Larger vessels and the hover craft are booked through the crew of R/V Augusta (fleet manager Göran Lundberg or research technician Jostein Solbakken).
Booking and driving smaller boats with outboards engines requires a TZS boat permit. Obtaining the permit requires an introduction to the boats and boat training by the TZS technical staff. If you need a boat permit, please contact the technical staff well in advance to book time for boat training. With a valid boat permit the smaller motorboats can be booked through an online booking system after registration.
Use of the boats is liable to charge. Prices can be found through the link below and inquiries about the billing through the TZS office.
Rowing boats can be used without charge by courses and those working and staying at TZS. Rowing boats must, however, be booked beforehand either through the online booking system if you have a valid boat permit or through the TZS office.
R/V Augusta is a 18.5 m long catamaran, built in 2019 by Kewatec AluBoat (Kokkola, Finland) with a cruising speed of 18 knots. The vessel has a wet laboratory with fume hood cabinet, a climate chamber for sample incubation and a fridge and freezer for sample storage. The vessel has a dry lab with a large screen for presentations and own Wi-Fi net and monitor systems for basic environmental data. The vessel carries standard sampling equipment such as water samplers, plankton nets, sediment corers and grabs, dredges and trawls, and handheld probes (CTD, oxygen). It has capability for small-scale moorings and deployments up to 1000 kg: Fassi-type crane on aft deck with capacity of 1000 kg with 60m wire and 500 kg with 200m wire. Fassi-type crane on fore deck with capacity of 300 kg and 150 m wire. Capstan and rope lock for buoy anchor handling and a smaller boom for handheld samplers. On the deck it is possible to install custom made sieving table for handling samples during the cruise. The crew consists of a captain and a chief engineer. Maximum number of persons onboard is 30 excluding the crew.
J.A. Palmén (JAP) is a Kulkuri 34 type, 10.3 m long vessel with large open deck area for working, warm cabin and a toilet onboard. The large deck makes sampling from the boat easy and convenient. JAP can carry up to 12 passengers and it has a cruising speed of 17.5 knots.
Crangon is a 8.2 m long Faster -type (Faster 750 cat) vessel with two 150 hp Yamaha engines. Large open deck area, flat bottom and a small crane makes Crangon ideal for working. The boat has a hatch in the front that can be opened to sea level to allow easy access in and out of the water. Crangon is especially suitable for divers. Crangon can carry up to 8 persons or 1370 kg.
Esox (Polarcirkel 685 DIVING) is a 6.85 m long Rigid buoyancy boat (RBB) especially designed for polar conditions and diving. The boat has two Yamaha 115 hp engines and it can carry up to 10 persons or max load of 1250 kg. RBB hulls are self-bailing and have rigid pontoons filled with polystyrene that make it virtually unsinkable.
R/V Saga is an air-cushion vehicle (hover craft) for transports on ice and water. Big doors and walk-around deck make Saga suitable for sampling also in open-water conditions. Saga is equipped with a warn-winch in the bow and an arm for water sampling as well as a ladder for divers. Saga can take up to 7 passengers or 700 kg payload in area 3. Saga’s speed and range are very dependent on wind and ice conditions; this needs to be discussed with TZS technical staff when planning a trip with Saga.
Smaller Linders (boats 2,3 and 4) are especially good when sampling in the local area around TZS and for courses.
Linder nr. 2 has a slightly bigger 15 hp engine and Linders 3 and 4 have 2-stroke 9.9 hp engines. All smaller Linders (2,3 and 4) can carry up to 4 passengers or 2 divers. Diving with smaller Linders requires access to the beach and is not possible from the boats directly.
Linder 445 Max is station´s largest Linder -type boat. Linder 5 can carry up to 4 persons in areas 1 and 2 or two divers and one passenger. The boat is especially suitable for small research groups working on the islands. It has no dive ladder and therefore it is not recommended for divers without access to the beach.
Saavi and Palju can carry up to 7 passengers in area 1 and 5 passengers in area 2. These boats are especially good for diving. They have a flat bottom and large open area for working. In the front of the boat is a bow port that can be lowered down to the sea level for easy access into the water and back. Saavi has a slightly larger engine (80 hp) than Palju (60 hp).
Lota has an inboard diesel engine and even if it is a slightly slower boat, it has a proper ladder for divers and it can carry up to 10 passengers (or 6 divers). It is especially suitable for larger groups when working on the islands nearby the station and for courses.
TZS has two Terhi-type rowing boats and two MiniBusters used as rowing boat.
These boats can be used free of charge by courses and by those staying and working at TZS.
Rowing boats must be booked in advance. Booking can be made through the online booking system (those who have valid TZS boat permit for motorboats) or through the TZS office.
Kayak Prodigy 2 is available for rent for those staying at TZS. Price, availability, and bookings through the TZS office.
Following rules must be followed when driving boats at the station.
A personal permit is needed for driving motorboats.
A captain needs to be assigned to a boat when the booking is made. The captain needs to be physically in the boat during the voyage. The captain of the boat is responsible for the boat and the safety of everyone on the boat. All people onboard have to follow the instructions of the captain. Any damage caused by careless handling of the boat will be charged from the captain.
For safety reasons, the number of people on a boat shall not exceed the limit. The maximum number of persons allowed on each boat can be found in the boat booking system. Lota can carry 8 persons. Maximum number of people on J.A. Palmén is 12. NB! Other cargo (including dive gear) will reduce the maximum number of persons in the ratio of 70 kg = one person.
All people on a boat with an outboard engine have to wear a life jacket at all times.
It is absolutely prohibited to drive a boat under the influence of alcohol or to consume alcohol onboard.
Before each trip, the destination and estimated time of return has to be stated in the online booking system.
The captain of the boat has to clean the boat and remove all sampling gear after every trip.
No equipment that belongs to the boat (e.g. anchor, bailer or tools) should be borrowed or removed from the boat.
Malfunctions of motor and groundings etc. have to be reported immediately to the station's technical staff. Do-it-yourself repairs are absolutely forbidden. The permit will be cancelled immediately if one has not reported a boating accident.
Maximum allowed speed in the vicinity of the station is 9 km/h (5 knots).
If the station's rules for boating are not followed, the boat permit may be cancelled.