Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Armón will build the new research vessel for the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), scheduled to be delivered in mid-2025.
Anna Weber-van Bosse will replace research vessel Pelagia, which has several decades of service behind it.
In addition to technical and economic aspects, sustainability also played an important role in the development of the concept design and award of the new ship.
For example, in accordance with the tender documents, the tendering yards included in their bids that the vessel should be prepared to use methanol as a carbon-neutral fuel in the future. Anna Weber-van Bosse will also be equipped with a battery pack to allow hybrid operation, solar panels will be installed, and saving fuel is central to the choices made in setting out the specification.
The decision to award the construction to Armón is the culmination of a process that was launched in July 2020. This was followed by several rounds of negotiations with the bidders in order to have a vessel that matches the requirements as closely as possible.
A Programme of Requirements was prepared, a comprehensive inventory of the scientific and technical functional requirements of all conceivable Dutch stakeholders, including the crew of the Pelagia and National Marine Research Facilities (NMF).
The final bids were received in August from three yards, and Astilleros Armón was judged to have submitted the offer that best matched the tender, resulting in the contract for construction.
