An example vessel, M/S MERSol, has used to demonstrate all main elements related to classification and gathered a first part of this study package. LR and DNV rules has been used as an example. Recent new building ship M/S AURORA BOTNIA, delivered to her owners August 2021,  is introduced in the second part in general manner without classification notations and followed by the assessment module.
This example vessel, research vessel is used for research at the Sea of Namibia. They have a yearly programme to take water samples, surveys for different fishes like hake, kingklip, sole, orange roughy and monk.

MAIN A-FRAME
Is used during the launch and retrieval of fishing gear during fishing operations. It is also used  for deployment and retrieval of large oceanographic equipment.

TRAWLING GEAR AND WINCHES
Trawling is required for the identification and collection of fish specimens.  Different nets are used during the surveys of pelagic and demersal resources using the same winches. Trawing depths during research surveys usually range from shallower tahn than 100m up to 1000m depth.

SIDE A-FRAME
This is smaller that the main A-frame and is exclusively used for oceanographic work using CTD ( Conductivity, Temperature and Depth profiler), plankton nets and sediment corers.

DROP KEEL
Operation room of the drop keel is situated under the bridge at deck 6 where it can be lowered to three different depths during research surveys and hosts the transducers of both echosounder and ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler). Lowering of these transducers during operation reduces noise and bubbles interference and optimizes the efficiency of the instruments.

CTD CONTROL ROOM
This room hosts the controls for the CTD (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth profiler) and the ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) instrumentation. The CTD is used for profiling water temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen up to 6000m depth. The ADCP is used for measuring current speed and direction at various water depths.

FISH LABORATORY
The assessment of all fish species needs biological information. These biological analyses are conducted in the fish laboratory.

WET LABORATORY
All wet-work and experiements are conducted in this laboratory. A flow-through water system allows for continues sampling and analysis of the surface water for fish eggs and larvae, salinity, tempereature etc. while steaming.

PLANKTON LABORATORY
Phytoplankton species are intentified and counted from both water samples, collected from the CTD operations, and also from plankton net sampling. Phytoplankton form the basis of the food chain in the marine environment.

ACOUSTIC LABORATORY
This is the action center during surveys where assessment of sardine, horse mackarel, orange roughy and other pelagic species are conducted. These fish species shoal and their shoal sizes, densities and behaviour are determined through echo-sounding techniques.

CHEMICAL LABORATORY
Chemical analyses of the collected water sanples are conducted in this laboratory to determine amongst others the nutrient, oxygen and suplhide concentrations in the various water layers.

 
 
Fish on deck
 Monk survey
Last modified: Sunday, 2 April 2023, 8:58 PM