RV THOMAS G THOMPSON Mid Life Overhaul Planned
The University of Washington has awarded a contract for the Mid-Life Overhaul of Research Vessel (R/V) Thomas G. Thompson to Vigor Marine of Seattle, WA for an amount of $23,271,485. R/V Thompson is owned by the Office of Naval Research and operated by UW's School of Oceanography under a charter party agreement. The Global-class ship conducts oceanographic research throughout the world's oceans while also providing seagoing experiential opportunities for UW students aspiring to become oceanographers. R/V Thompson is an important part of the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet of research vessels that conduct oceanographic research in support of national and institutional scientific objectives. The Thompson is the first of the three ship AGOR-23 class of research vessels built by the U.S. Navy in the 1990s at Halter Marine in Moss Point, MS.
Through a competitive bidding process UW determined that Vigor afforded the best value proposal to conduct the extensive mid-life refit of R/V Thompson. The intent of the mid-life overhaul is to overcome system obsolescence, comply with new environmental requirements, and ensure the ship's reliable and efficient operation while also continuing to effectively support scientific research. The mid-life refit will serve to extend the ship's service life an additional 20-25 years. The mid-refit includes re-powering the ship with new diesel engines, generators, electrical drives, switchboards, alarm & monitoring, and control systems plus extensive work on numerous other systems. R/V Thompson was first launched in 1990 and entered service in 1991. The ship is expected to enter the Seattle shipyard for the overhaul in June 2016 and the work is expected to be complete late spring 2017.
Through a competitive bidding process UW determined that Vigor afforded the best value proposal to conduct the extensive mid-life refit of R/V Thompson. The intent of the mid-life overhaul is to overcome system obsolescence, comply with new environmental requirements, and ensure the ship's reliable and efficient operation while also continuing to effectively support scientific research. The mid-life refit will serve to extend the ship's service life an additional 20-25 years. The mid-refit includes re-powering the ship with new diesel engines, generators, electrical drives, switchboards, alarm & monitoring, and control systems plus extensive work on numerous other systems. R/V Thompson was first launched in 1990 and entered service in 1991. The ship is expected to enter the Seattle shipyard for the overhaul in June 2016 and the work is expected to be complete late spring 2017.
