Thanks to VLIZ, Belgium is a global leader in marine observation, research and innovation
With the commissioning of two state-of-the-art boats and the construction of the new science port in Ostend's Visserijdok, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) is lifting Belgium to the absolute summit in maritime research.
The first showpiece is the work boat Abbé Mann. It can cruise up to 40 km/h, is 11 m long, has a limited draught of just 1 m and a lifting capacity of 500 kg. Tides and sandbanks pose no problem. All this makes the vessel efficient, multifunctional and especially suitable for scientific research, on coastal defence, water quality or offshore plastic pollution, for example. It is also capable of mapping wrecks on the seabed by echo sounding, deploying or picking up robots and divers. Abbé Mann was the nickname of an 18th-century English abbot and marine scientist who lived and worked in Flanders.
There is also the USV Gobelijn, a 9 m unmanned surface vessel and observation platform equipped with scientific instruments and sensors. Pilots can control it remotely around the world from a shore-based control centre. It can spend weeks doing research in the North Sea and the high seas. Its strongest assets are its autonomy, speed and cruising range. Professor Gobelijn from the Flemish comic strip Jommeke (Jeremy) gave his name to this USV (Uncrewed Surface Vehicle).
In other words, two new sustainable vessels: Blue Innovation for a Blue Economy.