Blog icon

Voyage Number

IN2025_V01

Voyage Dates

08 Mar, 2025 to 17 Mar, 2025

Voyage Location

Hobart to Hobart

Chief Scientist

Dr Georgia Nester

Institution

University of Western Australia

Watch our livestream from RV Investigator's 10-day training voyage and circumnavigation of Tasmania.

Voyage summary

Training voyage out of Hobart as part of the Collaborative Australian Postgraduate Sea-training Alliance Network (CAPSTAN) sea training program. This is the fourth CAPSTAN voyage and follows the completion of a successful pilot program during 2017-2020.

CAPSTAN is a maritime education and training initiative of CSIRO, the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and the Australian and New Zealand International Scientific Drilling Consortium (ANZIC). The voyage will provide university students and trainers with direct experience with the equipment, systems and techniques on board a modern research vessel, as well as the opportunity to develop professional networks and experience life at sea.

The study area for this voyage includes various sites to be visited during a circumnavigation of Tasmania, including the Tasman Fracture Zone, Bass Canyon and southern extension of the East Australian Current (EAC). The voyage will see a cross-disciplinary science training program delivered including: deep towed camera surveys, environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys, CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth instrument) and TRIAXUS deployments, net trawls, seafloor mapping including sub-bottom profiling, sediment sampling, and seabird and marine mammal surveys. Students will also receive training in practical maritime skills such as knot tying.

A shipwreck search will also be conducted during the voyage to expose students to the procedure and approach for conducting underwater cultural heritage surveys. The search target is the 37-metre sailing vessel Empress of China, which was lost off northwest Tasmania on 31 December 1888.

In addition to the training program, there are two other projects on the voyage:

  • Argo float deployments (Gabriella Semolini Pilo, CSIRO – on shore): Deployment of two Argo floats in support of the International Argo Float Program.
  • Sediment sampling in the Gippsland Offshore Wind Area, Bass Strait (Anamitra Roy, University of Melbourne – on shore): Collection of seafloor sediment samples to assess the suitability of sites for offshore wind developments.

The voyage includes 38 participants, including 5 trainers and 21 students from 16 Australian universities from nearly all states and territories, along with CSIRO support staff and 20 ship crew from MMA Offshore.

CAPSTAN partners CSIRO and the Australian and New Zealand International Scientific Drilling Consortium (ANZIC) receive funding for this activity from the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

About CAPSTAN

CAPSTAN is a first-of-its-kind training initiative that offers Australian university students and trainers at-sea experience onboard our state-of-the-art ocean research vessel (RV) Investigator.

About CAPSTAN [2mins19sec]

[Music plays as image appears panning over the Investigator ship, and text appears: CAPSTAN, Collaborative Australian Postgraduate Sea Training Alliance Network]

[Image changes to show a medium view of Ben Arthur talking to the camera, and text appears: Dr Ben Arthur, Engagement Programs Coordinator CSIRO]

Ben Arthur: CAPSTAN is a sea training program for postgraduate students from universities around Australia. So it's all about hands on training in marine sciences at sea. 

Images move through to show the RV Investigator sailing across the screen from left to right, a view of the bridge from the deck, and the working platform deck]

RV investigator’s a great vessel to work on board. It's a very stable platform. 

[Images move through to show workmen, a multi corer being pulled up, a shark biting a baited net, and then colleagues sitting and talking together]

It has quite wide ranging capabilities, which means when we take students on board, we can teach them everything from marine geoscience through to oceanography through to marine biology, even atmospheric science. 

[Image changes to show someone talking, and then the image changes to show Ben talking to the camera]

So the vessel really enables us to deliver a whole suite of training. I have been lucky enough to, I think just done my 12th voyage onboard Investigator and they are all wonderful. 

[Images move through to show the Investigator sailing, a deep towed camera entering the sea, and then a male watching a bank of computer screens]

They are all unique. They are all different because we are going to different parts of Australia's amazing marine estate, and we are tackling really important and interesting questions too. 

[Images move through to show various views of a screen for Deep Toad Camera details, students taking notes, students cleaning items and then Ben talking to the camera]

I think the CAPSTAN program will give students a lot of benefits from being on board the vessel, familiarity with how marine science and operations are done at sea, planning for sometimes quite complex operations, being at sea for the first time for a lot of these students is also something that is going to be quite unique for them as well. So really just getting a handle on working in a dynamic environment and often across different disciplines and tackling different questions. 

[Image changes to show Pier van der Merwe talking to the camera, and text appears: Dr Pier van der Merwe, Senior Lecturer in Oceanography IMAS CAPSTAN Director]

Pier van der Merwe: Every CAPSTAN voyage is going to be bespoke. We are going to have different chief scientists and trainers on board, so it's going to be bespoke for the specific skill sets and expertise that those chief scientists have. 

[Images move through to show the Investigator sailing, a female researcher with a male in the foreground looking at nudibranchs, and then tweezers picking up a nudibranch]

Early career researchers and mid-career researchers can get involved with CAPSTAN by applying to be a trainer or a Chief Scientist on board. 

[Images move through to show colleagues talking over a microscope and computers, hands moving a slide under the microscope to see it on a phone, and then a group of students]

So CAPSTAN is really great in that it's offering opportunities not just for students but also for other researchers that might like to get some experience either with teaching or with leading a large voyage on Australia's premier blue-water research vessel. 

[Image changes to show Pier talking to the camera] 

So if universities are not already subscribed to the CAPSTAN program or are involved through having being a member of ANZIC, Australia and New Zealand IODP Consortium, they should get in contact with me. 

[Image changes to show an aerial view of the Investigator sailing and the camera pans out, and text appears: Video by CSIRO, University of Tasmania, Olly Dove, Music by Cody Kurtz Martin]

My details are on the CSIRO website on the CAPSTAN page, and I will provide them with all of the information that they need to get involved.

[Music plays and image changes to show the CSIRO, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and the ANZIC logos, and text appears: csiro.au/capstan]

Voyage outcomes

Voyage outcomes will be published approximately 3-6 months after the completion of the voyage.

 

Voyage media

News

23 September 2024

Join us for unforgettable moments at sea with CAPSTAN

Ever dreamed of exploring the ocean as a marine scientist? The Collaborative Australian Postgraduate Sea Training Alliance Network (CAPSTAN) offers students the chance to do just that aboard RV Investigator.

Related to this page

Contact us

Find out how we can help you and your business. Get in touch using the form below and our experts will get in contact soon!

CSIRO will handle your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and our Privacy Policy.


This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

First name must be filled in

Surname must be filled in

I am representing *

Please choose an option

Please provide a subject for the enquriy

0 / 100

We'll need to know what you want to contact us about so we can give you an answer

0 / 1900

You shouldn't be able to see this field. Please try again and leave the field blank.