TULCEA, 24 August, 2019 – A monumental day for a monumental ship. REV Ocean is thrilled to announce the first water launch of the world’s largest and most advanced research and expedition vessel (REV Ocean). After an extensive and complicated build period over the past 18 months, the vessel was finally lowered into the water today at the VARD Tulcea shipyard in Romania.

Nina Jensen, CEO of REV Ocean, commented: “Today is an especially exciting day, our state-of-the-art research vessel has achieved a major milestone and we are now one step closer to realizing our vision of safeguarding the ocean. We look forward with great anticipation to REV Ocean’s journey to Norway and seeing the next stage of progress towards our ambitions of developing ocean solutions.”

REV Ocean will strive to fill critical knowledge gaps, develop innovative solutions, and bridge science, business and policy sectors to achieve positive change. Taking on the role of ocean trailblazers the goal is to create positive, measurable impact; provide a pathway for others to follow and motivate the next generation of ocean leaders. Our vision of ensuring – One Healthy Ocean – forms the core mantra of the whole organization.

George Gill, Project Director and Owners Representative, said: “It is an emotive experience launching REV, to have developed and overseen REV from a blank piece of paper three and half years ago has been a challenging, educational, rewarding experience, the project evolved into something far more complicated and ambitious than I ever assumed and it has been a personal career highlight. Our Build Team, VARD Group and our Partners have worked and are working incredibly hard realizing Mr Kjell Inge Røkkes wishes to create this amazing vessel. We still have a long way to go and a lot of hard graft ahead, but I cannot wait to get her to Norway and start the next phase. REV will be a truly inspiring vessel in looks and purpose when we deliver her to REV Ocean”

Over the coming weeks the vessel will be towed down the Danube River, into the Black Sea, out through the dramatic Bosporus Strait in Istanbul, traverse the Mediterranean, exit around the Strait of Gibraltar, and finally arrive at the VARD shipyard in Brattvag, Norway. The journey is estimated to take 30 – 35 days depending on conditions en-route.

Oystein Mikelborg, REV Ocean Operations Director, added: “Now that the initial build phase is complete, we anxiously await her delivery in Norway where we will focus on installing technical gear, scientific equipment, research labs, and all the exciting tools that researchers will use to achieve our core science goals.

REV Ocean will be equipped for conducting missions that cover the entire marine ecosystem. It will be used by scientists and innovators for ‘solutions’ oriented research that explore issues such as the impact CO2 emissions have on the ocean, plastic pollution, and unsustainable fishing. REV Ocean will be an inclusive global vehicle for testing and proliferating ocean solutions. The vessel is 182.9 meters long and will have the capacity of holding 55 scientists and 35 crew. Equipment onboard includes scientific trawls, sonar systems, laboratories, auditorium and classrooms, moonpool, AUV and submarine, an ROV with 6000 meters depth capacity, and advanced communication equipment.

Espen Oeino, the Yacht Designer, said: “This was very much the brainchild of the owner, he called me to tell me about this project which is unlike any other vessel in the world – a yacht with a purpose, a noble purpose. The whole rhetoric is kind of a showcase of state-of-the-art marine equipment and I think it will be the best equipped scientific ship on the sea. It is probably the most important project we will ever have the chance to work on.”

REV Ocean is a not-for-profit company established and funded by Norwegian businessman Kjell Inge Røkke. The foundation was established as a result of Mr. Røkke signing the Giving Pledge campaign in 2017 vowing to give away more than 50% of his fortune to philanthropic causes. Any profit generated from our activities will be reinvested into our work programme for a healthier ocean.

Watch the time-lapse and video of the launch here:

Happy Friday!

Grab yourself a cup of coffee and watch REV Oceans’ prelaunch at the VARD shipyard in Tulcea, Romania.

We are anxiously awaiting the vessel to be lowered into the water today/tomorrow from the barge it is currently sitting on, and then it will slowly begin its journey en-route to Brattvåg, Norway sometime in the next week. Stay tuned for regular updates 😊

We are seeking a social media and communications expert to join our international team in Oslo. Do you have:

🔹 5-7 years social media working experience
🔹 Experience with social media metrics
🔹 Knowledge of WordPress, photo/video editing
🔹 Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent experience
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Apply today! The right candidate will be motivated by organizational vision and mission, and you will have a broad background in digital communication🌎

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As we are counting down the days for launch of REV Ocean, it is with great pleasure to welcome aboard our Captain Nils!

Nils is from the heart of Smola and is no stranger to the waves. He has worked at sea for 26 year and been Captain for the last 15 years. Nils started on fishing boats and has experience from many types of advanced offshore vessels in addition to involvement with newbuild projects.

 

This week 13-year-old Alva has joined us at the REV Ocean office. This charismatic young lady is ambitious and passionate about the ocean, and finding sustainable solutions.  She is also proactive in inspiring other youth to become engaged in improving the health of the ocean. We are grateful to have her onboard and we are learning a lot from her.

