Draft
UNOLS COUNCIL MEETING
Harvard
Museum of Natural History
Agassiz
Room - 26 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-2020
A
pdf version of these minutes are available at <201206cncmi.pdf>
Executive Summary:
The UNOLS
Council met at Harvard University in Boston, MA on June 6-7, 2012. Major
discussion topics included:
á The UNOLS Green Ship
Initiative
á UNOLS
Speaker Series
A new topic of discussion that was introduced was
International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and how it relates to
the UNOLS Fleet. The Council
requested UNOLS Risk Manager, Dennis Nixon, to prepare an opinion paper on ITAR
and EAR exports as it relates to permanently fixed equipment on UNOLS Vessels.
Appendices:
|
Joint Session of FIC
and Council: |
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I |
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II |
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III |
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IV |
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V |
Criteria
and Process for Reviewing Agency Recommendations on Non-operational Periods |
|
VI |
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VII |
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VIII |
|
|
IX |
Consortium
for Ocean Leadership Working Group to Develop Funding Models for New Ships |
|
Council Meeting
Presentations: |
|
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X |
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XI |
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XII |
|
|
XIII |
Ocean
Class Research Vessel Update and Ocean
Class AGOR General Arrangement Drawings |
|
XIV |
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XV |
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|
XVI |
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|
XVII |
|
|
XVIII |
Ship-based
Scientific Technical Support in the Arctic - STARC |
|
XIX |
|
|
XX |
|
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XXI |
|
|
XXII |
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XXIII |
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XXIV |
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XXV |
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XXVI |
Early
Career Investigators - Chief Scientist Training Program |
|
XXVII |
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XXVIII |
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XXIX |
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|
XXX |
|
Action Items
á Ship Time Request Map – Incorporate a
map feature into the UNOLS STRS system that will provide a geographic visual display
of the ship time request demand by region. (UNOLS Office)
á Optimal Window of Vessel
Usage Definitions – The vessel optimal use calculations should be
revised to establish a low and high limit range of operating days. These
limits will depend on where the ship operates and what is needed to maintain
the crew. (FIC and Vessel Operators)
á Service Life End Dates - Work with the agencies
to update all service life projections for existing vessels in fleet.
(FIC)
á R/V Barnes – Draft a letter
for recommendation to extend the Barnes service life to 2016. (FIC)
á New Fleet Improvement
Plan (FIP) for beyond 2030 – Begin draft of a new FIP. (FIC)
á A New Class of Coastal
Vessels for UNOLS – Include a discussion on the Fall Council agenda.
(Bruce Corliss/John Morrison)
á Consortium for Ocean
Leadership Report on Ship Funding Models – FICÕs recommendations regarding
the COL report on ship funding models has been circulated to the Council.
A motion was passed for Bruce Corliss to draft a cover letter that will
highlight the progress UNOLS has made in fleet modernization and send the
letter along with FICÕs recommendations to Marc Abbott, the Working Group
Chair.
á Agency Recommendations
Regarding Fleet Operations in 2013 and Beyond – The Ad hoc committee of
UNOLS Council Non-operator Representatives (Debbie Steinberg, Wilf Gardner,
Robin Muench, and Vernon Asper) will review the agency recommendations and
provide a response:
-
Debbie Steinberg will
draft a letter welcoming community feedback on the agency recommendations.
-
The Letter and Agency
recommendations will be distributed and posted on the UNOLS webpage.
-
The ad hoc committee will
provide their response within 60 days
á ITAR Regulations - Prepare an opinion
paper on ITAR and EAR exports as it relates to permanently fixed equipment on
UNOLS Vessels. Dave Fisichella will prepare a statement describing the
issue. The paper would be sent to the Council and Federal Agencies.
(Dennis Nixon)
á Nominating Committee
Report –
The Nominating Committee (Peter Ortner (Chair), Larry Atkinson, John Morrison)
will prepare a slate for the 2013 Council elections.
á AGU sponsored
ÒGeoscience Congressional Visits DayÓ on 11-12 September in Washington, DC - Bruce Corliss will
follow-up.
á UNOLS Annual meeting on
October 23-24, 2012 – Contact Senator Whitehouse and request that he
provide the keynote address (Dennis Nixon).
á Mid-life Refits for
Global Vessels
– Bruce Corliss will request the FIC consider the NavyÕs recommendation
to carry out mid-life refits on the Navy-owned Global vessels.
á Rolling deck to
Repository (R2R) Advisory Panel – Request that the Council provide
suggestions for panel members.
á Membership Application – Penn State
University plans to submit additional information for their UNOLS membership
application. Once received, the material will be provided to the Council
for consideration and in turn added to the ballet for membership vote at the
2012 Annual Meeting.
Continuing
Action Items
á Gender Climate at Sea – Voluntary
On-Line Training Pilot Program – Implement Pilot Program and evaluate
participant feedback. (UNOLS Office)
á Investigate the
feasibility of a more flexible UNOLS to meet the needs of additional
users - The ad hoc group is tasked to summarize their findings and
distribute them to the Council. The Council could then develop strategies
for addressing the findings. (Nancy Rabalais, Joe Malbrough, Dennis Nixon,
Peter Ortner, and Jon Alberts)
á BP Research Funding for
the Gulf of Mexico – Continue to stay engaged with the GRI and encourage
UNOLS ship use. (Council and Jon Alberts)
á UNOLS Vessel Usage
Survey
– Review and analyze the survey data and community responses to identify
themes and issues from the survey responses. (Bob Collier, Peter Ortner, Deb
Steinberg, and Annette DeSilva)
á 2009/2010 Goal: Explore how to
make the present and future fleet more environmentally sustainable –
Prepare final report on the Greening the Research Fleet Workshop. (Bruce
Corliss)
á 2010/2011 Goal:
Establishment of a UNOLS Speaker Series - Initiate the series in 2012
(contingent upon funding). (Bruce Corliss, regional lecturers, and UNOLS
Office)
Day 1: Wednesday, June 6, 2012: Joint session of the Council and FIC
Call the Meeting: Bruce Corliss, UNOLS Chair, called the meeting to
order and provided an opportunity for introductions. The agenda for the meeting
is included as Appendix I. The participant list is included
as Appendix II.
A motion was made and passed to accept
the minutes of the October 2011 Council Meeting:
http://www.unols.org/meetings/2011/201110cnc/201110cncmi.html
(Ortner/Morrison).
UNOLS 2012
Fleet schedules and science operations, estimated operation costs, and 2013
ship scheduling – Jon Alberts and
Stewart Lamerdin provided the report.
