Ship Time Request and Scheduling
Vessel scheduling is managed by UNOLS. Requests for ship time should be submitted online to the Marine Facilities Planning at the time of proposal submission to the federal agencies, approximately one year before the expected expedition. The Director of Research Vessel Operations (DRVO) is responsible for ship scheduling at UH Marine Center (UHMC). You can also inquire about scheduling at uhmarine@hawaii.edu. The scheduling process begins in the late spring with most schedules finalized at the annual meeting of the UNOLS Ship Scheduling Committee hosted by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Expeditions are scheduled according to compatibility in terms of inclusive dates, area of operation, and equipment requirements.
Expedition Planning
Once a ship time request has been assigned to the Kilo Moana the Tech Manager will create a new expedition profile on the Marine Facilities Planning. The Chief Scientist or other designated official (Cruise Administrator) will then be invited to administer the Cruise Profile and update the Cruise Profile with all pertinent information. There are two keys provided for access to the site: Cruise Administrator and Cruise User.
The Cruise Administrator (CA) can edit all sections of the Cruise Profile. The CA should send invitations and the Cruise User key via Marine Facilities Planning to all other expedition participants or “Users”, who can view, but not edit, all sections of expedition information, except for private user information. All private personal information in the database is treated as confidential and only authorized administrative personnel can view these data. Users should add themselves to the participant roster, fill out the questionnaire, upload documents and photos, and declare hazardous materials they plan to bring along.
