Bureau Veritas awards classification to Faroe Islands research vessel

Certification body Bureau Veritas has awarded classification to the research vessel Jákup Sverri whose primary task will be to survey in and around the Faroe Islands.

Built in the Faroese MEST Shipyard, the 54-metre long Jákup Sverri vessel will conduct work for the Faroe Marine Research Institute.

The vessel is packed with the latest specialized and highly automated equipment for oceanographic and fishing research activities, including pelagic and bottom trawling, underwater acoustic research, hydrographic, seismic, ROV operations, and plankton and bottom sampling.

To support its wide-ranging operational profile, the vessel – which features four scientific laboratories – has also been equipped with a dynamic positioning (DP) system and is outfitted for operation in ice and cold climates.

Bureau Veritas was involved with the project from its early design stages, with the vessel’s characteristic RV5414 design developed in-house by MEST Shipyard.

Close cooperation with MEST Shipyard enabled Bureau Veritas specialists to provide technical and regulatory expertise helping ensure compliance with the applicable class rules and statutory regulations.

The design review process has been coordinated by the Nordic plan approval office in Copenhagen, which is fully qualified for newbuilding projects.

Local surveyor presence on the Faroe Islands enabled Bureau Veritas to support the shipyard throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, without any denial or postponement of survey requests.

Gijsbert de Jong, recently appointed Marine Chief Executive for Bureau Veritas’ Nordic region, said: “A real stand-out feature is that the vessel is among the quietest ships ever built to facilitate marine research activities as confirmed by underwater noise measurements.

“This is primarily achieved by diesel-electric propulsion with elastically mounted diesel generators and an electrically driven five blade ultra-silent propeller. During sea trials, the ship has proven to have excellent seakeeping characteristics to the satisfaction of the owner and crew”.

Key Bureau Veritas class notations applicable to the Jákup Sverri include URN-specified vessel covering underwater radiated noise requirements specific to the vessel’s operations, DYNAPOS SAM covering DP requirements for semi-automatic operation, and POLAR CAT C for meeting IMO Polar Code requirements for ship category C.

Herman Spilker, VP North Europe for Bureau Veritas, added: “We wish Jákup Sverri and its crew smooth and silent sailing and are excited to work with the Faroe Marine Research Institute. We are looking forward to continuing our cooperation with MEST Shipyard and are committed to support marine research institutes in the region, building on the return of experience from our successful projects”.