Their slides are included as Appendix III.
Stewart began the presentation. He reviewed the 2013 ship scheduling process
and emphasized the efforts done by the ship schedulers, particularly Liz
Brenner, Eric Benway, Doug Russel, and Jon Alberts.
The scheduling
process has been a dynamic process.
Some of the considerations included:
¥ Location of
vessels at the end of 2012
¥ Meeting the
scheduling needs of all funded science cruises
¥ Minimizing
transits whenever possible
¥ Mandatory
shipyard and inspections schedules
¥ Foreign
clearance issues and permitting
¥ Agencies
constraints (budget caps, mid-life refit schedules, diplomatic priorities)
¥ Specialized
assets
The scheduling status for the Global Class is that
there are no double-bookings, but there are still some scheduling issues to
resolve. The slides include the
specific details by ship.
Discussion:
á Rose Dufour - Some
of the stronger ship schedules have work that is lop-sided by agency. NSF has a funding constraint that will
not allow them to exceed $8.8M support for any one ship.
á Peter Ortner - What
does the Endeaver comment mean,
Òdifficult to assume all work in North AtlanticÓ? Jon Alberts - During the summer there is peak demand that is
difficult to accommodate by one ship.
á David Checkley
- Are the operating areas for the Global ships being made known so that PIs can
propose for work in those area.
Jon Alberts - The global ships skeds are not public at this point.
á David Fisichella
- Currently, it is not known where ships will be two years from now. PIs don't know where the ships will be
so the potential for advance planning and collaborations is limited.
á Jon Alberts - We
have been talking about going to a 2-year scheduling process.
á Rose Dufour - We
really need to consider a wider window for scheduling.
á Deb Smith - There
has also been talk about taking advantage of the ship transits. It would be great if we could advertise
these opportunities.
á Miles Sundermeyer
- It would be useful to PIs if they know that they can carry out a multi-year
field program and be assured that they will have access to a ship.
á Stewart Lamerdin
– Can a map that shows the location of cruise requests be made available
through the UNOLS STRS system?
Action Item – The UNOLS Office will
investigate options for creating a map of cruise requests.
NSF
Ship Scheduling Report - Rose Dufour provided the report. Her slides are included as Appendix IV.
Rose reported that the 2012 Ship Ops NSF budget was
level funded from 2011. However,
ship costs increased from 2011 to 2012 by ~10%. The total 2012 ship utilization at 3597 is down from 3801 in
2011. Ship utilization supported by
NSF remains high at 2299 days, which represents a slight increase over 2011. Ship utilization by other federal agencies
dropped by ~281 days. NSF is funding
~ 65% of the total UNOLS ship days.
ARRA funds have been expended and carry-forward (residual) amounts saw a
sharp decline.
OCE science funding versus OCE facility funding is
now being supported at a ratio of 50:50.
In the chart that Rose presented showing this trend, OOI and IODP are
included in the facilities total cost.
NSF support of Fleet operations has steadily increased over the years,
while other support has been relatively level.
The average day rates by class of vessel have all
increased, but the Global Class has had the largest increase. Fuel has been the largest cost factor.
Discussion:
á Mike Prince - Should
we normalize the day rate over a longer period? Bob Houtman - This is something that we should look
into. This is an action for the
agencies.
á Al Suchy -
Applying the whole ship funding model into the MOSA account model would be very
difficult. There is so much
volitility. You would need to know
what your schedule would basically look like five years from now.
á Mike Prince - He
thinks that there should be a rolling period of ship ops budgeting.
á Bob Houtman –
The agencies will need to investigate to determine if there is a way to connect
a dayrate to a two-year period. We
should also look to see if we could move residual funds into the next year.
Rose Dufour continued the report. Ships are being funded while at the
dock and doing nothing. These
costs need to be reduced. The
agencies have been looking at the ship costs carefully for the last 6 months. She distributed a spreadsheet with cost
breakdowns and details. In 2012
the Global ships cost $64M to go to sea.
If the ships were to stay at the dock and not support science, the cost
would be $45M. This is the cost to
keep the capability with no science getting done. This includes the MOSA budget. The $45M can be considered the base cost to maintain the
Global vessels. The base cost for
the full fleet is $69M.
Discussion:
á Bob Houtman - To
support the facility costs the OCE science was taxed as well as Jim Holik's technical
support program.
á Bruce Corliss –
Over the years there have been improvements and expansions to the ocean facilities
(Sikuliaq, Langseth, OOI, etc); has this has been done with community by-in?
á Bob Houtman - Factions
of the community were not supportive of the new facilities. These things were done with increasing budget,
but now that has turned and we are faced with level funding.
á Wilf Gardner - If
the community saw this chart now, it is doubtful that they would be supportive.
á Annette DeSilva
- What proportions of the blue line represent OOI, IODP, and ship ops. Will we be able to bring the blue line
down to 50%?
á Bob Houtman - He
is working hard with Jean McGovern to bring the OOI budget O&M down to
$55M. They are also trying to reduce
the IODP operating budget and also bring the fleet operating budget to
$45M. NSF wants a smaller, more
capable fleet and then will work hard to maintain that fleet.
á Will Wilcock -
Should there be a review of all facilities? The high cost of Langseth
operations is frustrating to some in the community.
á Bob Houtman –
NSF is thinking about a decadal review.
Agency
Recommendation for 2013 Fleet Operations – Bruce Corliss provided information about
the UNOLS process for reviewing agency recommendations. Details are provided in his slides
included as Appendix V. An ad
hoc committee made up of Council members from non-operator institutions was
formed to carry out the review.
The members include: Deb
Steinberg (Chair), Wilf Gardner, Robin Muench, and Vernon Asper.
Morning
Break
Agency
Recommendation for 2013 Fleet Operations (continued) - Bob Houtman reviewed the charts that are
contained in the agency recommendation letter: http://www.unols.org/info/NSF_ONR_2013_Academic_Fleet_Finding_and_Recommendations.pdf
.
The
first chart shows a downward trend in fleet utilization. The 2013 utilization estimate is the
requests that are funded along with 20% of the pending requests.
á
Mike
Prince - Every year, at this time of the year we have seen a low utilization
forecast. However, each year we
have seen an increase in funded requests later in the year. Do we think that the low 2013 days that
are now in the system will stay at that level?
á
Rose
Dufour - During the May panel, there was no MG&G ship time. She hopes that the NSF utilization will
increase to 3000 days, but days for the other agencies are unknown. The proposal pressure is not there.
