German shipbuilder Meyer Werft held, a few days ago, a keel laying ceremony for a new Deep-Sea Research Vessel, the RV SONNE. Owned by the German Ministry of Research, the vessel will be operated by RF Forschungsschiffahrt GmbH in Bremerhaven.
The new research vessel SONNE, characterized by high energy efficiency, will replace its 44 year old predecessor. The ship will be handed over to the owner in January 2015, and will accommodate 40 researchers on board.
The construction costs of the new research vessel, amounting to € 124.4 million, will be funded by the federal government (90 percent) and the coastal states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Bremen (10 percent).
[mappress] Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, April 15, 2013