A date has been set for the launch of Iceland’s new marine research vessel at the Armón yard in Vigo, when the new vessel will also be formally christened to honour one of the country’s pioneering marine scientists.
The new Skipasýn-designed research vessel is to be named Thórunn Thórðardóttir HF-300, and is named after the first woman in Iceland to train specifically in marine science.
‘Thórunn was the first Icelandic woman to specialise in her branch of marine science,’ said the Marine Research Institute’s director Thorsteinn Sigurðsson, recalling that she graduated in 1956 after studying at Lund in Sweden and in Oslo.
‘Thórunn was active in strengthening the work of the institute, not least by encouraging young and enthusiastic people she had guided. Thórunn was meticulous in her research work and had an excellent overview of her field. She understood better than most the need to strengthen the understanding of the basis of life in the sea. She was active in international co-operation and shared her important expertise. Thórunn’s contribution to science is vital to all of us and it is entirely fitting that the ship carries her name for the next generation of scientists.’
