E/V NAUTILUS

The E/V Nautilus is perhaps the most famous exploration vessel in the world.

Maritime Management took over the management of the vessel in 2008 and have since operated and updated its capabilities through numerous modernisation projects over the years.

Our Client Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) is a not- for- profit organisation, founded in 2008 by Dr. Robert Ballard to engage in pure ocean exploration.

OET’s international programs centre on underwater scientific and educational exploration.

Expeditions commenced in the Mediterranean and Black Sea in 2009 and extended to the west Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic while operating from a base in Turkey.

In 2013 NAUTILUS crossed the Atlantic to commence operations in the Mexican Gulf and Caribbean until 2015.

2015 saw the vessel transit to the Pacific via Panama Canal to embark on series of groundbreaking expeditions on the USA west coast, Canada and Mexico, venturing as far afield as Hawaii and Samoa.

NAUTILUS is now a state of the art exploration vessel with sophisticated Satellite communications to broadcast live video feeds from ROV cameras to a depth of 6000m.

The vessel is also equipped with high performance Multibeam echo sounding, ADCP, USBL, Sub Bottom Profiler, Dry and wet labs, DP capability, moonpool, ROV command centre, 4m hull extension, New fuel efficient main engine, generators and ship systems.

The multiple upgrade work on all of the vessel systems which have been carried out under the watchful supervision of the Maritime Management team are detailed in the PROJECT links on the website.

NAUTILUS is a multi functional vessel providing the ability for our client to provide expedition programmes including detailed High Res mapping, marine biology, geology, oceanology, volcanology, marine archeology, 4k video formROV’s, platform for launch and control of AUV’s, ASV’s and experimental vehicles.

Nautilus Current Location

E/V Nautilus Projects Summary

E/V NAUTILUS Ship Specifications:

BUILT: 1967, Rostock, Germany
ORIGINALLY: 64.23m, Lengthened in 2021 68.23 meters (224 feet)
BEAM: 10.5 meters (34.5 feet)
DRAFT: 4.9 meters (14.75 feet)
TONNAGE: 1,337 gross, 402 net
RANGE: 24,000 kilometers (13,000 nautical miles) at 10 knots
ENDURANCE: 40 days at sea
SPEED: 10 knots service, 12 knots maximum
FUEL CAPACITY: 330 cubic meters
PROPULSION: Single engine ABC 8DZC 4 stroke ( 2020) 1472 kilowatts with a
- Reintjes LAF 1543 L gearbox; controllable pitch propeller;
- 280 kW Schottel bow tunnel thruster;
- 300 kW Schottel jet pump stern thruster.
SHIP SERVICE GENERATORS: Three 585 kVA Caterpillar C18 generators
PORTABLE VAN SPACE: One 20-foot van on aft deck
PERSONNEL ACCOMMODATION: 17 crew; 31 science and operations; 4 guests.
FLAG: St. Vincent and the Grenadines
HEAVY EQUIPMENT:
- Dynacon 421 ROV TRACTION winch with 6000m Rochester A06063 1.73 centimeter (0.681 inch) diameter cable
- DT Marine 210 winch
- Bonfiglioli knuckle-boom crane, 2–6 ton capacity, two extensions
- Two airtuggers, SWL 900 lbs each
- A-frame, SWL 8 mtns
- 2 Rescue boats; davit with SWL 0.9 mtn
- DMW 10t capacity Autonomous vehicle launch crane stbd.

