Important information for potential applicants to our open Transnational Access Call. Please register your application early and read this information.
RV Thalassa
Infrastructure Profile
Infrastructure Provider
Location/Home Port
Brest, France
Organisation & Address
IFREMER / French Oceanographic Fleet / 1625 route de Sainte-Anne – CS 10070 – 29280 Plouzané, FRANCE
Normal Area of Operation
RV Thalassa operates mostly in the North-East Atlantic (42°N-60°N; 25°W-2°E) but occasionally, she may also work in the Mediterranean Sea (37°N-44°N; 0°E-15°E)
Maximum Number of Days Available
15 days
Scientists’ Travel and Logistics (T&L) Budget Available
€ 15,000.00
Overview
Length
74.5 m
Breadth
14.9 m
Draught
6.0 m
Gross Tonnage
2803 T
Ice Class Rating
Ice Class II
Dynamic Positioning (DP) Rating
DP1
Service Speed
10 knots
Maximum Number of Scientific Berths Available
25 berths available
Scientific and Technical Specifications
Laboratory Facilities
Science HQ room (35 m²), Automated fish-sorting room (130 m²) plus 4 separate labs (total: 84 m²) including hydrology (24 m²), physics (18 m²), chemistry (15 m²) and biology (27 m²)
Cold storage areas: 0°C (33 m²); -20°C (23 m²)
Scientific freezers (in physics lab): -40°C (100 l) and -80°C (100 l)
CTD/Plankton sampling
Lateral A-Frame (SWL 5t) with:
CTD winch (electromechanical cable, Ø10.8mm, L 6500m)
Hydrology winch (stainless steel cable, Ø10.8mm, L 8000m)
Additional planckton winch (Aft, starboard, L 500m)
Warning: The only CTD permanently onboard is a SBE 19plus (without rosette and niskin bottles)
Multi-Beam(s)/Sub Bottom profiling
EM304 (26.5-34.5 kHz),
EM2040 (200-400 kHz)
ADCP (38kHz, 150 kHz); Doppler Loch with ADCP option (600 kHz)
Sub Bottom Profiler (1.5-6.5 kHz)
Fisheries Echo Sounders/Sonar
ME70 (70-120 kHz, water column or bathymetry mode)
EK80 (18, 38, 70, 120, 200, 333 kHz)
MARPORT (trawl positioning) system
USBL
Posidonia USBL system (flush, 8kHz & 16 kHz)
Coring/Sampling Capabilities
Limited to shipek or day grab
Winches
2 x Trawl door winches (Ø26 mm, L 4500 m)
Dredging winch (Ø12 mm, L 600 m)
Netsonde winch (electromechanical cable, Ø10.8 mm, L 1500 m)
Communications
VSAT (1536 kb/s shore2ship; 512 kb/s ship2shore), Iridium, GSM phone and VOIP system
Special features
A-Frame (SWL: 10t in “mobile” position; 20t in “fixed“ position)
Main crane (SWL: 10t @ 10m)
SBE21 thermosalinograph for surface water analysis
CUFES (Continuous Underway Fish Egg Sampler)
4H-Jenna Ferrybox (C, T, dissolved O2, Fluorescence, pH sensors)
2 x Travocean tubes (12” and 20” for additional acoustic devices)
Meteorological station (atmospheric pressure, T°, etc)
Suitable Surveys
Fisheries & Biology, Hydrography & Oceanography, Mooring or seabottom gear deployment/recovery, AUV & ROV operations
Scientific Limitations
Not suitable for geoscience surveys (seismic, gravity coring)
Vessel capability to support ROV deployment
Yes (HROV Ariane, ROV Victor 6000)
Support offered to AQUARIUS users
Access to the vessel and full suite of onboard vessel equipment is provided. Please check equipment availability with the operator in advance.
Infrastructure Availability and Contact Details
Year 2025
1) Location: TBC: Probably in the Atlantic; Possibly in the Mediterranean Sea
2) Availability: Mid July till Mid August
3) Port of operation: Brest (or Toulon)
Year 2026
1) Location: TBC: Probably in the Atlantic; Possibly in the Mediterranean Sea
2) Availability: Mid July till Mid August
3) Port of operation: Brest (or Toulon)
Year 2027
1) Location: TBC: Probably in the Atlantic; Possibly in the Mediterranean Sea
2) Availability: Mid July till Mid August
3) Port of operation: Brest (or Toulon)
Contact email for applicants to discuss the initial feasibility of their work while they prepare their application
francois.perroud[at]ifremer.fr
Certification and Clearance Requirements
Medical Certification Requirements
In order to embark, all personnel (seafarers, scientists, etc) have to:
– Provide a certificate justifying their fitness for working at sea (the maximum validity being 2 years under the age of 55 and 1 year for people over 55)
– Fill a confidential medical questionnaire (For emergency response)
– Declare if they have special food allergies
For further details, please check this website
Are additional medical checks required?
Possibly, if special operations (such as diving for instance) are planned
Survival training certification required for joining vessel
STCW survival training, although recommended, are only mandatory for seafarers (e.g. vessel crew) but NOT for scientists (which are considered as special personnel / technicians), but French maritime legislation may evolve in the future.
Additional certification required
Ship security awareness training is recommended but NOT mandatory.
A safety briefing and safety tour will be done onboard with the vessel’s chief officer.
Diplomatic clearance or other permits required and any relevant information about the application process
Under the United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) MSR/Diplomatic clearance is required for research cruises taking place in other EEZs (national jurisdictions other than the vessel’s own). Application forms should be submitted via Diplomatic Channels (Government Foreign Departments/Ministries) 6-7 months prior to sailing by Principle Investigators in conjunction with the vessel operator. RV Vessel Operations department will generally administer the application process but please consult with the operators in advance.
Any additional clearances required for area or type of activity
Yes:
– Access and benefit-sharing as established by Article 14 of the Nagoya Protocol (and here)
– If operations are carried out in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
– An environmental impact analysis may also be necessary depending on the case (country/area/operation)