Copyright: NT/monacoeye • 2011 • Monaco • Do not copy without permission.

Yacht name: Olivia
Formerly: Valerian Albanov -> Arctic Fantasy -> Galapagos -> Delta Bravo
Length: 230 ft • 70 m
Year: 1972
Builder: OY Laivateollisuus
Naval architect: OY Laivateollisuus
Exterior design: Rouvia Road Yacht Design & Construction

Olivia recently joined the superyacht circuit. Originally built as a Russian hydrographic vessel, she was refitted from 2008 to 2010 by Rouvia Road Yacht Design. Read More...

length - year: 230 - 1972

The International Hydrographic Bureau has its HQ in Port Hercule, just above the Stars and Bars restaurant, and so Monaco hosts the International Hydrographic Conference. This year's conference, finishing today (5 June 2009), has brought the US and Russian hydrographic vessels, Henson and Donuzlav (foreground), to the principality. Behind them can be seen Atlantis II and Lady Moura.

Hydrographic Vessel name: Donuzlav
Navy: Russia, Black Sea Fleet
Class: Project 862 • Yug Class (11 total - Oceanographic Research)
Year: 1978 - 1983
Builder: Stocznia Polnocna, Gdansk

Hydrographic Vessel name: US Naval Ship Henson (T-AGS 63)
Navy: US
Class: Pathfinder Class #4 Oceanographic Survey Ship
Length: 328 ft • 100 m
Year: 1996 • In Service: 1998
Builder: Halter Marine

What's in a name? Matthew Henson was an African American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on a 1909 expedition to the North Pole. Donuzlav is the Ukrainian estuary around Sebastopol on the Crimean Peninsula where both Ukrainian and Russian Black Sea naval fleets are based.

Yacht name: Plan B
Formerly: Flinders
Length: 164 ft • 50 m
Year: 1972 • refit: 2004 & 2006
Builder: Williamstown
Refit: Marine Industrial Design & TBW Design

Photo: monacoeye • Monaco • June 2008

August 2007: This 50m conversion from an Australian hydrographic vessel, has recently been re-refitted in Jacksonville for a three year global cruise. Additions include Quantum Zerospeed stabilisers.

length - year: 164 - 1972

You may recall that HNLMS Snellius, the pride of the Dutch Navy, called into Port Hercule with HMS Echo, in May this year, for the International Hydrographic Organization's annual Congress.

Well, here are some photos sent in by owner Henk de Bloeme, of the glory days of an earlier generation Snellius, also a hydrographic ship for the Dutch Navy and now looking for a new owner wishing to undertake a yacht conversion.

She was in service until 1970, then served as a hotel ship for navy personnel for a few years, and is currently lying in Holland. In her prime she ran expeditions to Surinam and Papua New Guinea, charting the last white patches on the globe.

Henk is now looking for a new owner willing to do an extensive yacht conversion. She is still in a reasonable condition, in other words, still well worth doing the restoration and conversion. The inside is spartan, with many small cabins for a total crew of 110.

Yacht name: Snellius
Length: 236 ft • 72 m
Year: 1950
Builder: P Smit Jr

Beam: 10.8 m
Depth: 3.6 m
Displacement: Approx 1200 tonnes

Engines: 2 x 1000 hp Storks. Equipped with reversible props. They are the originals from 1948, weighing 65 tonnes each, if replaced the difference will need to be ballasted. Snellius was able to do 15 mph with only 2000 hp, as she has a very streamlined hull. The whole engine room is original but not operational.

Any interested parties (serious enquiries only please!) should email me and I'll pass on their details to Henk.

Update: Sold!

Name: HMS Echo
Length: 90.6 m
Year: 2002
Builder: Appledore • Vosper Thorneycroft

Name HNLMS Snellius
Length: 297 ft 3 • 81.4 m
Year: 2003
Builder: Royal Schelde Vlissingen
Royal Netherlands Navy's latest hydrographic ship.

You may have noticed a couple of warships in Port Hercule, if you've been watching notari.tv. In fact they appear to be two hydrographic ships, one British and one Dutch.

Turns out Monaco is hosting the International Hydrographic Organization's 17th Annual Congress. This institution was founded by none other than Prince Albert I, and has its HQ in Monaco. There is a cartographic exhibition finishing today 10 May 2007 in the Auditorium Rainier III.