Donation contributes to realisation of Denmark's new research vessel

Finance has now been raised to build a new ocean-going research vessel for Denmark. Construction yard has not yet been named. The technical University of Denmark DTU will operate the vessel, all Danish research environments will have access through the Danish Center for Marine Research, which is a joint collaboration initiative between all Danish marine research institutions.

Work on the new ship for Arctic research can soon start thanks to a DKK 50 million (US$8.1 million) donation from the A.P. Moller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Moller Foundation. The donation supplements the Danish state's investment of DKK 170 million (US$27.5 million) and the DTU’s own investment of DKK 100 million (US$16.2 million).

The ship will be 65m long, 15.6m wide, and have a draught of 5.4m. It will carry a crew of 14 plus 20 research personnel. The newbuilding will meet polar code rules for ice class B, which means the hull will be reinforced so that the vessel can sail in waters covered with ice up to 1 metre thick. The ship will be quiet in operation and must meet strict limits on the release of underwater noise. Plans for the new research vessel include a number of new hull-mounted sensors, and a drop keel that will allow sensors to be lowered beneath the air bubbles which form along the hull. The drop keel will also allow sensor types to be replaced without docking the ship. The ship will also be provided with modern sampling equipment.

It will replace Dana IV, Denmark’s only marine research ship that can sail in the Arctic region.