Frequently Asked Questions
The Netherlands is a seafaring nation and a good understanding of marine systems worldwide is of strategic importance. Decisions and measures that are taken at a political level are usually based on the results of independent scientific research and that is why research vessels are needed.
Ships from Rijkswaterstaat and the Ministry of Defence are built for specific purposes, such as fisheries research or hydrographic surveys, and are therefore often unsuitable for multidisciplinary scientific research conducted by Dutch universities and research institutes.
This already happens via the Ocean Facilities Exchange Group (OFEG) in which nearly all ocean-going research vessels from Europe participate and which together cover most of the world's seas. The advantages are efficiency and cost savings: researchers step on a vessel that is cruising in the area where they need to be at that moment. The Netherlands can only participate in this exchange if it has its own ship; the RV Pelagia is therefore our passport for European collaboration.
The Netherlands is a seafaring nation and a good understanding of marine systems worldwide is of strategic importance. Decisions and measures that are taken at a political level are usually based on the results of independent scientific research and that is why research vessels are needed.
Ships from Rijkswaterstaat and the Ministry of Defence are built for specific purposes, such as fisheries research or hydrographic surveys, and are therefore often unsuitable for multidisciplinary scientific research conducted by Dutch universities and research institutes.
This already happens via the Ocean Facilities Exchange Group (OFEG) in which nearly all ocean-going research vessels from Europe participate and which together cover most of the world's seas. The advantages are efficiency and cost savings: researchers step on a vessel that is cruising in the area where they need to be at that moment. The Netherlands can only participate in this exchange if it has its own ship; the RV Pelagia is therefore our passport for European collaboration.