Behold OceanXplorer.  I missed them in a search because I was looking for an Ocean Explorer.  Of the many exotics that have called in the sixth boro in recent years, this one stands out.

She started life as Volstad Surveyor in 2010, a much more spartan-looking workboat, launched at Construcciones Navales Paulino Freire, Spain.  Since then she’s seen major modification inside and out by OceanX, in partnership with BBC’s Blue Planet and James Cameron, who “sailed” to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 2012.

OceanX is the project of a Queens native named Ray Dalio, in town for a few days. 

Media was invited but somehow tugster was omitted from the guest list . . . at least so far.

Look at this and then see

this labeled diagram from here.  If you do FB, here‘s a story from Good Morning America of the previous boat in operation in mid-2019.

A comparison with Jacques Cousteau has been made;  Calypso was also a made-over workboat, and big money was involved there too.  In the photo below, note the person on the dock off the stern line of the vessel?

All photos, WVD.  Calypso is currently still in rebuild in Turkey, SE of Istanbul.

Several other projects come to mind:  Lone Ranger and Ocearch. If I’ve never posted my Ocearch story, here it is.