á
Bruce
Corliss - Proposals were submitted to MG&G, but PIs were told to withdraw
their proposals because NSF could not support them.
á
Bob
Houtman – Increasing the 2013 operational days from 2400 days to 3000
days will be a big challenge.
Bob
reviewed the second chart in the letter.
NSF has been taking a closer look at the gap between days supported and
the days available. They agree
that they are maintaining some surge capacity. However, they are taking a more focused effort at reducing
the gap. The 2013 gap is very
large.
á
Al
Hine - Perhaps the Full Optimal Year (FOY) definitions for the UNOLS vessels
should be revisited.
á
Maureen
Conte – The peak ship time requirements should be evaluated.
á
Jon
Alberts – We havenÕt had to defer a cruise in years.
á
Bruce
Corliss - For some ships, the FOY definitions are too high.
á
Dennis
Nixon - It is the wisdom of the operators to plan operations during the right
time of the year in the right parts of theocean. Our ships have a lower accident rates.
á
Mike
Prince - The FOY numbers were calculated in the 1980s by RVOC and they took
into many factors.
á
Rose
Dufour - It would be good to show a lower limit and higher limit for an FOY
range. These limits would depend
on where the ship operates and what is needed to maintain the crew.
The
third chart in the letter shows that utilization for each ship class has
decreased.
The
ship time demand, shown in the forth chart, is drastically reduced for
2013.
á
David
Checkley - The devil is in the details.
What is causing this trend?
We need to understand this.
á
Annette
DeSilva - A UNOLS subcommittee was formed and will evaluate the UNOLS survey
results. They might recommend a
professional follow-on survey.
á
Bob
Houtman agrees that there needs to be more emphasis on why the ship demand is
decreasing.
á
William
Wilcock - The core programs need to increase their budgets.
Bob
reviewed the Agency recommendations regarding 2013 operations. The agencies agree that they cannot
continue to lay-up ships year to year and fund the lay-up periods. We need to seek new and other types of
work for the ships. Then it can be
determined what the level of support will be.
á
John
Morrison - The new ships are larger and more expensive to operate. States and Institutions won't be able
to afford to put work on the ships, such as classroom labs. This has become frustrating because we
are not entraining the next generation.
Perhaps there should be support for more educational and student
cruises.
á
Bob
Houtman - There is a new emphasis in this area. The Regional Class Research Vessel acquisition effort is
moving forward. Science community input to NSF on these vessels is
welcome. If the community feels
that the RCRVs are too big and local, coastal vessels are need they can provide
that input.
á
Bob
Houtman – During the FIC meeting (previous day), they requested that R/V Barnes service life be extended to 2016.
á
Tim
Schnoor - Knorr and Melville will come off line when the new
Ocean Class Research Vessels (OCRVs) come on. There was some consideration that one of these ships would
come off line in 2013, but they now have strong schedules. Mid-life refits are planned for Thompson, Revelle, and Atlantis that would extend their service
by 10 years each.
á
Peter
Ortner – R/V Ron Brown also has
plans for a refit.
Summary of Fleet Improvement Committee Meeting and Action
Items -
Clare Reimers, FIC Chair, reviewed the FIC action items that came out of FIC
Meeting on June 5th.
Her slide is included as Appendix VII. The actions include the following:
á
Define
optimal windows of usage for ships by class rather than single fixed number of
days.
á
Prepare
letter to NSF in support of UWÕs request of service life extension for R/V
Clifford Barnes based on high utilization and plans for replacement.
á
Work
with agencies to update all end-of-service-life projections for existing
vessels in the fleet.
á
Initiate
drafting of a new FIP for beyond 2030 considering a different form for the plan
and new models for future fleet acquisitions. Incorporate where appropriate COL
recommendations.
á
FIC
is seeking nominations of an operator and non-operator member for terms
starting in 2013.
A
New Class of Coastal Vessels for UNOLS? – Bruce Corliss and John Morrison
made a presentation to consider a new class of Coastal Vessels for UNOLS. Their slides are included as Appendix
VIII.
A new Coastal Vessel Class could offer a
fast and stable platform able to go from shallow to offshore and carry out a wide
range of missions. It would have a
low day rate (~$3K) with a small crew and economical fuel consumption. The low day rate would be more
affordable for education and outreach activities. Funding sources could include states, institutions,
philanthropy, and federal agencies.
These vessels could incorporate green technology. One example is the sailing vessel, Derek M Baylis. It has been used for geographic survey
work and was very cost effective.
It is a very quiet vessel.
Another example is the NOAA Catamaran.
Discussion:
á Clare Reimers -
These ships run into competition from charter vessels such as fisheries
ships. Peter Ortner - The Manta is about $6K per day.
á Deb Smith -
Raised the question of providing travel funds to support student travel to
ships for cruise opportunities.
á Annette DeSilva
– UNOLS has received requests for this type of support and would like
input from the Council on what is the best way to handle these requests. Currently the UNOLS budget does not
include support for these activities.
á Deb Steinberg
– Travel support for student participation on cruises should be the
responsibility of the PI.
Lunch
Break
Consortium for Ocean
Leadership Report on Ship Funding Models –Bruce Corliss summarized the Consortium for Ocean Leadership Report of the Working Group to Develop
Funding Models for New Ships (see Appendix
IX). The report
recommends:
á
A
community-based decadal survey process for integrated plans for community
infrastructure
á
A
flexible portfolio of acquisition processes: leasing, government-owned,
contractor-operated, build/own, private and non-federal assets
á
A
multi-year escrow account for construction and operations
á
A
new governance strategy for federal agencies: Commitment to implementation,
designate lead agency to oversee process.
FIC
was tasked to review the COL report and provide their recommendations. Clare Reimers drafted a response and
provided it to Bruce earlier in the year.
Discussion:
á
COL
and UNOLS have a very similar membership
á
David
Checkley - Some of the recommendations made by COLÕs Working Group report are
central to UNOLS and there needs to be a response.
á
Bruce
Corliss - Some of the successes in securing new UNOLS vessels was not
recognized in the COL report.
á
Peter
Ortner - There were recommendations or implications about inclusiveness in
UNOLS.
á
David
Checkley - There were slights within the document, but there was also some good
suggestions.
á
Miles
Sundermeyer- UNOLS and COL are charged with different things. UNOLS is not political. He feels that it is worth having a
conversation with COL. If COL gets
back to lobbying, then UNOLS should work with them.
á
Vernon
Asper - COL will have a hard time lobbying since they now support NSF large programs. There is concern about COLÕs apparent
interest in taking over fleet operations and moving away from the distributed UNOLS
fleet.
