Taiwan commissions oceanographic research vessel

The diesel-electric vessel will accommodate 43 crew and scientists on long-term oceanographic observation programmes, including the operation of unmanned remotely operated vehicles (ROV), terrain survey and mapping, seismic pattern detection, long-core sampling, compiling diagrams of topology and stratum, and performing real-time data processing and sampling in onboard laboratories.

The IMT2001 vessel will be fitted with two A-frames, two deck cranes, an ROV launch and a recovery A-frame with umbilical winch, streamer winch and gun array. An MEBO200 seabed drilling rig will be capable of core drilling 200m below the sea floor and can be fitted with a range of different deck equipment spreads.

The vessel, to be classed with the Taiwanese Classification Society, will be equipped with two main azimuth propulsion thrusters and two bow tunnel thrusters, with DP1 dynamic positioning.

The vessel will be built by Triyards Shipyard in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and is scheduled for delivery in August 2017.