National Marine Facilities (NMF)

• The RRS Discovery is the first UK Royal Research Ship to be refitted in Babcock’s Rosyth facilities as part of the Government’s £45 million award to maintain its flagship scientific research vessels

• The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is set to manage multiple international world leading science research expeditions in 2023.
• Recent expeditions include the DY158 expedition which circumnavigated the A76a megaberg.

£45 million in funding to maintain the UK’s state-of-the-art fleet of research vessels was recently announced by Industry and Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani.

The RRS Discovery, operated by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), will embark on a 9,000-mile expedition today (27 October) to conduct an extensive scientific survey within the South Atlantic ocean – and could even discover new species in previously unexplored depths.

Life on board Discovery

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) provides world leading facilities to the whole UK marine research community through the National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP), the largest centralised marine scientific equip­ment pool in Europe.

Scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have set-sail on the RRS James Cook on a collaborative expedition to the Whittard Canyon to advance knowledge of some of the richest and most complex deep-sea ecosystems on Earth.

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC), one of the world’s top ocean science organisations for research and innovation, has appointed a global expert in autonomous and robotics development to lead the UK’s national marine research facility.

Prompt action by scientists recovered sensors drifting across the Atlantic Ocean that held data on a seabed sediment avalanche that travelled for 1,100km to ocean depths of 4,500m.

Creating an even more inclusive workplace culture is an ongoing priority for marine science institutions worldwide.

Given the unique working environment of research ships and the potential to be at sea for weeks or even months, it is essential to promote positive values that instil respect for their colleagues.

Scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) will be embarking on an expedition to the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre to measure ocean changes and how they affect the UK’s weather systems.