Gabe Newell’s marine research nonprofit Inkfish is going all-in on the abyss. The group has ordered a purpose-built deep-sea research vessel in a deal worth roughly $814 million. The project, known as RV11000, will clock in at about 162 meters long (around 531 feet) and is being designed to map the seafloor, carry submersibles, and handle coring and sampling missions in the deepest ocean trenches.
Vard Lands Record Contract
Vard said in a press release that it signed with U.S.-based Inkfish on May 29 for a vessel valued at nearly €700 million, or about $814 million, making it the yard’s largest single-vessel order. The company describes RV11000 as a VARD 9 42 design with a 28-meter beam and a set of systems built for high-resolution seafloor mapping and submersible support.
What the Ship Will Carry
According to Fincantieri, which owns Vard, RV11000 will support ROVs and manned submersibles to depths of up to 11,000 meters, include heavy coring and a fiber-rope lifting system with up to 15,000 meters of capacity, and house about 130 crew and scientists. The group said the hull will be built at Vard’s Tulcea yard in Romania, with outfitting in Norway, and is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2030.
Newell’s Growing Fleet
Newell, the Seattle-based founder and CEO of Valve, launched Inkfish in 2021 and has privately funded a growing fleet of research platforms and submersibles. As reported by Puget Sound Business Journal, the Vard contract adds to earlier Inkfish projects. Inkfish also purchased the Hadal Exploration System from Caladan Oceanic in 2022, according to the seller’s announcement.
Private Money and Ocean Science
Marine-industry outlets say orders like this illustrate how private funding is speeding up ocean mapping and technology that used to sit squarely in the realm of national research institutes. The Maritime Executive noted that Vard’s record order highlights rising investment in platforms that can contribute to global seafloor-mapping efforts.
Vard’s materials quote a company executive saying, “The RV11000 is not just another research vessel,” underscoring the project’s scientific focus, according to the yard’s announcement. For Seattle, the order signals that a local tech billionaire is steering serious money into high-end oceanography rather than only private yachts, and it will put far more civilian capability into the trenches of the deep ocean once the ship arrives in 2030.
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