Anna Weber-van Bosse – for NIOZ

For NIOZ, this was a once-in-thirty-years opportunity to express their wishes for a new vessel design, and incorporate learnings from a wide team of stakeholders and experts. The goal was to enable more, and higher quality, research.

C-Job Naval Architects discussed the different requirements of our customer, the ship crew, and the scientists performing research; to provide expert guidance on the feasibility of different inputs. The design had to optimize space, provide more living accommodation than the Pelagia, and create a safe platform for research. An example of the latter was ensuring that hazardous substances did not have to be carried long distances, or via stairways.

The vessel size, weight and draft also had to meet strict customer requirements in order to balance capability with cost.

Due to the need to increase the ship’s depth versus the Pelagia – with a maximum 5-meter draft to meet harboring demands – C-Job’s finished design allowed for portholes at sufficient height above the waterline on the deck below the freeboard deck. This optimized the available space, creating comfortable cabins for scientists in this part of the ship.