Research vessels | Research fleet of the Institute of Oceanology |
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 In 1949, the Institute obtained its first research vessel "VITYAZ" of 5.7 thousand tons displacement which was re-equipped specifically for ocean studies. A series of scientific discoveries which brought fame to the Russian science is associated with the "VITYAZ". Nowadays the "VITYAZ" is functioning as the World Ocean Museum at the port of Kaliningrad.
The Institute's research fleet based at the ports of Kaliningrad and Gelendjik incorporates three large-capacity (of more than 6 thousand tons displacement) research vessels: "Akademik Mstislav Keldysh", "Akademik Sergei Vavilov" and "Akademik Ioffe"; two medium-capacity (more than 1 thousand tons) vessels: "Professor Shtockman" and "Rift" and three small-capacity (less than 1 thousand tons) vessels: "Shelf", "Aquanaut" and "Aquanaut-2". All the vessels are fitted up with modern navigational systems, research instruments and equipment for complex studies of the ocean. Under difficult conditions of the 90ties the Institute succeeded in solving one of its primary problems - averting destruction and carrying out reconstruction and modernization of its research fleet. In the last years, the number of scientific expeditions aboard the Institute's research vessels grows steadily. The Institute's research expeditions numbered 292 vessel-days in 2000, 363 in 2001 and 454 in 2002 with a total of more than 2,000 participants. Practically all the expeditions are of a complex character and include nature protection and ecological studies. In 2003 the Institute carried out 15 expeditions to the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, as well as to the White, Barents, Norwegian, Baltic and Black seas. |
