The research vessels also had oceanographic technologies to measure temperature, salinity, and chemical parameters at a minimal depth of five thousand meters, Augy Syagalaitua, the head of LIPIs Ambon Marine Biota Conservation Office, noted here on Wednesday.
The price of one well-equipped research vessel is about Rp250 billion, he remarked.
Long-range research cruises were needed because many Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEE) locations were not yet studied or explored, he added.
"We will also prepare the necessary human resources for the ZEE research for the next 10 to 20 years," he affirmed.
LIPI Chairman Lukman Hakim earlier stated that his institute needed more research vessels for sophisticated deep-sea research, following the status upgrade of the Ambon Marine Biota Conservation Office to LIPIs Deep-sea Research Center.
Indonesia needed to build research vessels of international standards, he reiterated.
According to Chairman of the LIPIs Oceanographic Research Center Zainal Arifin, such sophisticated research vessels should be available within the next five years.
Currently, LIPI has two modern research vessels: Baruna Jaya VII built by the Indonesian ship building manufacturer, PT PAL and Baruna Jaya VIII made in Norway.
V002 (F001/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(T.SYS/B/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
