Ocean Exploration Vessel Will Knock on Neptune's Door

A new ocean exploration vessel, 'SeaOrbiter' which the designer claims will provide permanent and continuous observation and research operations at the heart of the ocean is almost fully funded, ready to be built.

Jacques Rougerie describes himself as a visionary architect who aims to deliver a new vision of underwater exploration with his SeaOrbiter, the culmination of over 30 years of research dedicated to bionic marine architecture and exploration of the undersea world. Internationally renowned, he lists among his achievements the Sea Pavilion in Kobe, Japan; the underwater archaeological museum of Alexandria in Egypt, and the Kochi Oceanarium in India.

SeaOrbiter is claimed to be a unique scientific and educative platform, complementary to existing observation and analytical tools of the oceanic world due to its main capabilities of slow motion drifting pace and great autonomy.

Constantly roaming the oceans and with over half of the 190ft ship under the water's surface the SeaOrbiter  plans to offer an alternative exploration proposition to current research projects. Missions have been mapped out when it sets sail to get an in-depth look at seabeds, search for lost civilisations, find mythical deep sea creatures and find new life forms.

The vessel will provide:

• Permanent and continuous observation and research operations at the heart of the ocean.
• The ability to directly deploy under- the- sea many types of underwater observation devices.
• A capability to evolve in a quiescent mode to better capture a great variety of physical and ecological data.
•  A better understanding of the links between ocean and atmosphere, the planktonic balance, the decrease of marine biodiversity or the impact of climate change upon the marine world and its wealth of life.

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