As part of the development of Kristineberg Marine Research Station, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat has invested in a new research vessel with support from the G E Broms Foundation. The vessel was christened R/V Broms at Bullandö Marina outside Stockholm before continuing its journey to the west coast through the Göta Canal.

R/V Broms is significantly larger than its predecessor, R/V Alice, and provides a stable platform for research and education. The vessel features a large working deck, crane, loading ramp and a moon pool – an opening through the deck that allows research instruments to be deployed and recovered directly from the water.

– R/V Broms gives us a much more flexible platform for research and education. We can bring more people on board, handle larger equipment and carry out more extensive investigations than before,” says Linus Hammar Perry, Station Manager at Kristineberg Marine Research Station.

Over the coming months, the vessel will be equipped with scientific instruments tailored to the station’s activities. The equipment, funded by the Sjöberg Foundation, includes a larger CTD system for water sampling and a multibeam echosounder for seabed mapping. The vessel will also serve as a test platform for new technologies, such as underwater robotic systems.

A name rooted in Kristineberg’s history

The name Broms has special significance for Kristineberg. Emil and Anna Broms were highly generous benefactors of the research station in the early twentieth century. They financed, among other things, the construction of the so-called Stone House (Stenhuset), completed in 1905 and still in use today, as well as the station’s first dedicated vessel, Sven Lovén, which entered service in 1907. The G E Broms Foundation continues to support research and development at Kristineberg, and funding from the foundation made the purchase of R/V Broms possible.

Several members of the Broms family attended the christening ceremony, where Johan Broms carried out the traditional naming ritual by breaking a bottle of champagne against the hull.

Ready for autumn operations

Following its journey across Sweden, work will begin to prepare R/V Broms for research and educational activities. The goal is for the vessel to be fully operational during the autumn. With capacity for up to 20 researchers or students on board, R/V Broms will become a key resource for the station’s activities and for the long-term development of Kristineberg.

The vessel can be booked as usual through the booking form available on the website:

https://www.polar.se/en/support-for-polar-research/kristineberg-marine-research-station/booking/