In addition to designing and supervising the construction process, Wartsila will be involved in selecting the onboard scientific instruments, and in arranging training for GSI scientists to ensure that the vessel’s capabilities are fully utilized.
Wärtsilä has 120 days to create a totally new design. The ship will be designed to cater to the scientists’ needs. The ship will be equipped with good facilities for handling equipment, laboratories and workshops, ample space for living quarters and meetings, the correct positioning of transducers and, good levels of comfort.
A high-speed LAN and internet connections will link the vessel’s control rooms, laboratories and accommodation to the outside world. The vessel designers have to reproduce the working conditions enjoyed by scientists ashore. A new set of rules apply to the design of this research vessel. The focus is on how the scientific tools perform and on the vessel’s ability to adapt to what she will be expected to explore in the future.
The vessel will be designed to carry out complicated operations such as handling Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), supporting manned underwater submersibles and controlling autonomous drills that can drill up to 150 meters below the seabed at depths of a thousand meters – not to mention the collection of seismic data and simple operations such as water and soil sampling.
The new vessel will have accommodation for 69 people. With an overall length of 95 meters, breadth of 19 meters, maximum draught of 6 meters and speed of 14 knots, it will have an endurance of 45 days. Completion of the project is scheduled for the first quarter of 2012.
Arne Stenersen, managing director, Wartsila Ship Design in Norway says, “The new vessel is the third of its kind that Wartsila is designing for India. The first one, Sagar Nidhi, is already in service and being operated by the National Institute of Ocean Technology. She is expected to support research work in the Indian Ocean and the Antarctic. Sindhu Sadhana, the second vessel, is under construction.”
Wartsila entered the Indian ship design market in 2002. The first contract signed was for a research vessel for the National Institute of Ocean Technology in Chennai. It was launched in 2007. Wartsila’s second ship design contract was with the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa. This vessel is currently under construction.
In addition to these, Wartsila in India has a ship design contract for a diving support vessel. Contracts of a more standard type include MPSV, AHTS and OSV vessels, all of which are being built in India for different customers.
