Applications are currently being accepted for ship time on Ireland’s national marine science research vessels in 2025 and 2026.

In addition to the RV Tom Crean and RV Celtic Explorer, time is also offered on the ROV Holland I as well as the Marine Institute’s Slocum Glider submersibles Laochra na Mara and Aisling na Mara.

Applications must be submitted using the Marine Institute’s new planning system, Marine Facilities Planning, by Wednesday 19 June. Click HERE to request an account to access the MFP website.

Each application will be reviewed and the applicant will be informed as soon as possible whether the ship time they requested is available. If the requested timing is not available, alternative dates may be offered.

The Vessel Charter Guidelines should be read carefully before submitting the ship-time application form.

Further information, technical specification and contact details for the Slocum Gliders are available on the Glider webpage.

Applicants may seek grant-aid to cover all or part of the vessel charter costs for Research Surveys or Ship-Based Training Programmes in 2025. The closing date for receipt of grant-aid applications is Wednesday 19 June.

Applicants for ship-based training are advised to consult with the Strategic Marine Alliance for Research and Training (SMART) at [email protected]. SMART aims to standardise and optimise ship-based training for undergraduate and post-graduate students and develop nationally accredited ship-based training activities for national higher education.

Applicants are advised that survey schedules can change during the year; contact Research Vessel Operations at [email protected] to check whether any survey slots remain for 2025 and/or request to be notified if any dates become available.

The RV Tom Crean, Ireland's cutting-edge research vessel, proudly celebrates its one-year anniversary since its arrival in Galway on July 18, 2022.

During this eventful year, the vessel accomplished significant milestones. It completed 296 survey days, welcoming 177 scientists across 20 surveys, totalling 2,060 scientist days. Travelling an impressive distance of 32,215 nautical miles, equivalent to circling Ireland approximately 46 times, the vessel showcased its remarkable range and capabilities, paving the way for next year and beyond.

Over the past 12 months, INFOMAR, Ireland's national seabed mapping program, successfully conducted five surveys, mapping a total area of 6,317 square kilometres – an area larger than County Galway. This comprehensive mapping effort will greatly contribute to our understanding of Ireland's seabed and its valuable resources.

Additionally, the vessel conducted 4 Nephrops Underwater TV Surveys, gathering valuable stock assessment data from 539 stations across the Porcupine Bank, Aran Grounds, Celtic Sea, and the Bay of Biscay. This combined effort is approximately equal to 133 kilometres of seabed filmed.

The vessel served as a valuable training platform for students from institutions across Ireland, providing 236 students with a unique learning experience over the course of 50 days throughout the year.

Commenting on the first anniversary of the vessel, Marine Institute Interim CEO Michael Gillooly said, “With its state-of-the-art capabilities and the dedication of its skilled crew and scientists, we eagerly await the vessel's next chapter, brimming with exciting accomplishments and groundbreaking discoveries. The RV Tom Crean has proven itself as an invaluable asset to Ireland's scientific community, and we eagerly look forward to the remarkable achievements yet to come.”

Research survey TC22017 will be carried out in the Irish Sea in the vicinity of the Kish Bank Lighthouse by the University of Limerick (UL) in collaboration with the Marine Institute from this Sunday 11 to Friday 16 December, subject to weather and operational constraints.

The aim of this survey the testing and development of UL’s underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) system and automation platforms.

Ship-time will be focused on trialling comprehensive multi-disciplinary control and inspection methods, utilising new technologies to enable automated offshore asset inspection.

The primary outcome of the trials is to work towards the development of a framework and technique for the inspection of offshore assets remotely.

The survey will be conducted by the RV Tom Crean (callsign EIYX3) which will display appropriate lights and signals. The operations will take place between 7am and 7pm daily. The vessel will mainly run in DP mode while the ROV operates close to Kish Bank Lighthouse.

