Mid February, the RV Wim Wolff (flying the Dutch flag) was christened in the harbor of the NIOZ on Texel. This Research Vessel (RV) replaces the RV Navicula, which served for four decades in coastal research.
As sustainable as possible
"The RV Wim Wolff was built according to the most modern insights and has also been made as sustainable as possible, both in construction and in use", says Aarnoud van de Burgt, the head of NIOZ's National Marine Facilities Department. "The ship runs on vegetable fuel and has a large package of batteries aboard. It is also prepared for a future with even greener fuels, such as methanol. And last but not least, it is also a lot more comfortable and user-friendly, both for the crew as well as for the guests from the scientific field."
The RV Wim Wollf is a so-called flatboat, which means it can run dry on the mud flats. Yet it is still capable of sailing up to 20 miles offshore. "That makes use along the entire Danish, German, Dutch and Belgian coast possible", says Van de Burgt.
New national research fleet
The vessel is the second of three from the new research fleet for Dutch coastal, marine and ocean research and was built by Thecla Bodewes Shipyards in Harlingen. In 2022, the assistance vessel RV Adriaen Coenen was already commissioned. In 2023, a shipyard in Spain started building the RV Anna Weber-van Bosse, the new vessel for research on the open seas and oceans. It will replace the RV Pelagia in late '25. The Dutch research fleet is managed by the National Marine Facilities (NMF) department of NIOZ, part of NWO.
Source: NIOZ