Catamaran oceanographic research ship R/V Manta

aluminum

All American Marine, Inc. successfully delivered an 82’ 8” x 30’ Teknicraft research catamaran built under contract for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (N.O.A.A.) in 2008. The R/V Manta operates in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, located 100 miles offshore, directly south of the Louisiana-Texas. The Manta, N.O.A.A.’s fifth Teknicraft Design catamaran built by All American Marine, is the most advanced and versatile vessel commissioned by the sanctuary program to date. The Manta hosts a variety of research missions and visiting scientists concentrating on seafloor mapping, habitat characterization, data collection, and the monitoring of the health of ocean species and reefs. Designing a flexible platform that could quickly and easily be reconfigured depending on the current mission was critical for N.O.A.A.’s research purposes. Many of the Manta’s missions will facilitate diving operations; according to N.O.A.A. Sanctuary Research Coordinator, Emma Hickerson, “the vessel was built as an ultimate SCUBA platform and all that see what has been created are impressed.” The Manta features over 700 square feet of working space on the aft deck, with a complete complement of working gear and an extensive grid of deck sockets. The deck sockets are spaced every two feet and allow equipment and gear to be secured, moved, or removed from the working deck. AAM custom fabricated twin dive benches that mount via the deck sockets and accommodate a total of 20 divers and their gear.