A map and coordinates of the survey area as well as contact details and a list of equipment used can be found in Marine Notice No 84 of 2022, attached below.

The Marine Institute, alongside the Explorers Education Programme, will be showcasing the new RV Tom Crean and its work in marine science at the 2022 Galway Science and Technology Festival this weekend.

Families are invited to the Bailey Allen Hall at the University of Galway on Sunday 13 November to learn more about Ireland’s marine research vessels and creatures of the deep sea.

Patricia Orme, director of corporate services at the Marine Institute said, “The Galway Science and Technology Festival serves as an excellent opportunity for the Marine Institute, and our Explorers Education Programme, to nurture students’ interest in marine science. We look forward to welcoming parents and children to learn more about the importance of our ocean and the work our scientists do on our marine research vessels.”

Discover the survey work undertaken by Ireland’s newest research vessel, the RV Tom Crean, which featured on RTÉ’s Nationwide this week, as well as the RV Celtic Explorer — which are both based in the Port of Galway.

Learn more about some of the unique features of these vessels and why they are important for fisheries research, seabed mapping and climate studies.

You will have the chance to meet marine scientists and find out what it’s like to survey our seas on board. There’s also the opportunity for children to enter a competition to win a LEGO City Ocean Exploration Set and an ocean-themed book hamper for their primary school.

Join the Marine Institute’s Explorers Education team and check out ‘The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Deep-Sea Species’ activities. Discover some of the adaptations that deep-sea species have acquired for surviving in the ocean’s most inhospitable environments.

Visitors of all ages can get a closer look at the RV Tom Crean as well as the RV Celtic Explorer in Galway this weekend | Credit: Jason Clarke

Take part in the ‘Great Explorers Challenge’ to light up the angler fish circuit, and play the ‘Match the Deep-Sea Species’ game to learn how life persists where there is no light, little oxygen, and where temperatures are close to freezing. Take a close look at dogfish sharks and baby flatfish in the Explorers display tanks.

The Marine Institute will also be showcasing the work of one its research projects, EuroSea, in the Orbsen Building on Sunday. The EuroSea project brings together 53 organisations working across the European Seas and the Atlantic Ocean in order to improve the coordination of Europe’s ocean observing and deliver information and solutions to support decision-making in the areas of climate, ocean health and maritime activities.

As part of the iFADO project, the Marine Institute will be involved in a talk on Thursday 17 November about the project’s mission to release a fleet of mini-boats from each country of the European Atlantic facade.

Students involved in the programme worked together to prepare, deploy, and track their very own mini-boat, in order to collect information about ocean currents, weather, and technology. The mini-boats are directed to different communities and schools around the world, providing students with the opportunity to learn about different cultures. Book a place at galwayscience.ie.

The Marine Institute’s exhibition ‘The Wild Atlantic – Sea Science’ is also open at Galway City Museum. Free to visitors, the gallery features exhibitions on climate change, surveys at sea, the SmartBay Observatory in Galway Bay, as well as seabed mapping, amazing scientific discoveries and creatures of the deep. In the Remotely Operated Vehicle Simulator, explore ocean depths like a marine scientist and discover cold-water corals, shipwrecks and a rare shark nursery.

For more information on the 2022 Galway Science and Technology Festival programme, which runs from Sunday 13 to Friday 25 November, visit galwayscience.ie.

Ireland’s newest national marine research vessel, the RV Tom Crean, will feature on RTÉ Nationwide on Monday, 7th November, at 7 pm on RTÉ One.

Ireland’s latest marine research vessel is named the RV Tom Crean after the legendary Irish explorer from Co Kerry, who undertook three ground-breaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century. A special commissioning event for the marine research vessel was held in Dingle Harbour in early October 2022.

Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute, spoke about his connection to the Tom Crean story on the RTÉ Nationwide programme. Dr Connolly said, “The arrival of the RV Tom Crean is a significant milestone for marine research in Ireland, and we are delighted to have the vessel featured on RTÉ Nationwide. Naming the vessel after Tom Crean gives recognition to an Irish explorer of international renown, whose life was packed with amazing feats of Antarctic bravery, determination and courage.”

The programme also includes an interview with Dr Ciaran Kelly, Director of Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services at the Marine Institute, about how the RV Tom Crean will be at sea for 300 days of the year and is designed to operate in the harsh sea conditions of the Atlantic. The RV Tom Crean, alongside the RV Celtic Explorer, will survey our fish stocks and habitats to gain the best available information on the state of fish stocks in our seas.

Dr Caroline Cusack, an Ocean Climate Scientist at the Marine Institute, also spoke about the importance of surveying our seas. The new state-of-the-art RV Tom Crean offers a complete offshore research platform that will play a vital role in ocean observation and enable Ireland to undertake critical research work.

The RV Tom Crean will carry out a wide range of marine research activities, including expanded fisheries surveys, seabed mapping, collecting data to support marine spatial planning, climate change-related research, environmental monitoring, deep water surveys, and undertaking collaborative research in the Atlantic Ocean.

The RV Tom Crean features on RTÉ Nationwide this Monday, 7th November on RTÉ One at 7 pm.

The Marine Institute was delighted to welcome the Presidents of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins and Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on a visit to the newly commissioned research vessel RV Tom Crean berthed in Dublin’s docklands. President de Sousa is currently on a state visit to Ireland.

As Afloat reported earlier, RV Tom Crean made its maiden call to Dublin last night. 

President Higgins and President de Sousa met with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, the CEO of the Marine Institute, Dr Paul Connolly, and the Institute’s Chairperson, Dr John Killeen.

The Portuguese and Irish delegations were given a tour of the new marine research vessel, after it returned from a fisheries assessment survey in the Celtic sea, following its commissioning in Dingle, Kerry on October 6th. Marine Institute staff outlined the state-of-the-art technology on the ship. This will greatly enhance Ireland’s capacity to undertake many diverse ocean science surveys, participate in international collaborative research projects and acquire the ocean data and knowledge essential to inform and inspire the sustainable management of our vast marine resources.

Representatives of the several government Departments, including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Department of Foreign Affairs along with several Marine Institute staff were present on the vessel. The itinerary included a short meeting to discuss emerging ocean policy areas in Ireland and Portugal and how improved cooperation on ocean science and research can benefit policy, our people and our planet.

Minister Charlie McConalogue said, “We are honoured to welcome President Higgins and President de Sousa to the RV Tom Crean, to showcase the technology on our new state-of-the-art research vessel and to discuss the importance of ocean science. This vessel gives Ireland the capacity to deepen our understanding of the ocean and to put sustainable seafood as one of the key components of our ocean science agenda.”

The global policy landscape has radically changed over the last few years, driven by COVID-19 and the impacts of the war in Ukraine. The ocean has the potential to address many of these new policy areas, including food and energy security and climate change. Science has a key role to play, and cooperation between Atlantic countries will be key. This presents great opportunities for Ireland and Portugal in the ocean science space. The informal discussions on the ship focused on sustainable seafood, how we manage our ocean space (marine spatial planning), how we protect marine biodiversity (marine protected areas), offshore renewable energy and how the ocean impacts climate change.

Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute said, “Ireland and Portugal are on the frontiers of the Atlantic and given the importance of the ocean to our very existence, these discussions are critical. We have developed a strong working relationship with Portugal over the years and this State Visit builds on these strong ties and paves the way for more cooperation, particularly in relation to EU-funded projects on the Atlantic.”

In June of this year, the Marine Institute and the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), designed to build on their long-established cooperation and to build new partnerships, particularly in relation to strategic cooperation on Atlantic Ocean research.

The implementation of cooperation within the MoU's framework will include capacity building, training and exchange of expertise and staff, and developing strategic alliances to build research proposals. It also includes conducting joint research projects, and co-organisation of conferences, seminars and workshops.

