Keel laid on research vessel in La.

Construction began Nov. 8 in Houma, La., on Oregon State University’s (OSU) research ship, which is designed to advance coastal environment sciences, and support research of ocean acidification, hypoxia, and sea-level rising. Officials from shipbuilder Gulf Island Shipyards in Louisiana, OSU, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) gathered for a keel-laying ceremony that marks the start of fabrication. The vessel Taani will be the first in class of Regional Class Research Vessels funded by the NSF. Taani (pronounced “tahnee”) means “offshore” in the language of the Siletz people, a native American tribe based in the Great North West . The ship is tentatively scheduled for delivery to OSU in the spring of 2021, and be fully operational after a year of outfitting and testing. Former OSU President John Byrne, also a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrator, and his wife, Shirley, are the ship’s ceremonial sponsors, and had their initials inscribed into the ship’s keel. (Source: Marine Link 11/08/18)