At Askö Laboratory there are many boats and vessels that ensure research for many purposes in a large geographical area. They can be used for research, education and marine monitoring. They are also used to transport people from and to the island.

The new catamaran will be part of Askös research fleet this spring. Photo: Eva Lindell.

Replacing R/V Limanda  

Except for Askö's two smaller motorboats, there is the 34 meters long research vessel R/V Electra af Askö and the 12 meters long R/V Limanda. R/V Limanda is one of Askös oldest faithful servants and has been at the station since the 80s and the search for a new boat to replace her has been going on for a while. 

– This catamaran is three meters longer than Limanda and its aft deck area, in comparison, feels almost gigantic, says Christoph Humborg, scientific director at the Baltic Sea Centre.

- She is an upgraded vessel compared to Limanda, and can go faster, allow more people on board and also offers the possibility to stay over. This increases our range when going on expeditions, and we can reach the Landsort deep. Since she is a catamaran, we can also reach shallow areas which is an excellent complement to R/V Electra that enables us to fulfill more of our marine monitoring mission.

Almost ready to use

Even though she has already been used for water surveys in Finland she has to be updated and somewhat rebuilt. She also needs to be transported to Askö as soon as the weather permits. 

– First, we will bring her her to Askö from Åbo in Finland, says Mattias Murphy, technician and skipper at Askö Laboratory. Then we need to rebuild and update her a bit to make her the most useful for our purposes. For example the crane needs some remodeling. We really look forward to finally have a new mid-sized vessel to offer our reseachers and students already this spring!

As soon as the vessel is ready she will take on Limandas former missions; monitoring, course sampling, research and transportation. You are, as always, welcome to apply to use our infrastructure resources here: Book your stay.

Ship Specifics:
Built 2014
Hull material Glass fiber
Lenght (m) 14,78
Weight (tn) 23
Engines 2 x Cummins QSC8.3
Fuel Diesel
Cruising speed knts 18
Top speed knts 21
AIS AIS A, Simrad MX535B Class A
Accessories Deck lift: 2 tn/2,4 m tai 0,3 tn/10 m Generator: FischerPanda; 6 kVA