Telepresence Technology

VSAT 2.4 meter axis stabilised Sea Tel 9711 uplink antenna capable of C- and Ku-band operation of up to 20 Mbps (C-band circular or linear)
REAL-TIME VIDEO STREAMING 6 Haivison X Encoders streaming live video via satellite to the Inner Space Centre ashore including spares)
CAMERAS 15 high-definition pan/tilt/zoom cameras: aft deck and port rail; Command Centre; wet lab; ROV hangar; winch hold

Communications

Ship-wide RTS Telex intercom system for shipboard communications and connection with shoreside participants
Telephone interface is available through a Rhode Island exchange for real-time collaboration between scientists ashore and on the ship
Full Internet connectivity from shipboard LAN and wifi
KVH TracPhone-v7 for redundant bridge communication, providing telephone and IP service

Data Processing & Visualisation Lab

AREA 44.5 square meters (480 square feet)
WORKSTATIONS Seven workstations for science manager, data loggers, navigators, educators, data engineers, satellite engineer, video engineer; seafloor mapping data processing; flexible bench space

Rack Room

AREA: 17.3 square meters (185 square feet)
DATA STORAGE: 22 TB onboard storage for non-video data; 150 TB disk storage for video data
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: Iridium phone, KVH phone
ELECTRONICS WORKBENCH: 80 cu ft of storage

Production Studio

AREA: 12 square meters (130 square feet)
CAMERA: Remote controllable high-definition Sony BRC-H700 in studio; Canon FX-305 for live deck television broadcasts

Wet Lab

AREA: 19 square meters (204.5 square feet) with 5.3-meter-long (17.5-foot) stainless steel bench and 2.3-meter-long (7.6-foot) worktop
REFRIGERATION:
- Panasonic MDF-C8V1 ULT –80/–86°C scientific freezer, 0.085 cubic meters (3 cubic feet)
- 2 science refrigerators, approximately 0.57 cubic meters each (20 cubic feet each)
- Science freezer, -20°C, 0.14 cubic meter (5 cubic feet)
HAZMAT:
- Fume hood
- 2 HAZMAT lockers for chemical and waste storage
- Carry-on, carry-off chemical policy

ROV Hangar

AREA 24 square meters (258.3 square feet)
POWER 110/60 Hz and 220/50 Hz available
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT Hard hats, PFDs, high voltage gloves
LIFTS 2 × 2-ton overhead manual chainfall lifts
STORAGE Storage for spares and other equipment

ROV Workshop

AREA 18 square meters (193.8 square feet)
TOOLS Complete set of hand tools, cordless tools, electrical and fiber optic test equipment, mill-drill combination machine
STORAGE Storage for spares and other equipment

Specific ship upgrades by Maritime Management

Maritime Management have not just managed the day-to-day technical management of the ship, but have also project managed major modifications to the vessel to further expedition progress.

List include:

Manage Design, construction and fitting of bespoke “A” frame. (Turkey 2010)
Procure and install ROCV launching crane. (Turkey 2009)
Complete replacement of old generators with 3 new Caterpillar, C18, 550kW.
Dynamic positioning system with the addition of a jet pump and new bow thrust.
Extensive modifications to accommodation and public spaces.

Mast and satellite dome.
New ROV hangar and workshop (Turkey 2011).
New Data lab, wet lab and gymnasium (Florida 2014).
Flush hull mounted Kongsberg EM320 multibeam echo sounder in bespoke instrument blister giving high resolution data (Turkey 2013).
Moon pool (Turkey 2013).

During the COVID 19 pandemic, a lot of Nautilus’ busy calendar was halted. We at Maritime Management are taking things a step further to ensure continued success in the ships future. Nautilus is getting a near complete mechanical upgrade. Beginning in 2018/19 off season, the Nautilus has been refitted with a new traction winch allowing scientists and marine biologists to reach depths of 6000 metres in ROV exploration. In the current off season 2019/20, despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our management and excellent crew on board successfully continued to undertake the long planned re-engining of the Nautilus. The new ABC 8DZ four stroke engine installed is a modern, fuel efficient, lower emissions propulsion system that perfects Nautilus’ ocean surface manoeuvrability, as well as a cleaner more environmentally friendly way of exploring our oceans. It will give greater utility for mapping and station keeping that is crucial to oceanographic research where accuracy is paramount. See below some images of the project so far. More updates to follow in our news section.