The Norwegian shipbuilding group Vard, part of the state-controlled Italian Fincantieri Group, has won the largest single order in its history: The US research organization Inkfish inked the contract for a new ship.
The contract is worth almost €700 million, as Vard announced today. The Inkfish organization is investing this amount in a new research vessel, building on the previous cooperation between the shipyard and the shipowner. “This is the largest single order Vard has ever received and the largest order of its kind for a Norwegian shipyard,” the statement reads.
The ship, which will go by the project name RV11000, is based on the VARD 9 42 design. It will be 162 m long and 28 m wide and is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2030. It is a “significant step forward in terms of performance” and builds on the technical and design foundations laid with the RV6000 vessel – an order that Vard received in 2025 and is currently also realizing for Inkfish. Both ships will support global marine research and provide data for scientific open source archives.
The RV11000 was developed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway, in close cooperation with Inkfish and is intended to be a customized platform for mapping the seabed, taking sediment cores and samples, deploying submersibles and ROV operations at depths of up to 11,000 meters. The deployment and support of manned submersibles, ROVs and autonomous underwater vehicles will also be made possible.
On board, it will have one of the largest battery systems ever installed on a ship; for up to 12 hours of quiet operation for scientific missions. This will be complemented by a propulsion system that combines direct current technology with battery hybrid solutions.
In addition, the vessel will be certified to the latest IACS cyber security requirements. This ensures a high level of resilience and protection of critical on-board systems against constantly evolving digital threats.
Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri, commented: “The project underlines the strategic importance of the subsea sector for Fincantieri – a field in which we continue to invest and innovate, leveraging our unique competencies to support increasingly complex missions: from scientific research to the monitoring and protection of critical subsea infrastructures.”
Vard intends to manage the entire project – including design, hull construction, equipment, integration and commissioning. The hull will be manufactured at Vard Shipyards Romania in Tulcea, while outfitting, commissioning and delivery will take place at one of the Group’s shipyards in Norway.
