R/V PELICAN

The flagship of LUMCON’s marine operations and fleet is the 116 ft. R/V Pelican, which was designed and outfitted to conduct a variety of oceanographic research missions. She’s based at LUMCON’s DeFelice Marine Center in Cocodrie, LA. The reliability, utility, and seaworthiness of the vessel and the crew are well-demonstrated and heralded by the scientific community. Often referred to by oceanographers as the “Workhorse of the Gulf”, the R/V Pelican has a long track record of successful scientific research and is equipped to handle operations that include: wet and dry lab use, scientific diving, trawling, large box-core sampling, piston cores, shallow seismic surveys, ROV operations, buoy deployment and recovery, and hydrographic casts with CTD-rosette systems. She has four laboratories and is capable of taking 14 scientists to sea for periods up to three weeks at a time. The main deck runs the length of the vessel and covers approximately 1,056 square feet of open aft deck and about 1,000 sq. ft. of interior deck space forward.

LUMCON is a member of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) and the R/V Pelican is a designated UNOLS vessel.

• For a detailed and downloadable description of the R/V Pelican, including a spec sheet and cruise planning information, contact our Vessel Operations Office.
• If you would like to charter the R/V Pelican, please complete the pre-cruise planning forms by clicking this link (before grant proposal submission is best). Please also request ship time through UNOLS. You can see the Pelican‘s most up-to-date schedule here.
• After your cruise is complete, please submit a Post-cruise Assessment through UNOLS.

If you have any questions about the R/V Pelican, please contact our Vessel Operations Office or visit our Fees, Policies, and Forms page. Keep up with the R/V Pelican and her crew by following them on Facebook. Read about the history of the Pelican here.