Research vessel Merian
In addition to the Meteor the Maria S. Merian is the second research vessel that the DFG, together with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), finances as 'central research facilities'. In doing so the DFG bears 70% and the BMBF 30% of the operating costs for the vessel, which amount to ca. €5-6 million per year. The investment costs of €56.4 million are shared by the BMBF and the coastal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. The Maria S. Merian has its homeport at the Institute for Baltic Research in Rostock-Warnemünde; the owner is the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The operation of the vessel is managed by the Control Centre Meteor/Merian at the Institute of Oceanography, University of Hamburg.
By funding the research vessels as central facilities, the DFG ensures a fair distribution of "ship-time" resources according to scientific performance criteria. The Maria S. Merian is available to all German oceanographers according to generally accepted rules. The scientific itinerary is coordinated by the 'Steering Group for Medium-sized Research Vessels' and the DFG Senate Commission on Oceanography.
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board of the Maria S. Merian deals with questions about the employment of the vessel and questions relating to its operation; in particular, it determines the yearly budget and decides on the use of the vessel, taking into consideration the various interest groups.
Members of the Advisory Board:
Bodo von Bodungen, Warnemünde
Günther Clauss, Berlin
Martin Dube, Schwerin
Eberhard Fahrbach, Bremerhaven
Hella Gehlken, Hamburg
Karin Lochte, Kiel
Karl-Heinz Alberts, Bonn
Jens Meincke, Hamburg
Jürgen Rullkötter, Oldenburg
Susanne Faulhaber, DFG Bonn
Data on Maria S. Merian
Length: 94.8 metres; width: 19.2 metres; maximum speed: 15 knots; voyage time at sea: max. 35 days; crew: maximum 22 scientists and 21 sailors; shipping company: Briese Schiffahrtsgesellschaft m.b.H. & Co. KG, Leer.
