Construction of Denmark's future research vessel Dana V can begin in April 2025. Following an EU tender, a shipyard has been selected to fulfil the extensive technical requirements for Dana V. Four shipyards were pre-qualified to submit bids, and the shipyard contract was awarded to the Spanish shipyard Construcciones Navales P. Freire, S.A.
The Freire shipyard has solid experience in constructing customised, high-tech vessels designed to perform highly complex operations. Freire has the status of an international benchmark shipyard against which other shipyards compare themselves in terms of achieving high levels of quality, efficiency and innovation.
At a signing ceremony at DTU, DTU President Anders Bjarklev, General Manager Marcos Freire and General Manager Guillermo Freire from the Spanish shipyard signed a shipyard contract.
"We are extremely pleased that we have succeeded in concluding a shipyard contract for Dana V. The ship marks a whole new chapter in Danish marine research and will be a research and education platform at the highest international level for the benefit of all Danish research environments and the Danish Realm. Dana V will inspire young people to train as marine scientists and maritime engineers, thus continuing proud Danish traditions as a maritime nation," says Anders Bjarklev.
Construction of Dana V will begin in April 2025 and is expected to be completed in autumn 2027. DTU is responsible for the overall management of the project, while the ship technical project management and supervision at the shipyard is carried out by the Danish company OSK Design A/S. During the construction phase, students will have the opportunity to do internships and gain insight into areas such as ship design and construction, propulsion technology, maritime sustainability and many other aspects, just as they gained insight into the previous design phase, which was carried out by the Danish Dana Consortium consisting of Knud E. Hansen A/S, Naval Architects and Odense Maritime Technology A/S.
Two times the Round Tower
Dana V will be a unique ship, designed from the ground up. With its 70-metre steel structure, the ship will be twice as long as the Round Tower in Copenhagen is tall and has a total weight of 2,545 tonnes. It will be designed to perform tasks in icy waters in the Arctic, sail far across oceans and move almost silently through the water.
Dana V's propulsion technology is designed so that the ship can switch from engine to battery when performing tasks that require particularly quiet propulsion. Dana V can sail so quietly that the sound doesn't affect acoustic sensors for marine research, making it possible to conduct research with minimal impact.
In terms of climate sustainability, Dana V will be equipped to run on (bio)diesel and battery power. Thorough studies have revealed that (bio)diesel and battery are the two propulsion technologies that are practically feasible for a number of years to come when the research vessel will sail in Arctic waters, for example.
Both research and training vessel
Dana V will be a world-class research and education platform. One of the ship's core tasks is to carry out the monitoring tasks that Denmark is obliged to perform as part of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy and contribute to the implementation of EU environmental directives. In terms of fish monitoring, Dana V will be equipped with modern instruments that will ensure high data quality and quantity. The vessel has the capacity to investigate fish schools, marine ecosystems, water currents and changes in marine biodiversity, interaction between biology, physics and climate, and investigation of geological conditions in the seabed and seabed surface.
As a ship, Dana V is also a test platform with laboratory facilities that provide flexible opportunities for both researchers and students, for example, there is direct access to monitor and read data for operation in the ship's engine room. This allows them to study conditions such as the ship's fuel consumption and noise data. All spaces are designed as open, flexible spaces that can be customised to accommodate future ideas and new approaches to research and teaching.
The ship will be equipped with the latest scientific equipment capable of conducting studies throughout the ocean depths. The instrument package on board is extensive and includes technologies such as high-precision scientific sonar, sonar, sound velocity meters, trawl monitoring systems and much more. In addition, the ship is designed so that scientific equipment can be customised as needed from cruise to cruise, for example by placing laboratory containers on deck.
Dana V has room for 38 people - 18 in single cabins and 20 in double cabins.
Financing the Dana V
The financing of Dana V has been made possible by crucial grants from the state's research reserve and by two crucial donations from A.P. Møller og Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Fond til almene Formaal and Aktieselskabet Dampskibsselskabet Orient's Fond of DKK 50 million each, as well as co-financing from DTU.
