VARD to build a huge exploration vessel for Gabe Newell

Norwegian shipbuilding company VARD has shared information about the 162 m research vessel being built for Inkfish — a private research company owned by Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve and owner of the Oceanco shipyard.

The new research vessel, project-named RV11000 (length of 162 m and a beam of 28 m), represents a significant advancement in capability, building on the engineering and design foundations established by Inkfish’s first purpose-built research vessel, project-named RV6000 (length of 100 m and a beam of 20,7 m), contracted with Vard in 2025. Both vessels will join Inkfish’s growing fleet, alongside RV Hydra and RV Dagon, to support marine research globally and contribute data to open-sourced repositories.

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Developed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway, in collaboration with Inkfish and their technical partner YTMC and with the support of the Fincantieri Group - one of the world’s largest builders of highly complex vessels and a leader in advanced underwater systems and innovation as well as in the defense sector - RV11000 is a tailor-made research vessel designed for seafloor mapping, corer operations, submarine handling and support, and ROV operations at depths of up to 11,000 meters.

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The vessel will feature:

Stern-mounted A-frame system for submarine launch and recovery
Large submarine hangar for maintenance and storage of two submarines
Dedicated ROV hangar with handling system through center moonpool or side launch
12,000-meter umbilical (flexible control cable) winch system arranged below deck
40-meter corer system for vertical soil and sediment sampling
Fiber-rope lifting system with 15,000-meter capacity
CTD system for high-precision measurement of salinity, temperature, and pressure/depth
Offshore crane on port side for operations down to 2,500 meters, with active heave compensation
Hull optimized for ultimate seabed mapping performance
Four active stabilizers for reduced motions and accelerations
Excellent station-keeping performance

RV11000 will also feature the largest battery installation ever fitted on a ship, enabling 12 hours of silent scientific sub operations.

The vessel will be certified in accordance with the latest IACS cybersecurity requirements. The notation Cyber Security (Essential, +) from DNV gives an assurance that the ship essential functions are built for resilience against modern-day digital threats.

The vessel offers high-level accommodation with increased comfort for 130 crew members and scientists, mostly in single cabins, along with extensive public facilities. Dedicated working spaces such as offices, laboratories, and workshops are arranged to ensure the highest scientific quality and working environment.

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With capabilities in seafloor mapping, coring, and the deployment of submersibles, ROVs, and autonomous vehicles, alongside dedicated laboratories and systems for data and sample processing, RV11000 seeks to reveal previously unknown regions, build the most comprehensive deep-ocean dataset to date, and open new frontiers for scientific exploration.

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The hull of the vessel will be built at Vard Shipyards Romania – Tulcea, while the outfitting, commissioning and delivery will be from one of VARD’s yards in Norway. Delivery is scheduled to be Q1 2030.

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Photographs of the article