Benefits of OFEG
Wider access for scientists
- OFEG provides scientists wider access to facilities and equipment than would otherwise be possible from within their home national capabilities.
- OFEG has 21 research ships and the majority of Europe’s ‘heavy’ equipment – including manned submersibles, deep ocean remotely operated vehicles and platforms, towed arrays and shipboard surveying systems.
- The OFEG fleet includes 10 of the 11 Global Class research ship in Europe and 8 of the 15 Ocean Class research ships in Europe – see Box 1 for definition of these ship classifications.
- Such “cutting edge” facilities are expensive, and it makes little sense for each country to purchase additional facilities if they can be ‘bartered’, ‘loaned’ or ‘hired’ from OFEG partners.
Costs, time and opportunity
- By looking at the geographical location of OFEG ships as a whole, we can increase efficiency of fleet movements, reducing passage times, and therefore costs, allowing scientists access to a wider range of geographical areas in a given year.
- OFEG partners are moving towards a synchronised annual planning cycle for ships.
- In the spring and autumn of each year, the Group meets to consider programming and bartering possibilities for each subsequent year.