Opinion: The scientific fleet requires structural changes in management and funding

The effectiveness of scientific marine expeditions can be improved through structural measures, even using the existing, aging fleet. This was the message Dmitry Ilyinsky, a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Underwater Research and Testing Technology and a PhD candidate in Physics and Mathematics at the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, expressed during a question-and-answer session with the PortNews Information and Analytical Agency at the ongoing Moscow Dive Show.

According to Dmitry Ilyinsky, Russian oceanographers’ research has intensified in recent years. Scientists are solving a wide range of scientific and technological problems annually. The institute conducts approximately 8-10 expeditions annually, and several dozen oceanographic research cruises are conducted annually in Russia. However, a significant challenge for the industry remains the shortage of specialized fleets.

The Institute of Oceanology’s fleet includes five research vessels (RVs), built during the Soviet era, over 40 years old, and in far from ideal technical condition. Currently, many of the vessels are not ready to carry out their research programs, and the fleet as a whole requires regular repairs. As an example, Ilyinsky cited last year’s canceled expedition to study bottom seismic data in the Laptev Sea due to the vessel’s inability to obtain the Register’s approval and requiring repairs. However, funds for the repairs were allocated late. “The vessel was repaired, but not completely, and was prohibited from entering the Laptev Sea. As a result, the expedition was canceled, and we switched to less expensive research in the Barents Sea. However, overall, the institute’s work program was completed,” he said. Urgent repairs could have resolved the situation, but the institute was unable to secure prompt funding, as its financial resources are limited by law.

In addition to the obvious impact on the institute’s own research capabilities, the fleet’s technical condition also hinders its ability to fulfill international tenders. According to Ilyinsky, one of the basic requirements of foreign customers, for example in India, is an age limit: the vessel must be no more than 10-15 years old.

The expert believes that this problem can be partially addressed at the management level. This requires a structure with greater financial flexibility than the institute’s fleet management unit. This would allow for, for example, taking out a bank loan for repairs, since funds for these purposes from the Ministry of Education and Science “are allocated with varying regularity.” Furthermore, he believes that for vessels conducting research at different latitudes of the world’s oceans, it is not always practical to base them in a single port, as is currently the case, with all of the institute’s vessels returning to the port of Kaliningrad.

According to Dmitry Ilyinsky, the institute’s research expeditions will undergo a significant change after its fleet is expanded by two research vessels, the construction of which at a Far Eastern shipyard was contracted five years ago. The vessels were initially scheduled for delivery by 2025, but this did not happen for various reasons. According to scientists, one of the research vessels is currently at a high stage of readiness, the other at a medium stage of readiness; both vessels are expected to be delivered by 2030.

Currently, in addition to its own fleet, the institute uses vessels from other scientific institutions to conduct research; for example, it conducts joint research on Roshydromet vessels. Furthermore, it is possible to charter non-specialized vessels, of which, according to scientists, there are plenty on the market.

Overall, according to Dmitry Ilyinsky, the situation with the Russian research fleet is typical for global science. In the last quarter of the last century, there was a boom in research vessel construction worldwide, but activity subsequently declined. Today, European and American scientists are also using older vessels, attempting to address these issues in their own ways.

Previously, PortNews IAA published a review of research vessels operating in the Arctic and Antarctic. It can be found at this link.

Original: https://portnews.ru/news/388279/?utm=subscribe_letter