Although landlubbers like us have a romantic view of seafaring when we board a ship, missions on the research vessel Alkor in the North Sea and Baltic Sea are usually hard and demanding. It's important to know that you can rely on your tools on board.
People with their feet on terra firma – usually around the campfire – happily, and cluelessly, sing songs like: "sailing, sailing". Arriving at our appointed time on the 55-metre-long research vessel Alkor, docked at the GEOMAR Pier on the west bank of the Kiel Fjord, it quickly becomes clear that research and hard work are at the heart of this ship. This may sure be fun, but it has nothing to do with relaxed cruising through calm waters.
The scientists and students dressed in oilskins, rubber boots and helmets, normally bustle across the deck during missions in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat taking water or ocean floor samples and analysing them in the four laboratories on board to gain insights into the sea and how the forces of nature are connected. Our local seas are used for testing and modelling in many fields of study when exploring questions about the development of the entire ocean. The ALKOR is therefore not only an important platform for the GEOMAR/Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel but also for the entire research community. Today, however, the waters on the Kiel Fjord are as calm as the atmosphere on board. Captain Jan-Peter Lass invites us to tour the workshops, laboratories and the engine room.
First impression: the ship smells how you would imagine, almost like on a ferry when on holiday – steel, paint and a little bit of diesel. Distributed over several decks are various small workshops for repairing the technical equipment as well as everything on the ship. The Alkor "only" has a range of 7,500 nautical miles and can stay at sea for up to one month – so if something goes wrong, then self-reliance is key. In these situations, every day and every hour counts.
The team on board is then prepared for anything that their mission involves. In the first small workshop with a round porthole looking out onto the water (a sea view which could cost a lot of money on a cruise ship), we immediately notice a dozen KNIPEX pliers of all sizes and shapes neatly hanging on the wall. Of course, there are also other high-quality tools but there can be no compromises when it comes to the pliers.
The engine room is located deep in the hull of FS ALKOR. The electric diesel drive has an output of almost 1,500 HP and brings the ship to 12 knots, which corresponds to about 22 kilometres per hour. There is also a small workshop next door and even more KNIPEX pliers hanging on the wall. Unconsciously, you expect Johann, the ghostly machinist from the film "Das Boot", to appear from behind every corner. Fortunately, a lot has changed in drive technology since then. But even if there were no crude clattering valves here, it is certainly good to know that the small workshop is well equipped.
Through the stern of the ship, from which dive boats such as the Jago and remote-controlled diving robots such as the ROV POCA and the ROV KIEL 6000 can be lowered into the water with large cranes, we pass the laboratories, the galley, the mess hall and the cabins high on the bridge. We ask Captain Lass about all the equipment, the maps on the tables and on the walls and he also shows us some memorabilia that he has collected on more than 500 research trips ever since the ALKOR was built in 1990.
The view over the sunlit Kiel Fjord is amazing, and all of us would have wanted to set sail right there at that moment. However, we lack the knowledge and training for that. We leave all of this to the new team of researchers and scientists who will soon be back on board to analyse bacteria and algae, measure jellyfish and check water quality and the seabed. One thing we do know is that the professionals on board can rely on their tools. Fair winds and calm seas, mateys!
