Kjell Inge Røkke, Chairman of the Board of Aker ASA, first conceived the project. He had the vision of a joint venture consisting of three initiatives: the world’s most advanced research and expedition vessel (REV), the world ocean data platform and the world ocean headquarters. Asked what triggered his desire to “give back” to the ocean, Røkke said,

“I am a fisherman, and curious by nature. Resources in the ocean and on the seabed have provided significant value for society – and also for my family and myself. For this, I am very grateful.”

The REV Ocean research vessel, due to be completed by 2021, is currently under construction in the Vard shipyard in Tulcea, Romania. Later this summer, it will be towed to Brattvåg, Norway to be fitted out with research equipment, and finally to Germany for fitting out as a yacht.

Photos: revocean.org

Developed by Norwegian world-leading knowledge clusters to pursue high-level scientific research projects on board, the state of the art expedition ship has a capacity of 60 scientists and 30 crew. The 183-metre-long ship will be equipped to cover the entire marine eco system. (www.facebook.com/OceanREV/)

Øystein Mikelborg, the Operational Director or REV Ocean, explains,

“We can drill into the sea floor and take 20-metre-long samples of the seabed down to 6,000m water depth, and we have every type of echo sounder and sonar.”

The World Ocean Data Platform will combine ocean data collected by a global network of partners and make it available for public policy makers, researchers and businesses worldwide. It will be an all-encompassing platform to compile data on the ocean environment in a new and accessible form that will become a useful tool for researchers. Today, large amounts of ocean data are inaccessible and not readily available for analysis and decision-making. There are already a number of data initiatives, but no comprehensive platform.

Nina Jensen, CEO of REV Ocean and former leader of World Wildlife Fund Norway, says*,

“By combining data with new technology like machine learning and AI, we can develop new solutions and get a better understanding of what’s happening in the world’s oceans”.

This shared, open and free platform is being developed in collaboration with Cognite and Friends of Ocean Action, with a full-scale launch planned in Oslo during the “Our Ocean Conference” in October 2019.

The third pillar of the REV Ocean project is the construction of the World Ocean Headquarters. The purpose is to bring together knowledge-based institutions in the marine sector under one roof, creating a research and innovation hub.

* Nina Jensen quote from a NorShipping video from april 2019.