Mr Charlie McConalogue T.D., Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, today formally commissioned Ireland’s new marine research vessel, the RV Tom Crean, at an event in Dingle.

Minister Mc Conalogue said: “Ireland's ocean is vital to our economy, our environment, and many aspects of our daily lives. There has never been a time when we needed to improve our understanding of the Ocean more than now. We face the great interlinked global challenges of climate change, biodiversity and food security. Understanding the Ocean and the changes occurring within it is vital to all of our futures, at sea and on land.”

The new replacement vessel will ensure that Ireland continues to provide the best scientific advice underpinning key decisions on fisheries and marine/ocean policy issues to ensure the sustainable development of Ireland’s extensive marine resource. The RV Tom Crean will also enable Ireland to secure vital EU research funding for marine research while maintaining strong international maritime research partnerships.

The vessel will immediately undertake essential scientific work, which will support many of the projects outlined in the Programme for Government; including fisheries assessments, offshore renewable energy, marine spatial planning, marine protected areas and addressing the challenges of climate change.

Speaking at the commissioning Minister McConalogue said: “I am delighted to be here in Dingle today to formally commission the RV Tom Crean into service. This state-of-the-art vessel will enable Ireland to be at the forefront of critical ocean research work. I am proud to be able to say that the ship was delivered on budget and on time. As an Island nation, we are on the frontier of the Atlantic, an ocean which drives our climate. This new research vessel will immediately undertake essential scientific work, which will support many of the projects that this Government has prioritised and is urgently progressing, including fisheries assessments, offshore renewable energy, marine spatial planning, marine protected areas and addressing the challenges of climate change. The RV Tom Crean will provide us with a platform to gather the best scientific evidence to inform important decisions on fisheries and ocean policy and the key environmental and economic challenges facing us today.

Named the RV Tom Crean, after the Irish Explorer from Kerry who undertook three ground-breaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century the new vessel will enable Ireland to undertake cutting edge scientific surveys that deepen our understanding of the ocean and place the Marine Institute as a leader in marine science

The Minister continued “The vessel is named after the legendary Tom Crean who encapsulated our proud history of engagement in global exploration. I am delighted that we are joined today by his family descendants. Naming this vessel for him celebrates Tom Crean’s life and achievements who I would like to think would himself approve of his illustrious name being associated with this vessel and more importantly, with the work it is embarking upon. The RV Tom Crean will provide cutting-edge technology for scientists to study and support the sustainable development of Ireland’s valuable marine resource. It will play an important, exciting, and valuable role for future generations as we seek to improve our scientific understanding of our oceans”.

This new marine research vessel replaces the RV Celtic Voyager, launched in 1987 as Ireland’s first purpose-built research vessel, which has now been decommissioned from service. The RV Tom Crean build and commissioning cost was €25 million. It is a silent vessel, capable of operating throughout the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It will be at sea for 300 operational days each year and the range of surveys will total 3000 scientists’ days a year. Each survey will last up to 21 days and the vessel is designed to operate in the harsh sea conditions of the Atlantic.

The ship design incorporates the latest proven technologies to ensure that it operates as efficiently as possible, with reduced fuel consumption and operating procedures that minimise the vessel’s environmental impact and carbon footprint.

Dr Connolly of the Marine Institute said:  “The ocean is essential to life on earth. It produces half the oxygen we breath and is a major driver of our weather. We need the best quality data, science and advice to inform decisions on the big challenges facing society – mitigating the impacts of climate change, protecting and restoring ocean biodiversity, and realizing the full potential of our ocean economy. The new vessel will be used by the Marine Institute, other state agencies and universities to gather essential data that will be used to deliver the scientific advice for fisheries assessment, offshore renewable energy, marine spatial planning, marine protected areas and addressing the challenges of climate change.”

