Builder Ulstein (Norway) Acquired 2004 | Completed 1991 Weight 1.17 tons | |
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Owner National Science Foundation Operator Columbia University. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Notes Originally constructed as a seismic vessel the Langseth was modified and outfitted to perform the tasks required of a general purpose research vessel. | ||
R/V Marcus Langseth is a research vessel owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University as a part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet. The Marcus G. Langseth was dedicated on December 4 2007, came into service in early 2008, replacing the R/V Maurice Ewing. Langseth is intended primarily to collect multichannel seismic data, including 3-D surveys. The ship was purchased from the geophysical survey company WesternGeco in 2004, having previously been named M/V Western Legend.
The Marcus Langseth was named for Marcus G. Langseth, a Lamont scientist.
In March 2009 Chinese authorities denied the vessel permission to pass between Taiwan and China.
In August 2009, Marcus Langseth was named in a Canadian lawsuit seeking to halt its seismic tomography experiment. The lawsuit was dismissed, diplomatic clearance was issued and the ship sailed after a delay of a day.
