Cruising Into A New Era Of Marine Biology

Swansea University has invested £1.3m in the construction of a purpose-built 18 m catamaran-class survey vessel which will be used by marine biologists to travel from estuaries to the sea shelf to study the diverse habitats and wildlife of spectacular coastline of Wales. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Swansea University has long been a leader in Marine Biology, conducting high impact research, and assisting with the conservation and sustainable development of the marine and coastal resources in Wales. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The vessel will be used to ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• survey the coastline
• map critical habitats
• study water quality
• observe marine wildlife
• deploy marine equipment
• support teaching, research and business assistance

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The new vessel which is scheduled to launch in Dec 2017, can accommodate 26 passengers with 8 berths and have a top speed of 23 kts with cruising at about 16kts, and will be equipped with state-of-the-art survey and research equipment. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​