The vessel design incorporates the latest proven technologies to ensure that it operates as efficiently as possible, with reduced fuel consumption and minimising the vessel’s environmental impact and carbon footprint.

RV Tom Crean, Ireland’s newest marine research vessel named after the Kerry explorer will be officially commissioned in Dingle next month, reports RadioKerry.

At almost 53-metres RV Tom Crean will be used (by the Marine Institute) for ocean surveys, fishery, acoustic and environmental research and buoy and mooring operations.

The €25 million newbuild recently docked in Galway Harbour, Afloat adds the homeport of the Spanish shipyard built ship which today is in the Celtic Sea having previously departed Cork Harbour.

Tom Crean's grand-daughter Aileen Crean-O'Brien will perform the commissioning ceremony in Dingle on October 6th.

She says it’s a proud moment for the family.

To listen, click here for an audio clip link.

P&O Maritime Logistics which is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will through its Irish office in Galway, provide full-service management of the Marine Institute’s new state-of-the-art research vessel, RV Tom Crean, on behalf of client the Marine Institute with the ship having entered service this week.

The newbuild's recent maiden voyage to Galway, the ship's homeport and base, was named after Tom Crean the Irish Antarctic explorer and seafarer. The new vessel will undertake important multidisciplinary research as well as maintenance of weather buoys and other critical ocean infrastructure on behalf of the Marine Institute – the government agency responsible for marine research, technology development and innovation in Ireland.

The Marine Institute sits under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and plays a key role in providing scientific and technical advice to the Irish government on issues relating to Ireland’s marine resources. The vessel will play a key role in informing marine policy in island nation, and its state-of-the-art equipment will provide researchers with the high calibre tools that are necessary for such a critical job.

With the P&O Maritime Logistics’ tenured experience with research vessels and experience with leading technology systems, P&O Maritime Logistics personnel have been on site at the shipyard preparing for delivery and operation of the vessel including supporting the integration and testing of scientific equipment.

Tom Crean will replace the Marine Institute’s current research vessel, the 25-year-old Celtic Voyager, and along with the Celtic Explorer will provide a significant and enhanced capability for Irish Marine research. The vessel will be an important tool in gathering data and information to support the development and sustainable management of Ireland’s marine resources.

Director of Ocean Climate and Information Services at the Marine Institute, Michael Gillooly said: “The Celtic Voyager, operated by P&O Maritime Logistics greatly contributed to the expansion of marine Research, Technological Development and Innovation (RTDI) activity and with the arrival of the Celtic Voyagers replacement, the Tom Crean; this increase in activity will continue and make an important national and international contribution to the understanding and sustainable management of our oceans.”

On Tom Crean, P&O Maritime Logistics will provide a wide range of services, including operational, technical, instrumentation and IT support, workshops and crewing.

CEO of P&O Maritime Logistics, Martin Helweg said: “Researching the health of our oceans is incredibly important. As a maritime business we fully support the work of the Marine Institute and are honoured by the responsibility awarded to P&O Maritime Logistics to operate the Tom Crean.

“As a data-led business that leverages next-generation technology across our fleet and operations, and with our wide ranging and deep-rooted experience managing research vessels, P&O Maritime Logistics is well placed to operate the Tom Crean on behalf of the Marine Institute as it becomes operational.”

P&O Maritime Logistics has over a quarter century of experience managing research vessels, having operated ships on behalf of government agencies in France, Australia and the UK.

The Marine Institute has shared a video documenting the key milestones in the build of Ireland’s new marine research vessel, the RV Tom Crean.

Delivered on time and on budget, the €25 million vessel was officially handed over to the Marine Institute on Friday 8 July and set off from its builders in Vigo, Spain for Galway Bay a week later.

The state-of-the-art ship is due in its new home port in the City of the Tribes early this week, and in the meantime you can watch the video below that charts the timeline of its build since the contract for its design was signed in January 2019.