Message from the Vice President for Marine Facilities & Operations

Robert S.C. Munier

WHOI’s tradition of seagoing oceanographic research stretches back more than 80 years. Operating alongside the world’s best ocean scientists and engineers, the Institution’s marine operations professionals have enabled some of the most iconic accomplishments in ocean exploration and research. In many respects, however, this history, and the credibility it gives us in the oceanographic community, is just a beginning for WHOI Marine Operations.

The quality and scope of service we provide remains unrivaled, extending across ship operations, diving, scientific sensor and sampler deployment, remotely operated and autonomous vehicle operation, project management, and new instrument development. Our record of success in all of these activities speaks to the experience we have compiled over years of testing and deploying precision instruments and complex systems in one of the most hostile environments on Earth.

It also underscores our commitment to reliability and safety, as well as to our steadfast determination not to become a variable in the scientific experiments we enable. Our efforts to develop new tools and methods to study the ocean and our commitment to push the limits of what scientists can study also make us an active, equal partner in oceangoing scientific research.

The ocean is a complex and difficult place to work. By combining our unmatched expertise with our unique capabilities and a willingness to solve new, difficult problems in creative ways, we play an integral role in advancing human knowledge about the ocean.