RSS Discovery: world class scientific research ship docks at Babcock Rosyth

The UK’s leading ocean research institution, the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is celebrating the 100th anniversary its predecessor being designated as a Royal Research Ship (RRS) - while the modern RRS Discovery becomes the first research vessel to be refitted at the Fife port.

To mark the centenary, the current RRS Discovery will also join its ancestral inspiration, the original RRS Discovery, in Dundee from Friday May 26 to Sunday 28th. During her ten years on the sea, the current RRS Discovery has travelled 227,554.21 nautical miles, taking part in 56 expeditions.

Babcock’s International Rosyth shipyard was recently awarded £45m by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to maintain its fleet of scientific research vessels. The RRS Discovery will be the first to undergo a refit in Fife, Scotland. It will be in drydock to allow the maintenance team access to clean the hull and propulsion equipment, which will help to lower fuel usage and increase overall speed making her more efficient for future expeditions. Safety checks will also be conducted to ensure the vessel is safe to operate for another year. RRS Discovery will then undertake her post refit trial expedition to the North Atlantic over the course of 19 days.

Jon Short, senior project manager at the NOC, said: “The RRS Discovery is not only one of the most famous research ships in the world, but she is also among the most technologically advanced of her kind.

“She has provided scientists around the globe the ability to understand the ocean in a way that the scientists of the original RRS Discovery could only dream of. The refit in Scotland will ensure that she is ready to take on future expeditions, often in treacherous seas in order to help us further understand the mysteries of the oceans.”

Sean Donaldson, managing director, marine engineering and systems at Babcock, added: “Our team is proud to play a part in readying her for her global operations during this notable anniversary. We look forward to supporting the UK’s fleet of scientific research vessels during their maintenance periods.”