Martha Stewart, director of federal relations in Washington, D.C., for the University of Alaska statewide system, said March 6 that the National Science Foundation expects to garner about $400 million out of the federal stimulus package and is contemplating putting about $150 million of that total ultimately toward the new research ship. Initially the NSF allocation for that planned ship is expected to be $55 million, she said.

Proposed Arctic research vessel rendering.

The new 236-foot ice-capable vessel to support research in high latitudes will be owned by the NSF and operated by the University of Alaska School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences out of its facilities in Seward. It will replace a retired research vessel, the Alpha Helix, which also was based out of Seward.

Stewart said the university won the contract to oversee construction of the vessel and that the university would be in charge of operation and maintenance. The vessel, with a $180 million project price tag, still faces final design review. Actual cost of the project still has a lot of contingencies, including the price of steel and shipyard bids, she said.

The university has already issued a request for information to shipyards to find out who is interested. Plans now are to follow up with a request for proposals from shipyards and to award a contract for actual construction in September, Stewart said.

Dan Oliver, director of the university's Seward Marine Center, noted that the project must get through one final hurdle - approval from the National Science Board, which meets in May.

Stewart noted that while the Alaska Railroad Corp. dock offers a temporary solution for the vessel in Seward, a permanent solution is needed in the form of a new dock.

Oliver agreed that the Alaska Railroad dock would suffice for the interim.

"If I'm doing my job right, the vessel will be deployed for 270 days a year or more," he said.

A general oceanographic research vessel, the vessel would be used for a broad scope of science projects, ranging from species specific and migratory research to three-dimensional bottom mapping of the ocean, he said.

The vessel would allow researchers to collect sediment samples directly from the seafloor, host remotely-operated vehicles, and use a suite of flexible winches to raise and lower testing equipment throughout the water column. Its equipment would also allow for transmission of real-time information directly to classrooms all over the world.

Oliver said he anticipated it would take at least three years once the contract is let for the construction of the vessel, which will accommodate 26 scientists and students at a time.