An International Endeavor.

The design of Xiamen University’s R/V Tan Kah Kee was a highly coordinated international effort led by Glosten and supported by partners with expertise in vessel design and construction in China. The design process involved a diverse group of stakeholders—scientists, operators, managers, engineers, and fabricators—working together from opposite sides of the globe.

To facilitate input from key experts, we adopted a design leadership transfer process. Glosten took lead responsibility for the concept and preliminary design phases, and upon their completion, the vessel and its primary subsystems were developed to a level to verify science mission requirements and establish capacity for regulatory compliance. All major decisions and analyses that would affect the vessel’s size and performance were developed. Glosten then transferred the design responsibility over to our Chinese partners to complete the contract design for shipyard pricing and contracting. Model testing was conducted in Bulgaria, and experts from China, the United States, Taiwan, Spain, and Norway provided design input.