Researchers Turn to Yachts for Marine Science Expeditions

A diver entering water off R/V ANGARI stern. (Image credit: Angari Foundation)

The demand for research vessels in the United States is outstripping the available supply, causing scientists to turn to private, and surprisingly more affordable, charter options—yachts. As of 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) only holds a fleet of 15 vessels with an average age of 30 years old. By 2030, six of those ships will likely reach the end of their service life. Another charter option, the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), only has an academic fleet of 18 vessels, a majority of which are also reaching their operational life. 

ANGARI Foundation (pronounced anne-jar-ee) is addressing the shortage of research vessels available to scientists. Headquartered in West Palm Beach, Fla., ANGARI Foundation turned a luxury yacht into a 65-foot research vessel, R/V ANGARI, to help marine scientists conduct more convenient and affordable research. Since becoming operational in 2016, R/V ANGARI has hosted more than 400 scientists on expeditions in and along the US East Coast, the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the northern Caribbean.

There are several benefits to chartering privately with ANGARI Foundation, including: 

  • More flexibility in scheduling and creating itineraries. ANGARI Foundation’s research vessel can be available as quickly as a month’s notice. Coordinating research with government-owned vessels requires months, if not years, of advanced planning.
  • Affordable charter rates are oftentimes 50% less expensive than fleet charters.
  • Upgraded and luxurious accommodations. 
  • The Foundation allows minors to come aboard R/V ANGARI for educational opportunities, which most academic vessels do not offer. 

Co-founder and President of ANGARI Foundation, Angela Rosenberg, is no stranger to turning yachts into luxury vessels that are scientist and research-friendly. Rosenberg formerly worked for The International SeaKeepers Society in Coral Gables, Florida, and helped develop the organization’s DISCOVERY Yacht Program, a Florida-based nonprofit that engages the yachting community to support ocean research, conservation, and education. Rosenberg holds an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina, a M.S. in Marine Geology and Geophysics, and a B.S. in Marine Science and Biology from the University of Miami.

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