AEGAEO – IMO 8412429

Veteran Hellenic Centre for Marine Research Oceanographic Vessel – Still Active in 2026

AEGAEO is Greece's veteran oceanographic research vessel, built at Chalkis Shipyard in 1985 and operated by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research – HCMR / ΕΛΚΕΘΕ.

For more than four decades, the ship has supported Greek and international scientific programmes throughout the:

Aegean Sea

Ionian Sea

Mediterranean

Black Sea

and:

Red Sea.

Originally considerably shorter than she is today, AEGAEO underwent a major conversion between June 1996 and February 1997, when the vessel was lengthened by approximately 10.5 metres and transformed into a substantially more capable floating research laboratory.

Despite plans for a new-generation HCMR research vessel to eventually replace her, AEGAEO remains genuinely operational in 2026. AIS records during September showed her departing Greek ports with the destination explicitly entered as:

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

Vessel Details

Name: AEGAEO

IMO: 8412429

MMSI: 237529000

Call Sign: SXYY

Type: Oceanographic / Marine Research Vessel

Flag: Greece

Home Port: Chalkis

Built: 1985

Builder: Chalkis Shipyard, Chalkis, Greece

Operator: Hellenic Centre for Marine Research – HCMR / ΕΛΚΕΘΕ

Institute: HCMR Institute of Oceanography

Current Official Class: Hellenic Register – +H100 A1 R

Gross Tonnage: 778 GT

Length Overall: 61.51 m

Beam: 9.60 m

Draught: approx. 2.9–3.1 m

Main Engines: 2 × MAN B&W 20/27 VO

Power: 2 × 950 bhp

Propellers: 2 × variable-pitch propellers

Bow Thruster: Schottel unit

Cruising Speed: approx. 12 knots

Fuel Capacity: approx. 80 t

Fuel Consumption: approx. 6 t/day

Autonomy: approx. 20 days

Current Status: Active scientific service.

Built in Greece

AEGAEO is particularly significant because she was:

designed and built in Greece.

Construction was completed at:

Chalkis Shipyard

in 1985.

Scientific operations initially concentrated on the:

Eastern Mediterranean.

By:

1987

the vessel's expedition programme had expanded into the:

Western Mediterranean.

Major 1996–1997 Reconstruction

AEGAEO's present dimensions do not represent her original configuration.

Between:

June 1996 and February 1997

the ship underwent a major reconstruction.

The hull was lengthened by:

approximately 10.5 metres.

HCMR describes the resulting 62-metre ship as a:

completely modernised floating laboratory.

This reconstruction was fundamental to the extraordinary length of her scientific career.

Geophysical Research

AEGAEO is capable of detailed exploration of the seabed.

Her scientific equipment includes:

SEABEAM 2120 and SEABEAM 1180 multibeam sonars

side-scan sonar

air-gun seismic equipment

and:

sparker seismic systems.

These systems allow researchers to investigate:

submarine faults,

sedimentary structures,

volcanic areas,

seafloor morphology,

and active tectonics.

New Multichannel Seismic Capability

More recently, HCMR developed a dedicated:

multichannel seismic reflection system

for installation and operation from AEGAEO.

The equipment includes:

a high-pressure air-compressor container,

a 350-metre 24-channel streamer,

GI-Gun acoustic sources,

and seismic acquisition and processing systems.

This gave the veteran research vessel an important new capability late in her career.

THETIS Submersible

AEGAEO has historically operated with the Greek manned research submersible:

THETIS.

THETIS is capable of descending to approximately:

610 metres.

The combination enabled direct scientific observation of deep underwater environments rather than relying entirely on remote instruments.

SUPER ACHILLE ROV

The vessel has also supported the:

SUPER ACHILLE remotely operated vehicle.

Its published operating depth is approximately:

1,000 metres.

This equipment allows scientists to:

inspect the seabed,

record underwater imagery,

collect samples,

and investigate archaeological or geological targets.

Oceanographic Sampling

AEGAEO carries extensive equipment for physical, chemical and biological oceanography.

This includes:

12- and 24-bottle water-sampling rosettes

CTD systems

plankton samplers

sediment traps

current meters

benthic sampling equipment

and:

sediment corers.

The vessel can therefore support very different scientific teams during the same expedition.

Marine Archaeology

AEGAEO has also played a major role in:

underwater archaeology.

Her sonar, positioning and underwater-vehicle capabilities have been used in searches and surveys of:

shipwrecks,

ancient submerged sites,

and historically important underwater targets.

This has made her valuable not only to marine science but also to Greece's maritime archaeological community.

Hundreds of Mediterranean Expeditions

When HCMR announced its programme for a future replacement vessel, it noted that AEGAEO had already completed:

hundreds of research cruises

throughout the:

Mediterranean,

Black Sea,

and Red Sea.

Few Greek-built specialist vessels have accumulated a comparable scientific record.

Piraeus Connection

Although officially associated with:

Chalkis,

AEGAEO has a particularly strong practical connection with:

Piraeus.

The vessel frequently uses the port before and after research expeditions.

She was photographed at:

Piraeus Roads in July 2025.

AIS data also recorded AEGAEO arriving at Piraeus on:

28 July 2026,

before later departing again for scientific work.

PiraeuShips Archive

PiraeuShips published the dedicated:

AEGAEO – IMO 8412429

entry in:

August 2016.

The historical page recorded:

778 GT

1985 construction

Chalkis Shipyard

and:

Greek Government ownership.

One item worth updating is classification.

The old database entry gave:

American Bureau of Shipping,

while HCMR's current official technical specification gives:

Hellenic Register – +H100 A1 R.

Planned Replacement – But Still Working

HCMR announced in 2020 that a new ocean-going research vessel would eventually replace AEGAEO after decades of service.

However, the veteran ship has continued well beyond the originally anticipated timetable.

Current 2026 AIS records show her still conducting:

active scientific research voyages,

including operations from:

Piraeus

Lavrio

and other Greek ports.

41 Years of Scientific Service

In 2026 AEGAEO reached:

41 years since construction.

The ship is therefore much more than an old research vessel.

She has become a floating record of the development of modern Greek:

oceanography,

marine geology,

seismology,

environmental monitoring,

and underwater exploration.

PiraeuShips Record

AEGAEO was recorded by PiraeuShips during the continuing career of Greece's principal veteran oceanographic research vessel. Built at Chalkis Shipyard in 1985, the ship began scientific operations in the Eastern Mediterranean before expanding into wider Mediterranean, Black Sea and Red Sea research. A major 1996–1997 conversion lengthened the vessel by approximately 10.5 metres and transformed her into the 61.5-metre multidisciplinary floating laboratory seen today. Equipped with multibeam sonar, seismic systems, CTD and biological sampling equipment and capable of supporting the THETIS submersible and SUPER ACHILLE ROV, AEGAEO has completed hundreds of scientific expeditions. Although a new HCMR research vessel has long been planned as her eventual successor, AEGAEO remains genuinely active in 2026, with recent AIS records still showing voyages specifically designated as scientific research. The PiraeuShips footage therefore documents one of the longest-serving and most important vessels in the history of modern Greek marine science.

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