OCEAN FACILITIES EXCHANGE GROUP update on a bottom-up approach of research fleet co-ordination & harmonisation Marieke J. Rietveld, NIOZ, The Netherlands Report to ERVO 2008
OFEG Main objective: exchange of shiptime and exchange of major equipment based on bartering > without money-exchange; joint cruises Exchange based on value points according to scientific capacity as agreed between members Significant advantage: access to wider range of facilities, and access to sea areas that would be beyond reach. At the same time more efficient use of ship time by reducing wasted cost and time on long passages. Minimising bureaucracy and overheads OFEG members: Ifremer (France), BMBF (Germany), NIOZ (Netherlands), IMR-UoB (Norway), CSIC (Spain), NERC (UK)
Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) Other OFEG advantages: Opportunistic interventions: mutual help when equipment get lost, recovery of drifting moorings, when within reach; en-route servicing and turn-around of partners moorings, combined sampling and measurements for partners. Location: 49oN 16o24'W
Joint scheduling of cruises: OFEG meets twice a year for fine tuning of cruise planning and cruise scheduling, such as geographical cruise schedules. German ship with Dutch team UK ship with German and Dutch team Dutch ship with German team
Number of days exchanged Number of exchanges Number of days exchanged by OFEG in past years 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 1994 119952199631997 4 1998 5 1999 6 2000 7 2001 8 2002 9 10 2003112004 122005 13 2006 14 2007 15 Number of exchanges by OFEG in past years 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1994119952 19963 1997 4 1998 5 1999 6 2000 7 2001 8 2002 9 10 200311 2004 122005 13 2006 14 2007 15 Status per 2007 Days exchanged (between 1994 & 2007) No. of exchanges (since 1994) 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Days exchanged between OFEG members France Germany The Netherlands* Exchange activity between OFEG members (status 2007) France Germany Norway The Netherlands* Spain** UK France Germany Norway*** The Netherlands* Spain** UK Norway*** Spain** UK * exchanges since 1998 ** exchanges since 2003 *** exchange since France Germany The Netherlands* Norway*** Spain** UK * exchanges since 1998 ** exchanges since 2003 ***exchanges since 2005
In Summary: OFEG represents Europe s leading oceanographic research organisations and provides a forum to consider barter exchange and co-operation opportunities for the Global and Ocean Class research fleet. All present OFEG members, except NIOZ, run multiple fleets - totalling 18 of the 26 Ocean and Global Class academic research ships in Europe, as well as most heavy equipment
2008 OFEG fleet L'ATALANTE 85 France LE SUROIT 56 France POURQUOI PAS?* 105 France THALASSA 74 France / Spain PELAGIA G.O. SARS* JAN MAYEN JOHAN HJORT 66 77 64 64 Netherlands Norway Norway Norway ALKOR 55 Germany HEINCKE 55 Germany MARIA S. MERIAN* 95 Germany METEOR 98 Germany POLARSTERN # 118 Germany POSEIDON 61 Germany SONNE 98 Germany OFEG fleet GARCIA DEL CID 47 Spain HESPERIDES 82 Spain SARMIENTO DE GAMBOA* 70 Spain DISCOVERY JAMES CLARK ROSS JAMES COOK* 90 99 90 UK UK UK - 10 Global Class - 90% of European GC Fleet 21 RVs - 8 Ocean Class - 53% of European OC Fleet 6 countries - 3 Regional Class - 15% of European RC Fleet * Built after 2000 # only joint cruises
G.O.Sars Sarmiento de Gamboa Johan Hjort The 2008 OFEG fleet Hesperides *) only joint cruises Polarstern*) Garcia del Cid
OFEG announcement of opportunity 2008/2010 New version issued Nov 2007 Encourage science community to take advantage of the geographic positioning of OFEG ships Deployment of OFEG Research Ships in 2008-2010 It is anticipated that the twenty European research ships of the Ocean Facilities Exchange Group (OFEG), which provides ship-time and equipment exchanges for UK, French, German, Spanish, Norwegian and Dutch scientists under the Tripartite Agreement, will be operating in the following regions in 2008-2010: Dutch research ship PELAGIA: 2008 2010 Sub-tropical to sub-polar North Atlantic (E), North seas and also (2008 2009): Mediterranean sea & Indian Ocean (N & W)) French research ships L'ATALANTE: North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea (end 2008: mid-life refit), 2009/10 open POURQUOI PAS?: North Atlantic (W & E), Mediterranean Sea THALASSA 2009: North Atlantic (E) LE SUROIT 2009: North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea German research ships ALKOR: Baltic & North seas HEINCKE: North & Baltic seas MERIAN: North Atlantic (N & E), Nordic & Mediterranean seas METEOR: Mediterranean & Black seas, South Atlantic Ocean POSEIDON: subtropical to subpolar North Atlantic (E), Mediterranean, North & Baltic seas SONNE: Indonesian region (2008), N. Pacific/Indonesia (2009), S. Pacific (2010) Norwegian research ships JAN MAYEN: Barents Sea G.O. SARS: Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, North Sea, East Atlantic, South Atlantic (2008) JOHAN HJORT: Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, North Sea, East Atlantic HAKON MOSBY: Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, North Sea, East Atlantic Spanish research ships HESPERIDES: North Atlantic (E & W), Southern Ocean SARMIENTO DE GAMBOA: North Atlantic (E), Mediterranean Sea UK research ships DISCOVERY: subtropical to subpolar North Atlantic (E) JAMES COOK: North Atlantic (E&W), Pacific Ocean (E), South Atlantic (2008: Indian Ocean (SW), Southern Ocean) JAMES CLARK ROSS: Arctic, North & South Atlantic, Southern Ocean
Information exchange: harmonisation and fine tuning of plans for replacement and upgrade of research vessels. At the OFEG meeting in Kiel (April 2008) a first Roadmap of Renewal of OFEG Ocean and Global class RV fleet has been accepted
20 18 basis: average lifespan 30 years 16 14 12 10 Sonne Polarstern 8 6 Meteor l Atalante JCR 4 2 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 ocean global total Evolution of OFEG fleet without any* replacements *RRS DISCOVERY replacement included
Roadmap of Renewal of OFEG Ocean and Global class RV fleet 2010-2030 scheduled recommended age 30 years Sonne Discovery Polarstern L Atalante Hesperides James Clark Ross Global Class Ocean Class 7 6 Meteor scheduled New Ice going RV Norway/ recommended midlife Johan Hjort Thalassa age 30 years 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 Scheduled and recommended replacements RVs built before 2000 5 RVs built after 2000: Global Class: Pourquoi Pas? 2005; James Cook 2007 Ocean Class: G.O. Sars 2003; Maria S. Merian 2005; Sarmiento de Gamboa 2007
Exchange of heavy equipment: OFEG Virtual Pool of Major exchangeable Equipment: Trans national access of heavy equipment: German DTS-1 on Dutch RV French ROV VICTOR on German RV s UK TOBI on Dutch and German RV s Dutch Piston coring system on UK RV UK ROV ISIS on French RV Dutch Ultra Clean CTD system with deep sea winch and cable on German RV German ROV CHEROKEE on Dutch RV
OFEG-TECH To provide the forum for communication and networking to support the development of major equipment and to improve cooperation between the OFEG partners. To develop an understanding of each others organization, structure and contacts. To identify and develop the opportunity for exchange of knowledge and experience. To investigate the potential for bilateral training and technician exchange To identify common problems and elevate them to the OFEG/European level
OFEG-TECH First meeting: 24 25 October 2007, IMR, Bergen, Norway Second meeting: 12 13 November 2008, NIOZ, Texel, The Netherlands OFEG-TECH Mooring Workshop: 15 16 May 2008, Oban, Scotland, UK
OFEG has launched a new website: www.ofeg.org OFEG news & activities OFEG booklet Vessel specs Equipment pages Ships schedules OFEG-TECH Workshops
OFEG and OFWG: OFEG responded towards the ESF Marine Board report: OFEG fully supports the conclusion and accepts that OFEG will act as a forum for the Global and Ocean Class fleet OFEG will endeavour to maintain it much-praised flexibility and exchange of know-how OFEG will ensure that there is an optimal mix of Ocean and Global Class vessels together with a range of effectively utilised heavy equipment OFEG agrees that European research fleet has the appropriate capacity, and is state-of-the-art, as is the heavy equipment, but this should be maintained by adequate renewal OFEG will actively investigate ways of investment co-ordination and cost sharing through joint ownership and partnership arrangements. 24 April 2008
Future issues: Harmonisation of capital investment plans ROV Working Group Seismics pooling Insurance issues related to personal accidents Tonnage Tax tax exemption for research vessels Next OFEG meeting: 25 November 2008, London