RV Adriaen Coenen

RV Adriaen Coenen is an 19m-long inland vessel mainly used for a day-long expeditions, short sampling trips, such as student activities and transporting scientists and samples since summer of 2022. The main operational area is the Wadden Sea, such as the Balgzand and the bird observatory on the island of Griend. The design with 1m draft and aluminum hull allows her to pass the slack waters at low tide and  settle on the mudflats when tide recedes. 

RV Adriaen Coenen comes with an A-frame, side cranes for small-size scientific instrument and deck space for a RIB. These features help support the marine research community and monitoring efforts of the Wadden sea and the Dutch inland waters.  

Small research vessel making a quick turn, photographed from the air

RV Adriaen Coenen on the Wadden Sea (photo: NIOZ/Flying Focus)

Specifications

  • Length: overall: 19 m
  • Beam: 5 m
  • Max. Draught: 1 m
  • Max. Speed: 20 knots
  • Accommodation for 2
  • Max. number on board (passengers): 12
For more information, please contact the NMF coordinator
The research vessel RV Adriaen Coenen speeds across the water, leaving a foamy wake.

The RV Adriaen Coenen underway (photo: Flying Focus)

Construction

In March 2021 the NWO-I Foundation Board approved the NIOZ investment for the construction of the second new ship in the national research fleet. The seriously outdated support vessel RV Stern was in urgent need of replacement. Next Generation Shipyards in Lauwersoog won the tender to build the RV Adriaen Coenen. She was christened on 6 July 2022 and sailed to Texel in August 2022 to start her work on the Wadden Sea.

Find more on the timeline and milestones of the construction
A smiling woman accepts flowers given to her by an older man and a broken champagne bottle in a glass dome presented to her as a gift by a woman on her back.

Christening of RV Adriaen Coenen at Next Generation Shipyards on 6 July 2022 (photo: NIOZ)

Name

The new vessel was named after Adriaen Coenen (1514-1587), a fishmonger from Scheveningen. He was a fish auction master and an amateur ichthyologist with a passion for everything living in the sea. Coenen’s ‘Visboeck’ is a remarkable publication. The 16th-century manuscript is richly decorated with colour illustrations that provide researchers with useful knowledge about 16th-century fisheries.

More on the Visboeck
16th-century illustration of a large black whale washed up on the beach, with people admiring the scene and small sailboats on the water.

Whale on the beach in the Visboeck of Adriaen Coenen (Illustration: KB)