á
When
the report was drafted, COL could still lobby.
á
David
Checkley - When UNOLS provides a response to COL, the positive recommendations
should also be highlighted. The
response should acknowledge that changing the agency funding mechanism is not
possible.
á
Mike
Prince - UNOLS and the agencies do long-range Fleet planning. This was overlooked in the COL report. A lot of progress has been made in
Fleet renewal and it should be acknowledged.
á
Bob
Houtman - The Fleet modernization plan was in place and it has been
instrumental. Dialogs took place
between NSF and Navy on which of the two agencies would be responsible for the OCRV
(Navy) and which would lead the RCRV effort (NSF). This was key.
It showed that NSF collaborated with the Navy and with UNOLS. This was critical in getting the RCRV
support.
á
Vernon
Asper - The report impetus was to think out of the box for acquiring new vessels.
á
Peter
Ortner - a long time has passed since the report was drafted. Things have changed.
Bruce Corliss circulated
the FIC letter to the Council. Next step –Bruce will draft a cover letter
and forward it to Marc Abbott.
This
concludes the joint session of the UNOLS FIC/Council Meeting. All FIC members are welcome to
participate in the remainder of the Council Meeting.
Ocean
Observing Science Committee (OOSC) – Larry Atkinson provided a report
on the recent May 2012 OOSC meeting, along with recommendations, and future
action items for the committee.
His slides provide details and are included as Appendix X.
Larry reviewed the OOSC Terms of Reference. It has been a slow start for the Committee. OOI has been going through changes and
working through issues.
The
OOSC members have attending OOI science workshops and participation in design
reviews. The main concern
identified by OOSC is: How will scientists use the OOI assets and what needs to
be done to help scientists start to use OOI as it comes on line.
The
OOSC came up with a list of recommendations based on their May 16 meeting with
NSF and COL/OOI. The
recommendations from the meeting are summarized in the slides and include:
á
Provide
early career scientists opportunities including funding and available bunk
space opportunities on ships servicing the OOI.
á
Climate
Studies – Sampling rate relevant to climate science: organize a workshop that brings climate
scientists and modelers together to address this issue and provide
recommendations on the sampling requirements and rates to assure data are
suitable for climate science.
á
Data
Management programs – Engage current cyber-infrastructure efforts–
HOTS, BATS, Neptune, ARGO to learn from and explore synergies and, where
relevant, possibilities of merging resources and infrastructure.
á
Explore
the feasibility of performing a full system test (one year) of a Global Array
in a location near the US for accessibility if the need for repair arises. Additionally, the first deployment of a
Global Array should not be in the Southern Ocean.
á
A
cooperative approach to science research at Pioneer Array - Consider an
approach for collaborative science planning for use of the Pioneer Array that
will optimize itÕs use for its planned 5 year deployment period.
á
NSF
draft and distribute a ÒDear ColleagueÓ letter announcing the opportunity to
submit proposals for science use of OOI.
á
Expand
external community involvement in OOI design reviews.
á
The
framework for relocation of the Pioneer Array should be developed now.
á
Create
adaptive sampling protocols.
á
Plan to
ensure long-term deployments considering short-term budget cycles.
á
A final
recommendation regarded the need for OOI Science workshops. This was discussed at length during the
OOSC meeting and the details are highlighted in the slides.
Discussion:
á
Deb
Steinberg - Is it mandatory that the Pioneer array be moved? Bob Houtman - It doesn't have to be.
á
Larry Atkinson – OOI Infrastructure
Installment often falls under NEPA regulations and public hearings are
required.
á
Bob Houtman – OOI is an MRE project. It has a fixed scope, timeline, and
budget. COL is being held to a
deliverable. It means that the
awardee will operate this as a centralized facility.
á
Bob Collier - The marine operators of the OOI will
have no advantage over the rest of the community in regard to proposing science
projects that use OOI.
á
Deb Smith- There will be a big push to use the
facility. This is the same pot of
money that the ship users will go to for science funds.
á
Maureen Conte - On a smaller scale, the Venus and
Neptune observatories are on line.
Venus and Neptune have a great website. Annette DeSilva – OOSC is staying in touch with Kate
Moran and she is very willing to help educate OOI on lessons learned from the
Canadian observatories.
Agency
Recommendation for 2013 Fleet Operations (revisited) - Bruce Corliss
reopened the discussion on the agency recommendations.
á
Kenneth Coale - There a few points that he would
like to make:
-
There are macro-economic forces in place. At his institution, grant writing
declined.
-
The timescale of getting a vessel built is decadal,
while taking a vessel off line is annual.
He cautioned to not make rash decisions.
-
Knorr and Melville, Barnes, Point Sur, and Hatteras are all slated to come out of
service in a few of years; leaving a big whole.
-
Point Sur will try to
expand the Regional Class role by operating in the South Pole. The agency 2013 recommendations come
before evaluating the success of the Point
Sur operations in the South Pole.
-
Kenneth asked that the ad hoc committee consider
these factors.
á
Rose Dufour - Sikuliaq
and the OCRVs will come on-line in the 2014 and 2015.
á
Vernon - How many ships would be saved by taking the
Langseth off line?
á
Dale Sawyer - Langseth
is a unique national asset.
Without Langseth, you cannot
do the adequate research needed for drilling. It has broader use.
The Langseth data builds onto
broader perspectives. It is richly
applied to other studies. Scientists need the ability to characterize the
research area prior to initiating a drill program. US scientists need this data to propose for ODP
á
Stewart Lamerdin - In scheduling schedulers look at
the size of vessels that should be used.
There is a lot of savings by this process. It would be a short sighted to remove the Regional Class.
á
John Morrison - The amount of money that would be
saved by taking the Regional Class of ships off-line is not going to solve the
problem.
á
Jim Holik – Every cost savings is important. They looked carefully at the ship
retirements.
á
Deb Steinberg – The landscape for oceanography
is changing. Maybe some of the
smaller ships can help with OOI.
She is confused because the ships that are named for retirement in the
agency recommendations are not very expensive, so there will not be a lot of
savings.
á
Bob Houtman - Every penny counts. OMB will look at this. They need to look at other options for
getting the work done.
á
Pete Girguis – If the Point Sur goes to Palmer Station, does a great job and is requested
for additional work in that region; is it practical to keep the ship in
service?
á
Clare Reimers – The FIC wanted advance notice
of vessel retirement decisions (they didnÕt want to see what happened with Oceanus). FIC asked that the agencies give advanced notice and they
did. We would like to see that
continue.
