New research vessel ordered for Red Sea
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has ordered a research vessel from Spain’s Freire Shipyard.
RV Thuwal II will be 50m in length and 12.8m wide, with a draft of 3.6m. She has been designed for a 30-year lifespan and will have a modular design that allows for multiple types of experimental laboratories to serve existing and future marine technology for Red Sea exploration.
The modularity also allows for incorporating new ‘green’ propulsion technologies and as well as research operations, will respond to emergencies such as oil spills and marine and aviation accidents in the Red Sea.
With accommodation for 30 people including crew, the vessel will carry ‘a variety’ of remotely operated and autonomous vehicles to survey the deepest parts of the Red Sea. Visual and acoustic surveys will be carried, as well as seawater sampling and seafloor mapping.
RV Thuwal II will be the flagship of the Saudi research vessel fleet and available to serve all marine research interests of the nation including giga-projects and government ministries.
The Red Sea is considered of major importance scientifically with its coral reefs and other marine life and geological formations.
In 2021, The Red Sea Development Company and KAUST co-published a research paper in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science highlighting how careful design and planning can allow coastal development to enhance rather than jeopardise conservation efforts.
