European Ocean Research Fleets - uefiscdi

A2. Description of existing large
exchangeable instruments
and their foreseeable evolution
A2.1. Background
Marine research requires a wide variety of equipment
and instruments. Some are fixed to a particular vessel
(e.g. sensors such as echo-sounders, sonars, Automatic
Doppler Current Profiler [ADCP]), whereas other,
portable systems, are taken onboard for particular
types of cruises. Such portable equipment can be divided
into different categories:
– geology and geophysics
– submersibles
– laboratory containers
– towed vehicles
– seabed survey
– seabed observatories
– portable winches.
These represent sophisticated, expensive and infrequently
used instruments. Therefore, they have
the potential for common ownership and/or use by
several research institutes all over Europe. However,
there are specific constraints linked to their deployment.
Some of them can be easily deployed onto other
Research Vessels whereas others need specific platforms
and associated trained technicians.
For matters of comparison, Europe owned in 2005
three ROVs and one AUV whereas the US and Japan
own each one ROV and one AUV.
A2.2. European inventory of large,
exchangeable instruments
Because there is a very large number of instruments
for marine research with different capabilities and of
different use in Europe, a cursory survey of such instruments
has been achieved so far. However, the information
gathered is sufficient to establish a picture of the
current situation regarding large, exchangeable
instruments in Europe (see Appendix 2 page 43).
A2.3. General results of the survey
– The survey shows that a limited number of countries
own most of the large and exchangeable instruments.
There is no formal system or mechanism
in place for lending or leasing equipment between
European institutions, except for that between the
members of the Ocean Facilities Exchange Group, a
bartering system between six European institutions
(OFEG, see Section A4.2.1.).
– Lending, leasing and/or exchange of instruments
between European institutions does happen,
most often on a bilateral case-by-case basis. Regarding
this unexploited potential, this is a window
of opportunity to better utilise and share the instruments
across Europe. Adequate mechanisms in support
of adapted barter systems or financial arrangements
could be further developed with an extensive
use of existing networks, databases and more visible
tools showing available shiptime across Europe.
© Marum
© HCMR
ROV Quest on board RV Meteor
Submersible Thetis
European Ocean Research Fleets | 19