According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the ship will be the flagship of the Saudi research vessel fleet, available to serve all marine research missions, including mega projects and government ministries. This will be done by Freire Shipyards, which has over 100 years of experience in shipbuilding, and will build the ship at its shipyard in the Spanish city of Vigo.
The ship, which is expected to be completed in 2026, will provide full access to the Red Sea, including coastal waters and the deep sea. It will have the ability to explore all major scientific interests in the Red Sea, such as coral reefs, other marine life and geological formations, which will enhance research in the Kingdom and attract more international partners, as it will encourage more scientific cooperation and consolidate the Kingdom’s position as a global leader in marine research, as the Red Sea is of great interest to many scientific circles, according to “SPA”.
The Thule 2 research vessel will be 50m long, 12.8m wide and 3.6m deep, and will be designed to operate for 30 years. Its modular design allows for multiple types of experimental laboratories that are compatible with current and future marine technologies for exploring the Red Sea, and it can incorporate new green propulsion technologies to reduce its carbon footprint over the years. In addition to its primary role as a research vessel, Thule 2 will also be capable of supporting national responses to emergencies such as oil spills and marine and air accidents in the Red Sea.
The research vessel, Thule 2, has a scientific capacity of 30 people. It is expected that 12 of them will be crew members, while the remaining spaces are open to researchers. It will be able to explore the deepest points in the Red Sea and deploy a variety of remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater submarines to conduct visual and acoustic surveys, take water samples and map the seabed. The research vessel “Thule 2” was designed by the American company Glosten, which will continue to provide off-site engineering support during construction, in addition to selecting the Australian company Maritime Survey International as KAUST’s representative on site, and will supervise daily construction activities, and the participation of dozens of stakeholders in the Kingdom.
In planning the Thuwal 2 ship, including mega projects, government ministries, and many universities within the Kingdom, with expertise in ocean sciences and marine operations.
“The Thuwal 2 research vessel symbolizes KAUST’s commitment to strengthening the research infrastructure in Saudi Arabia,” said KAUST Vice President for Research Professor Pierre Magistretti. “It will be available to partners who share an interest in understanding the Red Sea and exploring its vast potential.”
“Fryer Shipbuilding believes in KAUST’s research capabilities,” said Marcos Freire Garcia, a director at Freire Shipbuilding. “The construction of the Thule 2 research vessel reflects the university’s commitment to strengthening the marine research infrastructure in the Kingdom and opens new horizons for scientific cooperation and technological advancement in the region.”
He noted the Red Sea’s critical importance to the Kingdom’s transformation over the next several decades, and that it is a key component of Saudi Vision 2030 and beyond. Its study will impact food security, water management, urban planning and many other economic sectors, as well as create hundreds of thousands of jobs and provide a wealth of knowledge about our planet and the vital systems that inhabit it.
Source: “SPA”
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2024-08-16 09:47:30