The main mission of Dr. Fridtjof Nansen is to help developing countries map their fish resources and marine ecosystems. Using KONGSBERG technology, the vessel now enters into service on the world’s oceans.

  • Text:OVE RONNY HARALDSEN

    Photo:INSTITUTE OF MARINE RESEARCH AND OVE RONNY HARALDSEN

  • Ove Ronny Haraldsen
    Group Communication Manager
    +47 99 15 59 20

The vessel represents the pinnacle of Norwegian marine technology, and will play a central role in the EAF-Nansen Programme which over the last 40 years has aided coastal nations in Africa and Asia in developing marine research and sustainable fisheries management. 

The EAF-Nansen Programme works with 32 coastal countries in Africa to help them obtain detailed information on their marine resources.

“The data that are produced with the KONGSBERG equipment are delivered to the countries that own the data that we produce. We assist these countries to interpret the data and to give them information that they can use in their management, for instance of their fish resources”, says Jens-Otto Krakstad, Senior Scientist of the Institute of Marine Research.

Jens-Otto Krakstad, Senior Scientist of the Institute of Marine Research, in one of Dr. Fridtjof Nansen`s laboratories. This is where scientist from developing countries get an opportunity to gather knowledge about the marine species living in their oceans. 

A FULL PICTURE DELIVERY
The vessel has a full picture delivery from Kongsberg Maritime, where all the core products are delivered. That includes including echo sounders, navigation and automation systems, dynamic positioning and more.

“It is a paperless navigation system, meaning we have a redundant electronic chart solution, we have marine radars ensuring safe and efficient voyage from A to B for the vessel. We have delivered our K-pos positioning system ensuring optimal vessel manoeuvring in manual joystick mode and in automatic mode during marine operations where the scientists do their work”, says Carl Magne Rustand, Product Advisor Navigation at Kongsberg Maritime.

The vessel has a full picture delivery from Kongsberg Maritime, where all the core products are delivered.

The new $80 million research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen will replace an older craft of the same name that has been navigating the coast of Africa since 1993, carrying out in-depth research into the state of the continent’s marine ecosystems for the EAF-Nansen Programme, the latest phase of a unique 40-year programme.

State-of-the-art equipment including the dynamic positioning system will enable it to work safely around sensitive infrastructure such as oil rigs, while a lookout compartment will be positioned on the main mast for surveys of seabirds and marine mammals.

3D ECHO SOUNDERS

“We have a fantastic array of different equipment on this vessel.  It will provide the countries we are supporting information about their seabed, fish resources and information about the very small plankton organisms that these fish are eating, says Jens-Otto Krakstad at the Institute of Marine Research.

Before starting its mission, the vessel made a short stop in Horten to pick up the last two echo sounders – top of the line from Kongsberg Maritimes assortment.  

“When I came here this morning they just loaded the two multibeam systems on-board. These are the latest and greatest echo sounders that can do very high-resolution mapping of the fish and the biomass in the water column. We now can show this in real time in 3D as the vessel passes by”, says Tonny Algrøy, Global Sales Manager Underwater Science at Kongsberg Maritime. 

The Simrad TD50 3D Visualisation software is shown presenting sand eels on sand bottom. The raw data is taken from the Simrad ME70 Scientific multibeam echo sounder. SEE FULL VIDEO.

Scientists from the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and participating African countries aboard the boat will use 3D imagery to map the seabed and gather vast quantities of data on fish stocks, water and sediment quality, surveying the entire ecosystem from seabirds to fish and from whales to minute plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton), the IMR informs.

“We have a fantastic array of different equipment on this vessel. We have bottom penetrating echo sounders, we have bottom mapping echo sounders, we have sonars and we have the very latest echo sounders technology that exist on the market. The equipment will provide us with fantastic opportunities to give the countries we are supporting information about their seabed, fish resources that lives in the ocean column and information about the very small plankton organisms that these fish are eating”, Jens-Otto Krakstad tells. 

PROUD AND HUMBLE
In Horten, the crew of Dr. Fridtjof Nansen welcomed onboard groups of KONGSBERG employees, eager to see the features onboard. The ship will now act as a showroom for KONGSBERG technology, sailing the world oceans.

Groups of KONGSBERG employees was invited onboard to have å look at the features of the best equipped research vessel in the world. 

“I feel extremely proud.  It is the best equipped research vessel in the world when you look at all the various instruments here. But also very humble knowing the fact that we are contributing to important work for the sustainability of the world’s oceans. For KONGSBERG that is a good thing to be part off”, says Bjørn Jalving, Executive Vice President Subsea Division in Kongsberg Maritime.

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