 

 

It has been a tremendous effort under a tight schedule to construct the most advanced research vessel in the world, but the work at the Fincantieri/Vard shipyard will soon be finished, and the first water launch date is finally set. REV Ocean will hit the water in Tulcea, Romania on August 22nd and then spend approximately 30 days being towed to the Brattvåg shipyard on the west coast of Norway for more construction work.

Media outlets are welcome to contact REV communications for access, footage and more details.

• Lawrence.Hislop@revocean.org
• +4748500514

Recent photos, videos and render images are available here.

 

Nicolai was a cherished member of the REV Ocean team and played a crucial role in the shaping and strategic implementation of our activities. As a key adviser even before REV Ocean was founded, his mark on our work will persist and live on as we fulfil our goals and reach our ambitions. Nicolai was disruptive. He broke new ground and was not afraid to go where others had not gone before. His creativity took us far beyond the conventional boundaries of the possible. During the darkest of times, Nicolai was always positive and supportive of all of his work colleagues. He would never complain and participated in meetings and social events until the last few months.

But what Nicolai taught us above all, was his ability to love, unconditionally. The love he shared with his partner, our CEO, Nina, only grew after the horrible news of his brain cancer. It was an inspiration to us all to witness how Nicolai and Nina supported each other, while caring for their newborn son, Eik.

Our thoughts are with Nina, Eik, their friends and families while we mourn with them the loss of an irreplaceable father, partner and colleague.

 

The trip provided a lot of food for thought about how to advance marine science in the future.

Disruptive technologies and New Power were the words of the day but there was also a fantastic enthusiasm for collaboration and joint venture.

Read Alex’s daily blogpost here.

Visiting Svalbard though, you cannot avoid the impression of dramatic change driven by global warming and increasing human presence through tourism. Atlantic species were replacing Arctic, communities of marine animals completely changing and the outlook grim for ice-dependent animals such as ringed seals and polar bears. The increasingly erratic weather was also a notable feature of conversation with many people who live on the archipelago or visit it regularly. Science plays a critical role in understanding these changes and helping with how to manage them in the future.

My thanks to the organisers of Outreach Cruise 2019, all my colleagues who participated and the crew of the Helmer Hanssen!

Installation of windows, propellers and other key construction milestones were hit recently as the vessel continues its journey to becoming a seaworthy research platform.

The propellers are 2x 4000mm 5 blade CPP (controllable pitch propellers) optimised for SILENT-R notation. Each is 46 meters long and weighs over 40 tons.

The props will be connected to 4x Wärtsilä 8L26, 2.7 MW each, and 2x 3200 kW ea. Electric main propulsion motors with SILENT R notation.

Accra produces an estimated 270,000 tons of plastic waste annually, 50 percent of which is not formally collected into waste management streams. As part of REV Ocean’s commitment to finding solutions to the global challenge of plastic pollution in the ocean, the Plastic REVolution Foundation has been established to find the best opportunities to support Ghana and pilot solutions that can be scaled-up globally.

The new Foundation is led by Erik Solheim, who is supported by a top-notch team of experts in this field.

– We start in Ghana because the country is struggling with plastic litter, and because President Nana Akufo-Addo has ambitions for the capital Accra to become the cleanest city in Africa, says REV Ocean CEO Nina Jensen.

It is estimated that the cost of inefficient waste and sanitation management in Ghana equals 1.6 percent of GDP, or $290m USD annually. Plastic REVolution is currently investigating the feasibility of running a plastic-to-fuel plant in central Ghana based on pyrolysis technology which enables the conversion of plastic into smaller molecules which can be used either as fuel or to create new plastic.

– We will try to create a win-win situation where we set up systems that allow us to remove the plastic and also provide opportunities for people who pick garbage to deliver it to us. Using a circular-economy approach we hope to create many jobs, says Erik Solheim.

Mr Solheim will use his extensive network of researchers, business partners and political contacts to help champion this innovative foundation and create real impact on the ground. The initial estimate for the first pyrolysis plant is in the range of $20-40m USD. If successful in Ghana, the goal is to expand to other cities in the developing world where municipalities are struggling with plastic pollution.

To date, an initial feasibility study mapping current waste production, waste management, and the plastic economy in Ghana have been undertaken. The study is helping answer key questions related to which system for collecting plastic waste may enable a stable supply of appropriate feedstock, and which technology provider offers the technical solution most likely to succeed in the given context. Answering these questions is essential for determining whether it will make sense to move forward with the investment.

It is through the generous financial support of Norwegian businessman and visionary Kjell Inge Røkke that both REV Ocean and Plastic REVolution have been established; each with a mandate to pioneer effective sustainable development and enable partners, businesses and other stakeholders to implement cutting edge environmental solutions. Mr Røkke is also behind Aker Energy in Ghana, where approximately $4.5 billion USD will be invested in the first oilfield project.

Spokespersons for the Plastic REVolution Foundation:

Erik Solheim
CEO, Plastic REVolution Foundation
erikgudbrand@gmail.com
+47 94 87 11 59

Nina Jensen
CEO, REV Ocean
Nina.Jensen@REVocean.org
+47 99 16 96 94