Flagship | Ocean Research Project

Welcome aboard the RV Marie Tharp, a 72-foot steel schooner dedicated to oceanographic research and primarily pioneering climate change research in polar regions.

Commissioned in 2022, the Marie Tharp is Ocean Research Project's current research vessel, a low-carbon alternative to ocean discovery.

Mission and Capabilities Mission:

The RV Marie Tharp is specifically outfitted to engage in expeditions to study climate change impacts in polar regions, gathering crucial data on global warming and pollution effects. of climate change impacts. Operations onboard have aided in autonomous vehicle surveys and seabed mapping campaigns in uncharted coastline and open ocean environments.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 22 meters long, 5 meters wide, with a 2.4-meter draft
Performance: Powered by a 220 hp engine, capable of 8 knots speed
Fuel Capacity: 2,649 liters, enabling 1,500 nautical miles under motor
Sailing Range: Covers 5,000 nautical miles non-stop in open ocean
Operational Duration: Up to 100 days continuously at sea

Water and Power

Resources: Equipped with:

Watermaker: Produces 151 liters of potable water per hour
Lab DI Water: Generates 60 liters of high-quality lab water per hour
Power Supply: Includes a 5.5 kW generator and a robust lithium battery system (800 amps, 24V) with backup AGM lead acid batteries (300 amps, 24V)

Crew and Capacity
Team: Accommodates up to 9 crew members onboard

Research Focus: Conducts a 10-year research campaign starting from 2022, exploring polar and sub-polar coastal areas to enhance our understanding of climate change controls and impacts to the ecosystem.

RVMARIETHARP

ORP's First Research Vessel

RVAULT

In all we sailed our first research vessel over 25,000 miles in the name of science. She was a good vessel, but in the end we needed a bigger research platform.

Ault, our first research vessel, was a 42 ft Colvin Gazelle. We used Ault for our 2013 Atlantic Microplastics project sailing 7,000 miles in the Atlantic Ocean. In 2015-2016 We sailed Ault to the Arctic working with NASA's Ocean Melting Greenland Program. We also used this vessel for two projects in the Chesapeake Bay.

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Testimonials

“We have worked hard to demonstrate the critical importance of Arctic bathymetry, and particularly the bathymetry around Greenland to our understanding of the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and its impact on global sea level rise. Efforts in the GO-MARIE mission are important in helping us fill critical mapping gaps in these polar regions. We also appreciate ORP’s keen willingness to send the data you collect to Seabed 2030; your mapping efforts have already contributed to the slowly building map of Arctic bathymetry. I understand and support ORP’s desire to obtain a sonar capable of mapping in the deeper waters represented by many of the Arctic fjords so that you can maintain and enhance the Ocean Research Project's mission and very much hope to see this new capability come to fruition.”

Larry Mayer - Professor and Director, Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping