adopting a strategic role, the European Marine Board serves its member organizations by providing a forum within which marine research policy advice to national agencies and to the European Commission is developed, with the objective of promoting the establishment of the European Research Area. www.marineboard.eu European Marine Board Member Organizations UNIVERSITÉS MARINES Irish Marine Universities Consortium National Research Council of Italy MASTS 2 POSITION PAPER 25 Next Generation European Research Vessels Current Status and Foreseeable Evolution European Marine Board IVZW Position Paper 25 This Position Paper is a result of the work of the European Marine Board Expert Working Group on Next Generation European Research Vessels (WG Research Vessels, see Annex 1), co-organized with the European Research Vessel Operators (ERVO – see Box 1.1 for more information). Coordinating Authors, and WG Chair and Co-Chair Per Nieuwejaar and Valérie Mazauric Contributing Authors Christian Betzler, Mafalda Carapuço, André Cattrijsse, Franco Coren, Juanjo Danobeitia, Colin Day, Aodhan Fitzgerald, Stefan Florescu, Jose Ignacio Diaz, Michael Klages, Erica Koning, Olivier Lefort, Giuseppe Magnifico, Øystein Mikelborg, Lieven Naudts Additional Contribution Riccardo Codiglia, Michele Rebesco, Andrea Caburlotto, Luc van Hoof, Lorenza Evangelista, Jan Opderbecke Series Editor Sheila JJ Heymans Publication Editors Paula Kellett, Cláudia Viegas, Britt Alexander, Joke Coopman, Ángel Muñiz Piniella External Reviewers Glenn Nolan, Geraint West, Bruce Appelgate, Rob Christie Internal Review Process The content of this document has been subject to internal review, editorial support and approval by the European Marine Board Member Organizations, the membership of the European Research Vessel Operators (ERVO) and the Ocean Facilities Exchange Group (OFEG). Suggested reference Nieuwejaar, P., Mazauric, V., Betzler, C., Carapuço, M., Cattrijsse, A., Coren, F., Danobeitia, J., Day, C., Fitzgerald, A., Florescu, S., Ignacio Diaz, J., Klages, M., Koning, E., Lefort, O., Magnifico, G., Mikelborg, Ø., Naudts, L. (2019) Next Generation European Research Vessels: Current Status and Foreseeable Evolution. Heymans, JJ., Kellett, P., Viegas, C., Alexander, B., Coopman, J., Muñiz Piniella, Á. [Eds.] Position Paper 25 of the European Marine Board, Ostend, Belgium. 140pp. ISBN: 978-94-92043-79-5 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3477893 www.marineboard.eu [email protected] Design Zoeck October 2019 Disclaimer: To our knowledge, all photos presented in this publication have appropriate permission and credits. If you find an error, please inform the EMB Secretariat. 3 NEXT GENERATION EUROPEAN RESEARCH VESSELS Foreword Many of the global challenges facing the world today – climate change, food and water security, health and well-being, and economic development – are driving the ever-greater need for science to help understand and ultimately address these challenges. The natural, and in particular the marine sciences, have a significant role to play, and the research vessel fleet is called upon to deliver data and support globally important scientific research. Science has used ships as instruments for research since at least the 1700s, and the evolution of usage from instrument to laboratory can be traced through history. Today’s research vessels have been shaped to become complete research support platforms by the demand for scientific knowledge, fast-paced technological development and the increasing need for new ocean observations. Given the context in which Europe’s research vessel fleet is now operating, and the rapid developments in technology such as smart sensors and autonomy seen in recent years, it was timely to review the current status of the fleet and its ability to deliver the data that is needed. It is more than 10 years since the first EMB Position Paper on research vessels was published, and a lot has changed in that time. In particular, new research frontiers have arisen, especially in the deep sea and Polar regions, placing a new set of demands on the capabilities of vessels. This Position Paper provides a review of the current European research vessel fleet, its capabilities and equipment, assessing its ability to support science across the globe now and into the future. It also takes a wider vision, assessing the importance of these vessels in the ocean and earth observing landscape. This review includes not only technological but also human capabilities, looking at training needs for crew and technicians to ensure they can continue to deliver on critical science needs. It also considers the ways in which the current European fleet is managed. This Position Paper sets out recommendations for how the fleet will need to develop in the future to ensure that it will continue to provide the same high level of support to science globally, as well as highlighting ways in which management could be made more efficient. It is aimed at national- and European-level policy makers and funders, as well as the marine science community and the research vessel operator community. On behalf of the EMB membership, I would like to sincerely thank the members of the EMB Research Vessels expert working group (Annex 1) for their enthusiasm and drive in producing this publication. I would particularly like to thank working group Chair Per Nieuwejaar and co-Chair Valérie Mazauric for their dedication to delivering this excellent document, as well as the chapter leaders Lieven Naudts, Olivier Lefort, André Cattrijsse, Erica Koning and Giuseppe Magnifico. I would also like to thank ERVO for proposing to revisit this topic and for their collaboration in producing this document. Finally, I note with thanks the efforts of the EMB Secretariat in ensuring that this publication was delivered successfully, in particular Paula Kellett, Sheila JJ Heymans and Cláudia Viegas. I hope that this publication will help carry the European research vessel fleet into a new and exciting era of exploration, which will inspire interest in science across wider society. Gilles Lericolais Chair, European Marine Board IVZW October 2019 4 POSITION PAPER 25 Table of Contents Foreword 4 Executive Summary 6 1. Introduction 8 2. Research vessels as a platform and interface for ocean technology 12 2.1 Current status and foreseeable evolution of the European research vessel fleet 14 2.2 A wide range of portable and exchangeable associated instruments 27 2.3 Current status of the European research vessel fleet capabilities 31 3. Deep sea 52 3.1 The deep-sea in the context of research vessels 54 3.2 Concept of deep-sea research vessels 54 3.3 Working examples of today’s deep-sea cruise activities 56 3.4 Current capabilities of the European deep-sea research fleet and trends for its evolution 59 4. Polar regions 64 4.1 Current capabilities of Polar research vessels 66 4.2 Operational and scientific requirements for Polar research vessels 74 4.3 Towards strengthened and enhanced collaboration, access and interoperability 77 4.4 Future trends 78 5. Towards an end-to-end European Ocean Observing System (EOOS): A research vessel perspective 80 5.1 Where do research vessels sit in the EOOS landscape? 82 5.2 Engaging with the EOOS process 84 6. Training the next generation of professionals 88 6.1 Sea-going research in the 21st century: changing science and personnel skill requirements 90 6.2 Landscape of training initiatives 90 6.3 Survey set-up and results 92 6.4 Interpretation of survey results 93 7. Management processes in the countries and partnerships developed in Europe 96 7.1 Current status of research vessel management processes 98 7.2 Collaborations and partnerships at European level 102 8. Looking ahead 106 References 108 Glossary 110 List of Abbreviations 115 Annex 1 Members of the European Marine Board Working Group on Next Generation Research Vessels (WG Research Vessels) 118 Annex 2 Additional contributing authors 118 Annex 3 Stakeholder interaction 119 Annex 4 European research vessel fleet 122 Annex 4.1 Current European research vessel fleet (2019) 122 Annex 4.2 European research vessel fleet as presented in EMB Position Paper 10 (2007) 125 Annex 5 Large EXchangeable