Celebrating the Third Anniversary of the RV Tom Crean
The Marine Institute celebrates the third anniversary of its state-of-the-art research vessel, the RV Tom Crean. Since arriving in Galway Harbour on 18th July 2022, the RV Tom Crean has enabled the Marine Institute to carry out vital surveys that contribute to Ireland's position as a leader in marine science.
Over the past three years, the RV Tom Crean has spent 864 days at sea, and sailed 103,192 nautical miles – that’s equivalent to almost 20 round trips from Galway to New York and back! The marine research activities conducted aboard include fish stock assessment surveys, seabed mapping including marine spatial planning, ocean climate studies, and environmental monitoring. The vessel has also served as a training platform for students from Irish institutions, supporting the development of the next generation of marine scientists.
The RV Tom Crean has enabled Ireland’s seabed mapping programme, INFOMAR, to map 20,135 square kilometres of the seafloor in the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean – an area greater than the whole of Leinster. Over 234 survey days aboard the vessel, INFOMAR has comprehensively mapped Ireland’s seabed, advancing our understanding of our marine territory.
“As the RV Tom Crean marks its third year of service, it continues to play a pivotal role in advancing marine science in Ireland,” Dr Rick Officer, CEO of the Marine Institute said. “With its state-of-the-art capabilities and the expertise of its dedicated crew and scientists, the vessel enables Ireland to carry out world-class research - deepening our understanding of the ocean, and providing the critical knowledge needed to sustainably manage our valuable marine resource.”
In August 2024, the RV Tom Crean was equipped with a new in-situ remote sensing instrument, the Imaging Flow Cytobot, during the Marine Institute’s annual phytoplankton coastal survey. The instrument can image up to 10,000 plankton species per seawater sample and transmit images in near real-time to the Marine Institute’s laboratory. This significantly enhances the Marine Institute’s ability to detect and observe Harmful Algal Bloom events offshore, enabling advanced warnings for aquaculture operations.
The RV Tom Crean opened to the public in May 2025, for the European Maritime Days to Play festival in Cork Harbour. More than 4,500 people stepped aboard to explore the research vessel and speak with scientists about the research undertaken at sea.
Track the location of the Marine Institute’s research vessels on marine.ie. For updates on the research surveys facilitated by Ireland’s marine research vessels follow the Marine Institute’s Scientist@Sea blog, @MarineInst on X, @MarineInstitute on Facebook, @MarineInstituteIreland on Instagram and @MarineInstitute on LinkedIn.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Kathleen Sweeney e: kathleen.sweeney@marine.ie | m: +353 (0)87 094 5754
Sinéad Coyne e: sinead.coyne@marine.ie | m: +353 (0)87 947 7090
Communications Office, Marine Institute e: communications@marine.ie | t: +353 (0)91 387 200
RV Tom Crean
The RV Tom Crean is named after the legendary Irish Explorer from Kerry, who undertook three ground-breaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century. The vessel arrived into Galway Harbour on the 18th July 2022, and was officially commissioned in Dingle Harbour on the 6th October 2022.
The 52.8 metre vessel can accommodate 26 personnel, is designed to operate in the challenging conditions of the Atlantic Ocean and can remain at sea for up to 21 days. The RV Tom Crean is a silent vessel, and makes much less underwater noise than traditional vessels, reducing the effect of noise on fish populations while surveying and sampling.
The vessel design incorporates the latest proven technologies to ensure that it operates as efficiently as possible, with reduced fuel consumption and minimising the vessel’s environmental impact and carbon footprint.
Marine Institute
The Marine Institute is Ireland’s scientific agency responsible for supporting the sustainable development of the State’s maritime area and resources. The Institute conducts applied research and provides scientific knowledge, advice and services to government, industry and other stakeholders and users. www.marine.ie
INFOMAR
The INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource) programme was established in 2006 and is currently one of the world’s largest and leading seabed mapping programmes. Funded by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, INFOMAR is a joint venture by the Geological Survey Ireland and the Marine Institute and aims to map Ireland’s seabed and deliver a comprehensive baseline bathymetry dataset to underpin the future management of Ireland’s marine resource.