Signing ceremony scheduled for R/V Sikuliaq contract

Submitted by Carin Stephens
Phone: 907-322-8730
02/01/10

The University of Alaska Fairbanks and Marinette Marine Corporation will host a ceremonial signing of the shipyard contract for the R/V Sikuliaq in Marinette, Wis. Friday, Feb. 5, at Marinette Marine Corporation. The signing ceremony will include a shipyard tour at 1 p.m., ceremonial signing at 3 p.m. and a reception at 5 p.m.

The $123 million construction contract for the Sikuliaq was awarded last month to Marinette Marine Corporation. The ship, formerly known as the Alaska Region Research Vessel, will be a 254-foot oceanographic research vessel. UAF announced the name of the new vessel this month. Sikuliaq, pronounced [see-KOO-lee-auk], is an Inupiaq word meaning "young sea ice."

Construction of the Sikuliaq will be completed in 2013 and the ship will be science-ready in 2014. The vessel will be owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by UAF. The Sikuliaq will be headquartered out of the UAF Seward Marine Center in Seward, Alaska.

About SFOS

The UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences conducts world-class marine and fisheries research, education and outreach across Alaska, the Arctic and Antarctic. 60 faculty scientists and 150 students are engaged in building knowledge about Alaska and the world’s coastal and marine ecosystems. SFOS is headquartered at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and serves the state from facilities located in Seward, Juneau, Anchorage and Kodiak.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Denis Wiesenburg, SFOS dean, 907-474-7210, or wiesenburg@sfos.uaf.edu.

ON THE WEB: http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/arrv/

CS/2-1-10/137-10