The first sections of the Pourquoi Pas? (Why not? ), have already been completed and diesel alternators mounted at Chantiers de l'Atlantique's Leroux Shipyard, where 180,000 man-hours are being spent on the project.

The new ship is for outfitting by early next year and service from about March 2005 with the French ocean research institute Ifremer, which is putting up 55 per cent of the, as yet undisclosed, cost. The French Navy is paying the rest.

In return, Pourquoi Pas? will serve the Navy 150 days a year and Ifremer 180 days. She will be used for all deep-sea and coastal oceanographic and hydrographic missions and will be capable also of carrying Ifremer's large-scale sub-sea equipment. That includes the manned submersible Nautile, which can be used to depths of 6000 m, the remote-controlled submersible Victor 6000, and new launches developed by Navy researchers.

Alstom Marine spokeswoman Nathalie Hien-Parent told MJ the Pourquoi Pas?

, which will draw maximum 6.9m, will have a beam of 20m and a speed of 14 knots. Her main engines were not identified but she will have an electric propulsion output of 2 x 1650kW, energy production of 4 x 1470kW and a 4 x 730kW bow thruster plant, Ms Hien-Parent said.

The scientific facilities on the new ship will total 800m 2and she will be capable of remaining at sea for 60 days with a crew of 20-35 persons and a scientific complement of 40.