January 31, 2010

Budget-Pinched Ocean Scientists Find a Bargain-Priced Research Ship

Budget-Pinched Ocean Scientists Find a Bargain-Priced Research Ship 2

Amir Yurman

Beverly Goodman, of the U. of Haifa, greets Mediterranean fauna on a dive to collect sediment cores.

By Matthew Kalman

Herzliya, Israel

The R/V Mediterranean Explorer squats at its moorings in a remote corner of the Herzliya Marina like an ugly duckling among the sleek ocean-going yachts anchored in this millionaires' water park north of Tel Aviv.

But for marine scientists in Israel and abroad, the MedEx, as it is affectionately known, is a thing of beauty. The ship and its crew carry scientists, their experiments, and students for $400 per day, a fraction of the cost of similar research vessels. The

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