KBV 181
KBV 181 is administered by Umeå University and operated by the Swedish Coast Guard. It is a versatile vessel designed for surveillance and environmental protection in the Gulf of Bothnia. With an Ice-Class 1A rating, it can break through ice up to 70 cm thick, ensuring year-round operations. The vessel supports multidisciplinary scientific research, providing advanced facilities for oceanographic studies. KBV 181 was rebuilt and upgraded in 2021.
The annual schedule for KBV 181 is controlled by the Coast Guard. Umeå University undertakes monitoring and research voyages on KBV 181 during the weeks shown on the KBV 181 schedule. For SWERVE voyages on this ship, research will likely be undertaken either as piggy-back projects during the monitoring voyages, or potentially with a few days added to the start/end of an existing monitoring voyage. There is the potential that the ship can be booked solely for a SWERVE voyage, however this will require more coordination with the Coast Guard patrolling schedule. Given that the Coast Guard control the schedule for KBV 181 and have priority of use, those applicants who are interested in using kBV 181 may need to be more flexible with the timing of their voyages and need to be aware that a voyage can be aborted at short notice due to rescue or oil-spill operations.
SWERVE voyages on KBV 181 will be in the Gulf of Bothnia. As this is the environmental protection area for the vessel, she is not allowed to leave the area.
