Facilities, Vessels & Equipment
World-leading marine research facilities, equipment and vessels for hire or use in projects
At PML Applications, our services include vessel and facility hire, management, crewing, and support. Many of our resources, such as vessel chartering and laboratory access, support multiple project types; others are custom-built, suiting a specific purpose, such as our paint testing rig. Find out more about the types of science facilities, vessels and equipment available.
If you don’t see the item or service you are looking for, contact us to discuss your project requirements. Our team of experts designs and commissions bespoke equipment with our contacts in engineering firms, design, fabrication & replication (3D printing & scanning).
Ocean equipment and capabilities at PML Applications
Our fleet of vessels, owned by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), is designed for scientific research with future-proofed equipment and an expert crew trained in research support.
Vessels:
- Plymouth Quest (21m Cat 2 workboat with highly experienced crew)
- PML Explorer (7m Code 3R Rigid Inflatable Boat)
- PML Pioneer (5m fully instrumented AutoNaut – wave-powered autonomous vessel)
PML Applications also has access to the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport as well as approved water space for autonomous technology trials. Working in collaboration with PML-led Smart Sound Plymouth, we conduct autonomy trials with our specialist equipment.
We provide direct access to the advanced communications network and infrastructure of Smart Sound Plymouth:
- 5G/4G private network across the port
- 4G coverage in pre-agreed autonomy trial areas
- Control hubs housed at Oceansgate and PML
- Wave Relay offshore marine network, coverage over 20 miles offshore
- Integrated network usage
- L4 buoy
- E1 Buoy
- Other buoys (PML Applications)
This equipment is available for a range of project types, including autonomous trials and surveys, complete with a variety of tools and sensors to help you scope out suitable locations for your project or conduct research. You can also hire:
- Drone, ROV, and LiDAR (with dive teams available)
On-site and Plymouth-based equipment and facilities at PML Applications
As the commercial arm of the charity, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), we share the research building at Plymouth Hoe, giving us access to state-of-the-art laboratories and workshops. Clients can use spaces exclusively for an agreed period of time for large-scale projects, or you can commission work to be carried out by our scientists in any of our facilities.
We also work in a range of locations across Plymouth, such as marinas and at Oceansgate – a hub for marine industries with access to the River Tamar.
Laboratory and workshop facilities:
- A range of technical workshops and office spaces (including access to the Oceansgate site within the Plymouth Freeport area)
- Mesocosm (variable velocity flume tank, closed loop flow-through tanks and static seawater tanks)
- Laboratories (eDNA, microplastics, nutrients, microbiology)
Plymouth-based partner locations:
- Oceansgate Storage Facility and Conference Room
- Shore Store Boat Yard and Marina
- Millbay Marina
Specialist biofouling and coating testing facilities at PML Applications
PML Applications’ 17 years of experience have shaped our current biofouling and coating testing facilities to provide reliable data from our multiple test platforms and rigs, including dynamic rigs, large static rafts in high fouling locations, and an in-water cleaning rig with a range of attachments. Our skilled team works with fabricators to design and build bespoke rigs to test at the scale you require.
In-water cleaning trials
Our innovative in-water cleaning test centre is a culmination of the years of expertise of the PML Applications’ Centre for Marine Biofouling and Corrosion team. Our bespoke in-water hull cleaning rig is designed to conduct controlled and repeatable small-scale in-water cleaning trials. Multiple coatings can be tested side-by-side on a range of brush and high pressure water cleaning types for rapid, robust results. Tests include cleaning efficacy, coating damage, paint particle and biocide release and post clean refouling.
Antifoul coating tests
Our antifoul coatings test facilities include a dynamic test raft featuring six motorised test rigs used to simulate vessel operating profiles (speed and duration) and test multiple coatings side by side. Each motorised rig can be modified for any bespoke trial, such as wear testing. A choice of test substrates, such as steel panels, PVC drums or small coupons, is available to carry out trials to your specifications.
Corrosion and material selection/degradation testing facilities
Our corrosion and material degradation testing services utilise our marina facilities to allow real-time material testing in marine environmental conditions, with integrated biofouling analysis and expert microscopic analysis of corroded/degraded samples.
In addition to in-situ marine environmental tests, we perform bespoke laboratory tests including electrochemical corrosion testing (using EIS capable laboratory grade potentiostats), physical material tests (including bend tests, chemical immersion tests and temperature varied seawater immersion tests), and tests using a flume tank to simulate varied flow conditions and other closed loop flow-through tanks that can be adapted for different chemical conditions. This enables us to design bespoke material degradation, corrosion and material selection tests that closely simulate your specific environmental conditions and in-service context.
More about our Centre for Marine Biofouling and Corrosion facilities
Digital equipment and facilities at PML Applications
At PML Applications, our digital division provides and maintains computer-based services for your company. Some of these digital services are available to clients via cloud hosting or can be hosted on your chosen network.
- CORDIAL, an earth observation data repository that provides a user-friendly dashboard and actionable insights based on your requirements
- Complete archive of Earth observation satellite data – optical and radar data from multiple ESA and NASA missions covering the last 30 years
- Rapid access to near real-time imagery of Earth observation data
- Access to very high-resolution data from commercial providers
- Expertise with all major cloud computing providers, delivering access to scalable infrastructure
- High performance computing facilities
PML Applications is dedicated to completing projects with precision and care using our state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and vessels. We are open to learning about new equipment for your project and are available to discuss rig designs for your specialised trials. With a proven track record in handling bespoke specifications, we take your project from start to finish with great attention to detail and insight.
PML Applications’ Technical skills/expertise include:
- Deployments
- Permissions for moorings and sea-bed activities
- Biofouling control
- Compliance – biosecurity, environmental impact
- Mooring design
- Verification of results
- Small boat works
- Environmental technology testing
- Technicians (ROV, autonomous vessel, robotics etc.)
- Environmental monitoring (chemical, biological, physical)
If you are interested in using any of our facilities and equipment, email us at forinfo@pml-applications.co.uk or call +44 (0)1752 633 412
For hire of our vessels, email facilityhire@pml.ac.uk or call +44 (0)1752 633 412
