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Future of Marine Seismic Capabilities

Response from NSF to questions from the community

1.  In the Options document, it was stated, "NSF will not contribute funds towards acquisition of a ship."  Is this an absolute condition, even including a general-purpose vessel with seismic capability, and if so, what is the rationale?

- OCE is not able to contribute to the acquisition of a hull. There may be other opportunities within NSF, such as the MsRI R-1 and R-2. There are no other options in the near term (between now and 2020).  It should be noted, however, that following NSF divestment procedures, it is expected that the proceeds from the sale/or disposal of MGL could go toward outfitting a newly acquired vessel.  Additionally, a significant amount of equipment would be available for cross-decking to a different ship.

2.  In the webinar, a participant asked whether the federal agencies believe that the ARF can accommodate the cost of operating an additional Global Class vessel.  The answer indicated that the retired Global Class vessels (Melville and Knorr) are not being replaced by Global Class ships as they retire, but by smaller Ocean Class ships.  But it did not directly address the affordability of replacing Langseth with a general-purpose Global Class vessel.  Is it NSF's position that the operating costs of a Global Class vessel can be added to the ARF once Langseth retires, and does ONR agree with this position?

- Within the potential future appropriations, we believe NSF could support operations of an “additional”global class vessel with Langseth-like capabilities so long as the ship was capable of supporting primarily Langseth-type seismic operations and some general-purpose oceanography.  NSF cannot speak for ONR.

3.  How would NSF deal with the cost of leasing a vessel if that route is chosen?  Can the lease costs be included in the day rate of a ship, and does it count against the $10 million annual cost allowed for seismic vessel operations?

- Yes and yes. $10M is all-inclusive for marine seismic facilities (from NSF).

4.  If acquisition and conversion of a ship takes longer than about a year, would NSF consider extending operations of Langseth to cover part or all of the transition period?

- NSF will not consider an extension without a clear, long-term sustainable model for marine seismic operations.

5.  Is it possible to charter foreign academic/governmental ships to carry out seismic research projects?  Japan, Korea, Germany and others have operational systems that can do some of what the US research community needs.  If they are willing to offer the ship for charter, what mechanisms are available to propose this, and how would costs be handled?  Is there a "ship exchange" program?

- Currently there is an option for charter by the PIs. In this case PIs must arrange the logistics, NSF can pay for the facility costs in association with funded science proposals. The existing barter arrangements are not viable for more than a few days of exchanged time on an ad hoc basis (not a reliable solution).

6.  One other issue that came up was about the cost of operating a seismic ship.  What is the source of the "$10 million cap" on ship+techs+permitting?  It seems that this has not been adjusted for inflation?  Kilo Moana, including those items, is over $11.5 million for 2019, in a full year, and I suspect the AGOR 23-class ships are well over that as well.  Was there a real basis for this figure, or was it just a convenient round number that may be subject to re-evaluation?

- It is true that most global ships in the ARF operate above the $10M mark (generally between $9.9 -$14.5M*), however the mix of funding sources make it possible for the various Federal users to support the ships.  In Langseth’scase, NSF/OCE has been the primary source of support.   The ~$10M cap is not adjusted for inflation and falls within an average of NSF/OCE Langseth costs over 4-years (2013-2016).

*Also includes ALVIN.  

OVERALL:

What do we want out of the workshop?

- One or more viable options for a sustainable long-term support of marine seismic operations. These options could be used to inform development of a solicitation.