Ship Travel Guidelines Issued by UNOLS (Unified National Offshore Laboratory Services)
The U.S. Academic Research Fleet operates under the guidelines of the UNOLS Transit Policy, a policy that governs financial responsibilities related to transits between work areas. This policy, developed by the Ship Scheduling Subcommittee in 2017, aims to provide a standardized approach for sponsors' financial responsibilities during transits.
The UNOLS Transit Policy applies to all vessels in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, including the Global Class Research Vessels. For standard transits between work areas, the policy outlines that the cruise or funder needing the vessel in a particular area will pay proportionally for the transit to/from that area. This proportionality is based on the number of funded days in the operational area.
In the case of shipyards transits, these are considered "non-charge" days unless the transit from the shipyard is to the operational area for the next series of cruises. In such cases, the next series of cruises pays the transit.
The UNOLS Transit Policy also addresses the situation where a vessel moves from one operational area to another to serve new cruises. In this instance, the transit from the old operational area to the new operational area should be divided proportionally between the two groups of users.
However, there is an exception for Global Class Research Vessel cruises. Funders of these cruises proportionally pay for transit costs to a new operational area and only incur transit costs from that operational area if they have work in the next operating area. This acknowledges that these vessels, during some scheduling periods, are rarely at home port.
Funders may also agree to cover the transit allocation of other funders, which would be negotiated between the funders. In the event that a vessel ends up at its home port after serving a cruise, the transits to and from the operational area should be paid proportionally by the funder(s) that needed the vessel in the operational area.
For those seeking detailed information on costs or policies related to research cruises, it is recommended to contact UNOLS or check their official website for archived documents or policies from 2017. Academic or research institutions affiliated with UNOLS might also have relevant information or resources available. The UNOLS Transit Policy is available as a PDF on the UNOLS website.
- The UNOLS Transit Policy, implemented in 2017, extends beyond the financial responsibilities of transits between work areas in the research fleet and also covers industry-related aspects, such as the financial obligations during shipyard transits and transitions between different operational areas in business terms.
- In the realm of finance, when a Global Class Research Vessel moves from one operational area to another, the transit costs to the new area are proportionally paid by the funders of the cruise, distinct from the finance model applied to other vessels in the fleet that incur transit costs from their operational area if they have work in the next area.
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