Kongsberg Discovery has played a crucial role in transforming the 111-year-old, three-masted sailing ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl into a cutting-edge research vessel. This conversion was completed in preparation for the upcoming One Ocean Expedition, which is scheduled to depart from Bergen, Norway, on April 11th, 2025, reports Kongsberg.
Ambitious Voyage
The One Ocean Expedition 2025-2026 is an ambitious, year-long research voyage that commenced in April 2025. The expedition will see the sailing ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl travel across the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Arctic, the Pacific Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea, making stops at 26 ports across three continents. The expedition is a proud ambassador for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Aboard the vessel is a diverse crew comprising experienced scientists, enthusiastic students, and key stakeholders. Throughout the 12-month journey, this team will be dedicated to collecting extensive data aimed at understanding ocean health, monitoring marine ecosystems, and assessing the impacts of climate change. The overarching goals of the expedition are to enhance both scientific knowledge and public awareness regarding these critical ocean-related issues on a global scale.
The Statsraad Lehmkuhl has been equipped with state-of-the-art ocean science instrumentation to continuously collect high-quality data on ocean physics, chemistry, and biology. This data will be shared with land-based teams daily using a cutting-edge ocean data management and analytics platform. The research conducted during the expedition will contribute significantly to a better understanding of the ocean’s crucial role in a sustainable future.
Global Benefits
Kongsberg Discovery’s advanced technology will play a crucial role in the One Ocean Expedition 2025-2026. Key applications of their innovations include:
- Measuring Ocean Currents: Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) will be used to measure ocean currents. This data is vital for understanding how marine life is affected by the movement of water masses.
- Recording Underwater Noise: Hydrophones, sophisticated underwater microphones, will be deployed to record underwater sounds. This will enable the team to ‘listen’ for noise pollution and monitor marine mammals such as whales, contributing to a better understanding of their behavior and the impact of human activities on their environment.
Haakon Vatle, CEO and expedition leader of The One Ocean Expedition, emphasized the necessity of a significant technology upgrade for the 111-year-old Statsraad Lehmkuhl to meet the expedition’s ambitious goals. He expressed immense gratitude to Kongsberg Discovery and the Kongsberg Group for their commitment in tailoring a technology package that will provide unprecedented insights into the ocean depths, potentially benefiting the global understanding of marine environments.
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Source: Kongsberg
