This is a Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) project for the construction of a 254 foot research platform; the Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV). This multipurpose research ship will dramatically improve access to Arctic waters and is specifically designed to operate in seasonal sea ice and open ocean waters near Alaska, including the Chukchi, Beaufort, and Bering Seas, the Gulf of Alaska and southeastern coastal waters. Understanding changes in Arctic sea ice is vitally important to developing a better understanding of global climate change. Satellite observations have shown that the perennial ice in the Arctic is thinning at a rate greater than current models predicted, and recent research suggests the thinning is beginning to have major regional and global consequences. The ARRV will provide a much needed, technologically advanced, oceanographic platform to enable multidisciplinary teams to conduct field research at the ice edge and in seasonal ice in order to address a variety of critical regional and global ecosystem issues including climate change and ocean circulation. This will be the first NSF new-build toward renewal of the U.S. academic research vessel fleet since the 1980s.
The original University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF) proposal was in response to the National Science Foundation Program Solicitation NSF 07-515 for the management, acquisition and operation of an Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV). The original proposal was reviewed by 10 mail reviewers and 10 panelists. A major recommendation from the panel was a phased acquisition and construction strategy to mitigate risk and provide oversight. A four phase approach was implemented by NSF with given milestones to be completed prior to funding of the next phase. The design was completed in December 2004 and was refreshed during Phase I of the project following award of the Phase I CSA (0723426). A successful Final Design Review (FDR) was held in October 2008 which utilized an external panel of experts to verify the project baseline (cost, scope, and schedule) as well as UAF?s Project Execution Plan (PEP). Following the National Science Board (NSB) approval to proceed in March 2009, UAF began the shipyard selection phase (Phase II). All Phase II milestones were completed successfully and NSF consent to award the shipyard contract was granted in early December 2009. The project baseline was also updated from FDR following receipt of bids and reviewed internally by NSF for accuracy and sufficiency as part of the consent to award process. This revised project baseline is the basis for this award and does not significantly differ from FDR or what was approved by the NSB. NSF remains confident that the project can be successfully completed with a total project cost of $199.5M.
Oversight of the project is maintained through weekly teleconferences with UAF, planned quarterly site visits, and annual external reviews. An independent oversight committee (AOC) provides advice and recommendations to both UAF and NSF on the technical and scientific priorities for the vessel throughout the planning and commissioning period. NSF has also retained a consult with experience managing the construction and design of a similar research vessel in the UK.
UAF then awarded the construction contract to Marinette Marine Corporation of Marinette, Wisconsin on December 18, 2009. The shipyard project kick-off meeting will be held in January 2010 with the first quarterly project review meeting in March to monitor design verification and transfer. The AOC will hold their first sea trials and science operations planning meeting in February 2010. The next external panel review will be held in May at NSF headquarters where progress during the initial stages of Phase III will be assessed by a panel of experts similar to FDR. Actual construction will begin in September 2010. Ship delivery and sea trials are planned for January 2013 with science operations beginning in January 2014.