á
Mike Prince - By taking the ships off line, you need
to look at the alternatives and determine if it would be more expensive to work
that is left stranded.
á
Bob Houtman - A new model that avoids lay-up costs
is needed.
á
Bruce Corliss - He stated that he will represent
Duke University in his following comments regarding Cape Hatteras. He
agrees with Kenneth Coale in the long term. Preserving the small vessels is important. It will be a long time until the RCRVs
come on-line. The underutilization
of the RCRVs is a problem. Taking Point Sur and Cape Hatteras off-line wonÕt resolve the financial pressures of the
fleet. In looking at fleet
utilization, the problem is with the Intermediate and Global Classes. Cape
Hatteras is in good physical shape. As an alternative to removing the ships
from service, do as what Bob Houtman suggested and come up with a new model
that avoids lay-up costs. Another
option would be to apply earlier models and provide no more than $500K per ship
for lay-up periods.
á
Bob Houtman - OOI has indicated that the
Intermediate ships will be needed for service and it cannot be done by the
Regional ships.
á
Tim Schnoor - SIO went out and got work for Melville, otherwise they would have been
laid up. Cape Hatteras and Point Sur
can do the same.
á
Deb Steinberg – She is interested in new
models. Have any of the operators
worked part of the year? Is there
precedence for this? Reply - Blue Heron works partial years every
year during the winter months. The
technicians move to other ships.
á
Mike Prince - One of the things that make our
vessels safe is because the crew has been with the operation for a long
time. It is important to retain
the crew.
á
Joe Malbrough - The operators should be on
shoe-sting budgets.
á
Deb Steinberg - Having a ship at your institution is
prestigious. It can be used for outreach
and fundraising activities.
á
Stewart Lamerdin - The Council should consider the
impacts of losing a capability if the Regional Class is removed from service.
á
Wilf Gardner - How much is this a political move
that NSF needs to show that they are reducing the number of ships? Bob Houtman - The appearance that
NSF is keeping ships on line with insufficient schedules is unacceptable. If there were a scenario where the
institution was using the ship significantly, then that would be a different
story.
á
Jon Alberts - This is a very passionate topic that
is difficult to address. We need
to come up with suggestions or new models. Either we come up with some options, or we turn the
recommendations back to the agencies.
á
Bruce Corliss wrapped up the discussion by asking
that the non-operator subcommittee take this effort on and considers the
comments that were made at todayÕs Council meeting. Use the 2006 procedures for their review.
á
Mike Prince added that the agency recommendations
should be shared with the UNOLS members and community.
á
Deb Steinberg – The letter can be posted on
the UNOLS website. She will draft
a letter to announce the opportunity to provide feedback. However, given the
complexity of this project, she is worried about 30-day timeline.
á
Bob Houtman - He can extend the timeline. This is why they tried to provide it to
the Council as early as possible.
They wanted to get this to the operator early so that they would have as
much notice as possible. Perhaps a
60-day response time would be more appropriate.
á
Tim Schnoor – He would like feedback from
UNOLS on the recommendation of conducting mid-life refits for the Thompson, Revelle, and Atlantis.
á
Bob Houtman – In regard to the Barnes, FIC's recommendation that the
life be extended to 2016 with the CouncilÕs endorsement is sufficient. It can be included in the UNOLS
subcommittee response.
Agency Reports:
Navy – Tim Schnoor provided the
report for the Office of Naval Research (ONR). His slides are included as Appendix XI. FLIP turns 50 this year and a
celebration is planned in a couple weeks.
Tim reviewed the ONR science objectives requiring ship time. In 2011, the Navy supported a total of
472 days and in 2012 there is 439 Navy days. ONR is working with Vietnam and Revelle will go into Vietnam soon. In 2013 a cruise with Vietnamese scientists is planned. Work is also planned with Sri Lanka in
the Bay of Bengal. The Navy is
rebuilding their Arctic program and there may be work on Healy in the future.
The schedule for upcoming inspections (INSURVs) of the Navy vessels is
included in the slides.
The inspections are helping in the
effort to scope the mid-life refit plans for the Revelle, Thompson, and Atlantis.
The goals of the refits will focus on efficiency
and environmental compliance and to extend the vessel service lives from 30 to
40 years. The timing for the first
ship, Thompson, will be no earlier than mid-2014. There will be at least one year between ships. The refits are dependent on the
availability of funds. Planning
for design work has been initiated with Glosten.
For
2013, NSF said that they would not fund Melville operations;
however, SIO built a schedule. Neil Driscoll got 90 ship days from medical
funding; there was some NRL funds, and some state funds, for a total of over
200 days.
ONR
ship retirement schedule plans for the retirement of Knorr in early 2014,
approximately six months before delivery of AGOR 27. Melville is also planned for retirement during 2014, six months before delivery of AGOR 28.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) – NOAAÕs slides are included as Appendix XII. Annette DeSilva provided a summary of the
NOAA report.
Interagency Working
Group on Facilities Infrastructure (IWG-FI) – Bob Houtman
provided a report on IWG-FI activities.
The Committee and Bob Winokur have been working on implementation plans for the ocean policy.
á
Wilf Gardner – The House has a
bill to not fund activities associated with the ocean policy. Is this a problem? Bob Houtman - Yes. Many National programs were tied to the
ocean policy. The ocean policy was
an Executive Act. If the Bill
passes it could impact programs, such as, OOI.
Bob Houtman continued. IWG-FI focus has recently been on the update of
the Federal Fleet Status report. A
Ship working group has been formed to draft the report. They are updating and expanding their
2007 report. Once approved by IWG-FI,
the report will be sent to the JSOST.
Another activity of the IWG-FI is the Subcommittee on Unmanned Systems
(SUS). They are developing an
inventory of unmanned systems, evaluating operational obstacles, and developing
recommendations.
Break
Academic Fleet Modernization Activities:
Ocean
Class Research Vessel (OCRV) Acquisition Status - Tim Schnoor
and Mike Prince reviewed the status of the OCRV project. Their slides and ship general
arrangement drawings are included as Appendix
XIII.
Mike
Prince reviewed the project timeline.
Keel laying is planned for summer 2012. The launch of the first OCRV is January/February 2014 and the
second ship is July/August 2014.
The deliveries of the ships are Oct/Nov 2014 and April/May 2015,
respectfully. Details of the acquisition
schedule are listed in the slides.
