1. OCEAN FACILITIES EXCHANGE GROUP update on a bottom-up approach of cruise co-ordination Report to ERVO 2006 Marieke J. Rietveld

2. Main objective: exchange of shiptime and exchange of major equipment based on ‘bartering’; joint cruises Exchange based on value points according to scientific capacity as agreed between members Report to ERVO 2006 Marieke J. Rietveld

3. The OFEG partners: NERC: Natural Environment Research Council BMBF: Federal Ministry of Education and Research IFREMER: French Institute of Research and Exploitation of the Sea NIOZ:Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research CSIC:Spanish Council for Scientific Research (observer status - hopefully full member 2006) IMR:Institute of Marine Research - invited this Spring to consider membership

4. The OFEG fleet Alkor Charles Darwin* Discovery Heincke James Clark Ross L’Atalante Le Suroit M.S. Merian Meteor Thalassa Pelagia Poseidon Sonne Pourquoi Pas? James Cook*

5. OFEG marine facilities ROV Victor Submersible Nautile TOBI, SAR Multichannel seismics Mobile compressors containers

6. 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 average < 3 average 12

7. 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Activity (no. of exchanged days) average > 180 average 35

8. Opportunistic interventions This is of growing importance now use of long term mooring is increasing

9. OFEG announcement of opportunity 2007/2008 issued 30 September 2005 Encourage science community to take advantage of the geographic positioning of OFEG ships Deployment of OFEG Research Ships in 2007/08 It is anticipated that the European research ships of the Ocean Facilities ExchangeGroup (OFEG), which provides ship-time and equipment exchanges for UK, French, German and Dutch scientists under the Tripartite Agreement, will be operating in the following regions in 2007/08: Dutch research ship PELAGIA: subtropical to subpolar North Atlantic (E), Mediterranean & North seas (2008: Indian Ocean (N & W)) French research ships L'ATALANTE: North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea (2008: mid-life refit) POURQUOI PAS?: North Atlantic (W & E), South Atlantic (E) (2008: Indian Ocean (S & W)) THALASSA: North Atlantic (E) LE SUROIT: Indian Ocean (N & W), Mediterranean Sea German research ships ALKOR: Baltic & North seas HEINCKE: North & Baltic seas MERIAN: North Atlantic (N & E), Nordic & Mediterranean seas METEOR: Mediterranean & Black seas, Indian Ocean or South Atlantic POSEIDON: subtropical to subpolar North Atlantic (E), Mediterranean, North & Baltic seas SONNE: Indonesian region UK research ships DISCOVERY: subtropical to subpolar North Atlantic (E & W) JAMES COOK: North Atlantic (E&W), Pacific Ocean (E), South Atlantic (N & E) (2008: Indian Ocean (SW)) JAMES CLARK ROSS: Arctic, North & South Atlantic, Southern Ocean Spanish research ships HESPERIDES: Arctic, North & South Atlantic, Southern Ocean SARMIENTO DE GAMBOA: North Atlantic (E)

10. Further information on http://ofeg.nerc.ac.uk 2006 Spring meeting: 20 - 21 April, Amsterdam 2006 Fall meeting: 23 - 24 November, Spain

11. Virtual Pool of Major exchangeable Equipment WEB pages

12. http://www.nioz.nl/nioz_nl/dcf455ccfbaf6dc3c910b9ba73acbfd3.php Proposed format:

13. ERVO 2006 Marieke J. Rietveld THANK YOU