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Finance
The standard daily rate for the R/V Pelican covers costs of fuel, food and of the all ship’s equipment for a total compliment of 22 including a standard 5-person ship’s crew and 1 LUMCON Marine Technician. Extra crew will be added for 24 hr. operations using equipment requiring additional crewmembers. Generally deployment and recovery of large packages (1/4 m2 large trawls, etc.) require extra personnel to operate deck equipment. Extra crew costs are not prorated.
Unloading at our dock in Cocodrie, LA.: Loading time in excess of 12 hrs will be charged at the standard at-sea rates. All costs incurred outside of normal fees for preparing the ship for sea will be added to the final billing. All time away from our dock will be charged at the standard rate. There will be no reimbursement made for days lost due to weather. The user will be responsible for crew and vessel preparation cost if this office is not notified of significant deviations in cruise plans at least 24 hrs in advance of planned departure time.
All prices are subject to change, unless guaranteed in writing by the Marine Superintendent.
Scheduling
Requests for ship time should be submitted to the Marine Superintendent as soon as possible on a standard UNOLS Ship Time Request Form. Requests will be accommodated on a first come first serve basis in most cases. Fully funded research activities will be given priority over proposal stage requests.
Because every effort is made to recover the operating cost of the R/V Pelican through external funding, short cruises or cruises for which full funding is not available may be superceded by major, fully funded cruises. Affected cruises will be re-scheduled into the next available time slot.
There is no scheduling deadline, but to avoid confusion, and prevent the necessity of re-scheduling existing cruises, we ask that you notify this office as soon as your research proposal is submitted.
Cruise Plans
Pre-cruise Form
A completed pre-cruise form can be found at the following website: www.lumcon.edu/pelican, then hit pre-cruise button. This form should be submitted as early as possible in order to provide ample time to prepare the vessel and equipment for your cruise. Before the ship sails, a cruise plan must be on file in our office. While at sea the Captain should be informed of all requested changes to the approved cruise plan.
Insurance
LUMCON does not provide Medical or Accident Insurance for passengers aboard the R/V Pelican. The Marine Superintendent may require evidence of insurance coverage.
Diving
LUMCON is a member of the American Association for Underwater Sciences (AAUS) and has adopted the dive manual drafted by this organization. Diving activities aboard LUMCON vessels must be in compliance with the regulation set forth in the AAUS Standards for Scientific Diving Certification and Operation of Scientific Diving Programs. In addition, all divers MUST be AAUS certified.
All divers must be certified through a nationally recognized diver training organization and be at least a LUMCON Scientific Diver in Training Divers should also provide evidence or references to substantiate their ability to conduct the planned diving activities. An approved dive plan containing copies of participants “C” cards, a full description of the work to be performed, with locations, water depths, and approximate bottom times, must be available before departure time.
The LUMCON Dive Safety Officer should be contacted well in advance of the planned activity because he or she must approve all diving activities.
Lora Pride
Dive Safety Officer
Email: dso@lumcon.edu
Hazardous Chemicals
A chemical cabinet is available on board for storing hazardous materials. All hazardous chemicals must be stored in shatterproof bottles or protected by shock absorbent containers.
In the event of a spill, notify the ship’s crew immediately. Do not flush caustic or toxic chemicals down the sink unless you have cleared it with a member of the ship’s crew.
Radioisotopes
The LUMCON Radiation Safety Officer must approve the use of radioisotopes in advance. A radioisotope van is available for use on the vessel. The Chief Scientist should be prepared to discuss procedures for the safe handling, usage and storage of these materials before the ship sails. He/she must also provide a copy of his/her permit to handle radioactive materials and show evidence of having conducted a wipe test upon leaving the vessel. A copy of the results of this test must be forwarded to the Marine Superintendent.
Rodney Powell
Radiation Safety Officer
Email: RSO@lumcon.edu
Radioactive materials are not allowed inside the skin of the vessel.
Shore Support and Facilities
The R/V Pelican is accessible at the Marine Center via a paved road. The small tidal amplitude in this region of the gulf makes the task of loading and unloading the ship rather simple. The ship’s crane is available for equipment weighing up to 8,000 lbs. The lifting of heavier loads (up to 25 tons) can be accommodated by a heavy lift crane next to the Marine Center. This is a privately owned facility and the charges for the heavy lift crane’s use will be added to the final vessel invoice. A 4,000 lb. capacity forklift is available at the Marine Center at no cost.
