Freire launches new French oceanographic vessel Anita Conti

Photo: Freire Shipyard

The Freire Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, yesterday launched the research vessel Anita Conti. The family-owned yard was selected in July 2023 to build the advanced vessel by the French national Institute of Ocean Sciences (IFREMER).

The oceanographic vessel is named Anita Conti in honor of France’s first woman oceanographer, as a tribute to her pioneering legacy in the exploration and study of the sea.

Designed to replace the research vessel Thalia, the Anita Conti is now being fitted out and will be fully integrated into the French Oceanographic Fleet in 2026. It will be capable of operating advanced underwater vehicles.

“The Anita Conti represents a decisive step towards a more modern, multipurpose and environmentally friendly scientific fleet, reinforcing our operational capabilities”, said Olivier Lefort, director of the French Oceanographic Fleet.

“The construction of this vessel consolidates Freire Shipyard as an international benchmark in the construction of oceanographic vessels. We are proud to collaborate with IFREMER on a project that meets the highest scientific and environmental standards,” said Marcos and Guillermo Freire, general managers of the shipyard.

The French-flagged oceanographic vessel has an overall length of 45.00 meters and a beam of 11.50 meters. It is designed to carry out research missions in coastal areas in mainland French waters (Bay of Biscay, Channel) but may also be deployed in certain years off the coast of Africa and in the Antilles and French West Indies-Guyana zone. It will house a crew of 12 people and 10 scientists.

The Anita Conti features a wide range of energy-saving technologies and low-consumption solutions, reflected inthe design of the hull, the design of the electrical plant, the energy distribution system, the heat recovery system, the level of thermal insulation to the efficiency of the air conditioning.

The diesel-electric propulsion system will feature three variable-speed, biodiesel-compatible generator sets feeding two shaft lines driven by electric motors and a direct current (DC) electrical distribution system. This set, together with a battery pack, will enable very good energy efficiency, optimization of fuel consumption, operational redundancy and compliance with acoustic requirements according to BV COMF 2 class notation and DNV SILENT-F standard. The dynamic positioning system and the electric bow thruster improve the vessel’s maneuverability.

Anita Conti will be equipped with a gondola under the hull housing all the acoustic transducers that will enable it to explore and map the seabed and water column. It will also have laboratories and a computer science position. An oceanographic marine telescopic main crane at the stern will be used for launching and retrieval of scientific equipment. In addition, it will have an A-type stern gantry, a T-type side gantry. For scientific fishing operations, this vessel will also have two trawling winches and a removable net drum.