The
slides provide information about the general characteristics of the ships. The LOA is 238-ft, beam is 50-ft and
draft is 15-ft. The fuel
consumption is expected to be comparable to Knorr
and Melville. Endurance is 40 days. There are 12 double staterooms for
science.
Mike
reviewed the mission systems. There
will be a gantry system that will accommodate Jason. Comparisons of
the OCRV lab space with existing ships are provided in the slides. The Science Mission Requirements (SMRs)
call for 1500 sq ft to 1800 sq ft space aft of the deckhouse. The OCRV design has 1873 sq ft.
á
Dennis
Nixon – Are there any green features in the OCRV design? Mike - No, green features werenÕt
called out in the specifications.
Green Ship Initiative
– Bruce Corliss
provided the report on the UNOLS Greening the Research Fleet Workshop. His
slides are included as Appendix XIV.
There were
50 participants, with representation from the Council, RVOC, RVTEC, FIC, NSF,
Navy, NOAA, architects and naval designers, industry, and marine scientists.
Bruce
reviewed the Green Workshop findings:
1.
Sail-assist
vessels with a small environmental footprint can be used for particular
operations.
2.
Hybrid
power systems and new technologies should be considered as options for future
vessels.
3.
Vessel
energy management consisting of detailed energy audits and on-going monitoring
can be carried out with existing vessels.
4.
Biofuels
and bio-lubricants and an environmental management plan can reduce a vessel's
environmental impact and may be appropriate for some vessels.
5.
Development
of an environmental classification system, similar to LEED, is underway (Tim
Leach, Glosten Assoc.) and will help operators and agencies identify
environmental issues and successes in the fleet.
6.
Environmental
sustainability of UNOLS support facilities and ports should be considered in
parallel with vessels.
7.
Environmental
sustainability can be enhanced by incorporating both technological innovation
and attitude changes (green culture) amongst ship operators and users.
8.
Developing
collaborations between UNOLS, ship operators, and the private sector will be
beneficial to the fleet.
More
information on the meeting at:
http://unols.org/meetings/2012/green_workshop/details.html
Discussion:
á
Peter
Ortner - For station work, ships could go on battery power and make a big
savings.
á
Dennis
Nixon - Endeavor is using 5% biofuel
with the goal of going to 20%, it is a gradual process.
Application for
UNOLS Membership - Annette DeSilva reported that Pennsylvania State University has
submitted an application for UNOLS membership. Their letter will be forthcoming.
UNOLS Goals and
Priorities – Status Reports on Activities:
UNOLS Speaker Series: Progress Report - Bruce Corliss reported on plans for a UNOLS Speaker Series. His slides are included as Appendix
XVI. The speaker series will work to highlight UNOLS ships and
oceanographic research and to serve as an outreach activity to non-UNOLS
colleges and universities.
Particular attention will be given to institutions with
under-represented minorities in the marine sciences. The series will run for three years beginning in fall 2012
and evaluated in 2015.
Eight
regional coordinators have been identified to assist with the program.
Discussion:
á
Bob Collier - In the NW there is a lot of underrepresented in the
community colleges. COSEE has a
network of these. Bob Collier
encouraged coordinators to contact COSEE.
á
Bruce Corliss - Jim Yoder is coordinating the diversity in
education workshop. Bruce will
attend the workshop.
á
Pete Girguis circulated a link to COSEE that could offer useful
resources, http://www.ibparticipation.org/. COSEE is great at identifying
institutions with high representation of underrepresented groups.
Antarctic
Research Vessels and UNOLS:
Polar
Research Vessel (PRV) Subcommittee Report on Science Mission Requirements
(SMRs) Refresh Project – Jon Alberts provided a report PRV
Subcommittee activities. His
slides are included as Appendix XVII. The slides provide the project
background, the PRV subcommittee membership, and PRV subcommittee goals. The Subcommittee report was delivered
to NSF in early 2012 and is now in the hands of Tim McGovern.
The
PRV SMRs define a ship that is quite a bit larger than Palmer. It wonÕt be
able to dock at the current Palmer Station, but dock upgades are planned.
á
Vernon Asper - The report doesn't include
a Baltic Room, but most people feel that it should.
á
The Palmer lease was renewed for another
5 years.
NSF Solicitation for USCGC Healy Ship Support - Jon Alberts provided a status
report. His slides and details are
included as Appendix XVIII.
The ship-based science technical support in
the Arctic, STARC award to coordinate the deck level support of Healy science,
was established on September 1, 2011.
The awardees are Scott Hiller- Scripps Institution of Oceanography and
Daryl Swensen- Oregon State University.
OPP Regional Class
Requirements for Antarctic
– Stewart Lamerdin provided a report on the status of efforts to support
Antarctic research with a Regional Class vessel. Moss Landing Marine Labs (MLML) and NSF are still looking
into the logistics of sending R/V Point
Sur to the Antarctic. In early
March, NSF provided funds to start preparing for Antarctic operations. R/V Point
Sur will be removed from the water and a retired USCG Admiral with
experience in the Antarctic will take a look at the ship.
á
Bob
Houtman - A risk table has been developed. The project is carefully being evaluated and safety is the
highest priority. They are
confident that they have identified all of the issues.
á
Bob
Houtman - Where does the Ice Pilot position stand? Stewart – MLML is still evaluating this and they will
seek the advise of the Admiral about this. They have talked about extra observers on the bridge. Local knowledge is important.
á
Stewart
- They are looking at the transit from California to Antarctic to determine if
extra work can be accommodated along the way.
Committee Activities and Issues requiring
Council Attention:
Four major topics were addressed
á NDSF vehicle status and updates
á NDSF policies regarding photo attribution and video
copyright
á Outreach- Early career scientist program
at AGU 2012
á Emerging Topics
Details
of these four topics are covered in the slides.
DESSC
members spent a considerable effort staying abreast of the Alvin Upgrade project.
There are ongoing concerns in relation to recent major costs largely to
dual certification by ABS and NAVSEA of the Alvin vehicle.
á
Bob
Houtman - NSF drove the requirement for duel cert. They were concern that if ABS was not onboard from the start
of the project and Navy stopped their certification, the vehicle would be
unable to get certification. NSF
had decided that they would continue down the path of duel certification until
there was a standoff between NAVSEA and ABS. That has now occurred. As a result, ABS certification has been
postponed until a later date.
á
Bob
Houtman - The vehicle sea trials have been moved up and should happen by the
end of 2012. The science
verification cruise is planned for March 2013.
DESSC
held a workshop for Early Career Scientists at their December 2011 meeting in
San Francisco. Thirty-two
participants participated at a modest cost. With COSEE-OS, an online survey was drafted and participants
were asked to complete the form.