A limited number of personnel will be available for loading the ship. Since it may be necessary to move the ship to load, please be explicit about your loading requirements on your vessel request form so that the appropriate crewmembers will be available.
Shipments
There is no air service to Cocodrie, Louisiana and very limited service to Houma, Louisiana, which is the nearest city. All airfreight should be sent through a delivery carrier (e.g. Flying Tigers). Major express carriers (UPS, Federal Express, etc.) have daily service to the Marine Center. Most major truck lines know where we are but you should allow extra time for your shipment. All shipments should be addressed as follows:
Marine Superintendent
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
8124 Hwy. 56
Chauvin, LA 70344
*Note: DO NOT USE U.S. MAIL FOR LARGE SHIPMENTS. The Chauvin Post Office is very small and space to store large shipments is limited. LUMCON is NOT responsible for shipping scientific equipment. It is the responsibility of the scientist to see that equipment is shipped from LUMCON properly. We do not accept COD packages.
There is limited covered storage for equipment shipped in preparation for upcoming cruises. Please notify the Marine Superintendent of you intent to ship and, identify clearly on the outside of the package your cruise number or chief scientist. Mishandling or improper storage of your equipment may result if we have no way of identifying its owner.
The Marine Center is about two hours from the New Orleans International Airport. In most cases rented transportation cannot be returned to Houma. Uncovered, guarded parking is available at the Marine Center. Scientific staff will not be allowed to bunk onboard at the dock more than 12 hours in advance of the scheduled departure time. Housing is available at the Marine Center.
Limited shop facilities are available at the Marine Center. There are excellent fabrication (metal and wood) shops available a short distance from the Center. Hardware and supply stores are also available in Houma and Chauvin. We prefer that you establish your own accounts with the local venders. Ground transportation can be provided for last minute trips to the hardware store.
Visiting scientists can request laboratory space at the Marine Center. A variety of analytical services are available, in addition to various pieces of laboratory or sampling gear not listed with shared use equipment. Please contact the Marine Superintendent for more information about the availability and cost of specific items.
Aboard Ship
Pre Cruise Meeting
Before departure a pre-cruise meeting will be held aboard ship. The Captain, Marine Superintendent, or his representative and appropriate members of the ship’s crew should be present. The Chief Scientist and other members of the scientific staff deemed appropriate should attend.
The cruise plan, scientific work schedule or any other pertinent information about the planned cruise should be discussed at this time. This allows all of the members of the crew and shore side staff to be informed of the planned activities.
Before leaving the dock the captain will give a brief introduction to the ship and her crew to the entire scientific party.
Chief Scientist’s Responsibilities
The Chief Scientist is the official liaison between the ship’s crew and the scientific staff. All changes in cruise plan must be directed to the ship’s Captain through the Chief Scientist. Appropriate, general information for the scientific staff will be transferred through the Chief Scientist.
During 24 hr operations, a scientific watch officer should be appointed to act in the absence of the Chief Scientist. During dangerous over-the-side operations an experienced and capable scientific deck officer should be appointed to oversee the deployment and recovery of gear. The Chief Scientist shall be responsible for the rest of the scientific crew on deck and will interact directly with the ship’s chief deck officer. Standard hand signals should be used at all times when communicating with the equipment operator of ship’s officer at the stern station.
The Chief Scientist shall also be responsible for assigning bunks to the scientific staff. The general conduct of the scientific staff is the responsibility of the Chief Scientist. Research Vessel Cruise Assessments should be completed and returned to LUMCON Vessel Operations by the Chief Scientist.
The Chief Scientist is responsible for the following:
- 1. UNOLS Ship Time Request
- 2. Approved Dive Plan
- 3. Approved Radioisotope Plan
- 4. Pre-Cruise Plan
- 5. Cruise Plan
- 6. Medical Information Form (Appendix E)
- 7. Research Vessel Cruise Assessment
(1- 5) Are to be completed and sent to LUMCON prior to planned cruise dates.
(6) Can be sent ahead or brought to the vessel with the scientific party. There should be a Medical Information Form for each individual on the ship.
(7) Is to be completed after the cruise and sent to LUMCON Vessel Operations.
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