EPA OSV BOLD Visits Pacific Northwest

Among the ocean-going visitors to this years Portland Rose Festival is the Ocean Survey Vessel Bold. The Bold is the only OSV in the marine fleet of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This was also the first visit of the ship to the Pacifc Northwest. I had a chance to tour the Bold at the waterfront in Portland.

Lots of interesting research programs take place on board this ship. Side-scanning sonar and remotely operated vehicles for underwater observations were shown during the tour.

While on the tour I noticed quite a bit of VHF marine communications and HF communications gear on the bridge. The ship also appears to carry a satellite base phone aboard. The folks working on board were using FRS radios, so I was unable to locate any agency-specific radio gear on board.

For more information on the Bold, here is a link to the EPA web page:

http://www.epa.gov/bold/

And the operations of the ship are managed by a federal contractor, Seaward Services of Dania Beach, FL:

http://www.seawardservices.com/