In very positive news, eight workshop participants have plans to submit
new proposals.
Bruce
- the early career workshop was very effective and great expenditure of $9K
Research Vessel Operators' Committee (RVOC) – Joe Malbrough,
RVOC Chair, provided the RVOC report.
His slides are included as Appendix XX and provide highlights
of the RVOC 2012 meeting. The RVOC
activities have also been focused on the Research Vessel Safety Standards
Appendix B, Group Purchases, and the Lithium Battery Safety Circular. The 2013 RVOC meeting will be hosted by
the University of Maryland and held on April 22-26.
Research Vessel
Technical Enhancement Committee (RVTEC) – Dave Fisichella, RVTEC Chair, provided the report. An increasing issue of growing concern
is International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The technical support groups often end up with the
responsibility of the ITAR. There
is a lot of oceanographic equipment that fall under ITAR. Different institutions address ITAR
differently. At WHOI, if systems are fixed on the ship, they feel that they comply
with ITAR. He would like to hear
from the Council regarding the ITAR issues.
Discussion:
á Mike Prince - The Navy
AGOR ships are on the ITAR list.
á Dennis Nixon - If we
consider a ship as part of the US, then everything on the vessel is in the US,
no matter where the vessel is located.
á Tim Schnoor - The Navy
has been trying to get the AGORs off of the munitions list for 4 years. Even if the vessels are off the
munitions list, the ships could still be on the commercial export list. Alvin
is on the list. The Navy is also
trying to get Alvin off the
list. So there are activities
within the Navy to get these off.
Perhaps the Department of State could assist.
á David Fisichella –
He suggests that we first address the fixed equipment that is on the ship.
á Jim Holik - What about
the gravimeter? David - That is a
good example. If we install the
gravimeters on the ships and secure access from foreign nationals, it should
comply with ITAR.
á Dave Fisichella - It
would help if there were a Fleet-wide statement from UNOLS regarding ITAR.
á Bruce Corliss – He
suggests that Dennis Nixon prepare to write an opinion on ITAR and permanently
fixed equipment and submit it to the Council and to the Agencies.
á Bob Houtman - We want to
make sure that we are compling with all of the regulations. If we are found out of compliance, it
could have bad implications. We
need to make sure that the options are within the legal laws.
á Dennis Nixon - It is
important to look at this carefully.
There needs to be a path forward so that we can continue to do our work.
á Mike Prince - It is
important to develop a stance so that if the AGORs come off of the ITAR list,
we need to know how to deal with the rest of the equipment.
Tasking: ITAR
Regulations – Bruce Corliss requested that Dennis Nixon prepare
an opinion paper on ITAR and EAR exports as it relates to permanently fixed
equipment on UNOLS Vessels. Dave Fisichella will prepare a statement describing
the issue. The paper would be sent to the Council and Federal
Agencies.
Tim Schnoor –
There is another technical issue and that is Fleet Broadband and
HiSeasNet. Usage bills have been
high. Dave Fisichella - There is
now an Internet policy under development that will be discussed by RVTEC.
Marcus Langseth Science Oversight Committee (MLSOC) – Dale Sawyer,
MLSOC Chair, provided the report.
His slides are included as Appendix XXI.
Some of the points that
Dale highlighted were:
á The MLSOC have developed
a Seismic brochure. The brochure
was provided at the meeting and has been distributed.
á There is a need for long
term planning for the R/V Langseth. The ship has long transits. If there was a longer planning cycle, some
of the long transits could potentially be minimized.
á During NSF panels, the Langseth proposals are in the same
reviews as other, much less expensive proposals. The Langseth users
would like to address this issue with NSF.
á Training for the next
generation of Langseth users is needed.
MLSOC will invite early career scientists to their December meeting. They can work to offer courses on how
to plan a 3D survey. They are also
committed to reserve berths for early career scientists. Mentors can be assigned to early career
scientists.
á There is a need to teach
people on how to access the seismic data sets and how to use the data sets.
á A hybrid model for
Langseth operations will be explored.
This would include large-scale experiences that are planned by a large
set of users. The data would be
broadly available quickly.
á There is a debate on 3-D
data processing and whether it should be done commercially. Commercial processing is more efficient
and faster.
á The Langseth is a unique
vessel. It allows a unique
capabiltiy.
Discussion:
á David Fisichella - There
has been a repositioning study on moving the long core system to Langseth. A stability test and evaluation would be needed.
á Wilf Gardner - How much
of the work is for site surveys for IODP?
Reply - Nathan BangsÕ cruise was for post drilling. Bob - There is no funding for this.
á Deb Smith- IODP site
surveys are international. One
thing that might be considered is having it as an international pot of funds to
support survey work.
á Bruce Corliss - In the
future, the Concil might have a discussion on the Langseth on how it will fit in (there is some sceptisism) and cost.
Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC) – Jon Alberts
provided the AICC report for Robin Muench, AICC Chair, who could not attend the
meeting. RobinÕs slides are
included as Appendix XXII. The
slides provide details about this yearÕs accomplishments along with
2011 Healy field activities.
Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Aircraft Research
(SCOAR) –
Annette DeSilva provided the SCOAR report. Her slides are included as Appendix XXIII. University of Alaska Fairbanks will
host the next SCOAR meeting in August.
A highlight of 2012 was the SCOARÕs input to the UNOLS Booth at the
Ocean Sciences meeting in February.
SCOAR provided unmanned aircraft systems including A GateWing system, a
Scan Eagle, and a Quadrotor. They
provided video clips of unmanned aircraft operations. The booth was very popular.
Adjourn
Day 1
At the conclusion of the Day 1 meeting,
UNOLS meeting participants were provided with a tour of the Harvard Museum of
Natural History.
Day 2: Thursday, June 7,
2012
Open Day-2 of the Meeting: Bruce Corliss, UNOLS Chair, called Day-2
of the meeting to order.
Academic Fleet Modernization
Activities:
Regional
Class Design and Construction Solicitation – The solicitation is
currently open and proposals for the RCRV construction are due in September. A link to the RCRV solicitation is
posted on the UNOLS website.
Questions about the solicitation can be sent to the UNOLS Office. In turn, UNOLS will pass the questions
to NSF. The questions with NSFÕs
responses are being posted on UNOLS webpage.
