Gondan Shipyard in Figueras has launched a new fishery and oceanographic research vessel which will be operated by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research of Bergen under a program led by NORAD, FAO and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The vessel, ordered in March last year, was designed by the Norwegian company Skipsteknisk, with 74.5 meters LOA and 17.4 beam.
It will mainly operate in tropic and sub-tropic areas in developing countries, focused on marine ecosystem studies with emphasis on fish stock assessment.
In addition, the vessel will be used for: data collection for studies and understanding of climate change effects, mapping of marine biodiversity, measurements of CO2 and the resulting acidification of the oceans, measurements of oxygen and de-oxygenation of the oceans and studies of pollution.