Bob Houtman provided the RCRV Project Organization Chart for Phase I –
Project Refresh. The chart is
included as Appendix XV. The chart illustrates how NSF will
interact with the awardees, UNOLS, other agencies, and technical support
groups. There will be advisors to
the RCRV project and they include NOAA, IWG-FI, GEO/OPPs, UNOLS FIC, NSF Project
advisory team (PAT), and NSF Review Panels.
Sikuliaq Update – Bob Houtman reported that
the Sikuliaq construction project is
moving forward according to schedule.
The vessel will be launched in the fall.
Ocean
Observatories Initiative - Bob Houtman reported that the OOI program has
had some challenges in the design process. They are also faced with the challenge of reducing the
estimated Operations and Management costs significantly.
Discussion:
á
Dennis Nixon – There are many places in
the RCRV process where NSF can stop the program, Òoff-rampsÓ. Is the same true for OOI?
á
Vernon Asper - There should be a Global Array in
the Gulf of Mexico.
á
Wilf Gardner – Yesterday was the first
that he heard that the OOI would be competed. Bob Houtman - This was always the case. Bruce Corliss - Last year he and Jon
attended the Large Facility Workshop and this issue was discussed.
á
Deb Smith – Reported that NSF recently
held a workshop to evaluate the recompetition of NSFÕs major research facilities.
The subcommittee report resulting from meeting was accepted by NSFÕs Business
and Operations Advisory Committee May 18, 2012. It is available on NSFÕs public
website at:
http://www.nsf.gov/oirm/bocomm/pubs/BOAC_Letter_RecompetitionReport.pdf
Nominating Committee Report
– Peter Ortner, Chair of the Nominating Committee provided a status
report on the nominating process.
His slides are including as Appendix
XXIV. A call of nominations was announced and
the deadline is June 30th.
Peter requested the CouncilÕs help in identifying candidates for the
Chair-Elect position. Current
council members are eligible. Also
past council members should be considered.
Investigate the feasibility
of a more flexible UNOLS to meet the needs of additional users - Peter Ortner reported that there are still
areas to consider in regard to a more flexible fleet. If we had a class of smaller ships, it might present
additional opportunities. Peter
suggested that there might also be opportunities with marine archeology, but it
is not clear if it was fall within the Research Vessel designation. Dennis Nixon - It would be challenging
to find archeology in the definition of oceanography.
UNOLS Outreach Activities:
AGU
Science Policy Conference – May 2012 – Bruce
Corliss reported that AGU had their first Science Policy meeting (see Appendix XXV). Bruce and Larry Atkinson were invited
to be panelists.
UNOLS Booth at the 2012
Ocean Sciences Meeting
– Annette DeSilva reported that the UNOLS Booth was a big success. Details are included in the slides, Appendix
XXIII.
Early Career Investigator Oceanographic
Research Cruise Training Opportunity
-Clare Reimers provided the report and thanked the UNOLS Office for their help. ClareÕs slides are included as Appendix
XXVI. Clare submitted an
EAGER proposal to continue the Training program for another 3 years. The proposal was awarded and there will
be a cruise on New Horizon in November 2012. There were 39 applications from 24 institutions for the 2012
training opportunity. The
applications will be reviewed soon.
UNOLS Annual meeting - Bruce Corliss reported that this yearÕs
2012 Annual meeting would take place on October 23-24, 2012. Suggestions are needed for the featured
speaker. Senator Sheldon
Whitehouse was suggested and Dennis Nixon offered to contact him.
The
Status of UNOLS On-Going Activities, Issues, and Items of Council Interest:
Post
Cruise Assessment Report (PCAR) Subcommittee – Jon
Alberts provided a summary of the PCAR trends and statistics. His slides are included as Appendix
XXVII.
Membership Applications
– Annette DeSilva reported that there is a membership application from
Pennsylvania State University.
They are drafting a letter that will accompany the application. Annette will forward the material to
the Council when it is received.
Revisit Topics from Day One:
Mid-life Refits for
Global Vessels
- Bruce opened discussion on NavyÕs plans for mid-life refits
for the Global ships.
á
Mike Prince - The agency letter to UNOLS
requests UNOLS feedback regarding mid-life refits for the Global ships.
á
Clare Reimers – FIC has stated that
they are in favor of mid-life refits for the Globals.
á
A motion was made and passed to request
that FIC review plans for mid-life refits and provide a recommendation to the
Council Motion (Gardner/Morrison)
á
Bruce will draft a request to FIC asking
that they provide a recommendation regarding the mid-life refits.
Consortium for Ocean Leadership Report on
Ship Funding Models – FICÕs recommendations regarding the COL report on
ship funding models have been circulated to the Council. A motion was passed
for Bruce Corliss to draft a cover letter that will highlight the progress
UNOLS has made in fleet modernization and send the letter along with FICÕs
recommendations to Marc Abbott, the Working Group Chair (Morrison/Collier)
Rolling deck to Repository
(R2R) Project Update –
Jon Alberts summarized the R2R report that was provided by Bob Arko. Slides are included as Appendix
XXVIII. R2R is looking for
suggestions for their R2R advisory panel.
Bob has requested
that the Council provide suggestions for panel members.
Update on UNOLS meetings with NOAA - Bruce
Corliss provided information about the meetings UNOLS leadership has been
having with NOAA leaders. His slides provide additional details about the
meeting and are included as Appendix XXIV. Future meetings will also include NSF
and ONR participation.
Marine Technician
Recruitment and Retention Pilot Program- Transition to full time UNOLS
position/effort – Jon
Alberts summarized slides that were prepared by Alice Doyle. The slides are included as Appendix
XXX. The Pilot Program
that was initiated two years ago has been completed successfully. The decision has been made to
transition the program to a full time position within the UNOLS Office.
Break
Open discussion
on Fleet issues and material presented during the meeting – Bruce Corliss opened the
floor for comment.
á
Deb Steinberg – Should the Barnes be addressed by the non-operator ad hoc committee in their
recommendation to the agency letter? Bob Houtman - The Barnes issue has been resolved. UNOLS recommends that Barnes service
life be extended to 2016 based on its material condition.
á
John Morrison- Should there be more discussion about the Coastal Vessels
as a new class of vessels? Bruce -
this can be discussed at the fall Council meeting.
á
Mike Prince - We need to deteermine what a Coastal Vessel is.
á
Stewart Lamerdin - The life-cycle and cost of these ships needs to
be considered.
Closing Remarks - Bruce Corliss thanked Pete
Girguis for all of his help with the meeting arrangements and hosting the
meeting. Bruce thanked the
agencies for participating in the meeting.
A motion was made and passed to adjourn the meeting (Collier/Gardner)
11:30 Meeting Adjourns