“Chicago Express” supports weather researchers in the United States
They navigate container ships, transport goods and always keep an eye on the weather. But the officers of the watch on our “Chicago Express” training vessel also have an extra responsibility: They collect climate-related data on the Atlantic for research purposes.
The measuring probe that the officer of the watch on duty lowers down from the bridge looks like a miniature torpedo. This probe is lowered into the water every four hours to measure its temperature and depth. The probe is equipped with temperature and pressure sensors and synchronised with a special computer device that enables our crew to transmit all data in real time to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States. Having up-to-date data is crucial for reliable weather forecasting and climate research. Before taking the measurements, the officer of the watch enters several current ship parameters into the computer, such as course and current velocity.
Commercial vessels collect reliable and regular data
“As a merchant ship, we offer the scientists a great benefit,” says Captain Clemens Heinrich. “Since we regularly pass by the same places on our fixed routes, we can collect data on a continuous basis.” In the age of the coronavirus pandemic and contact restrictions, this task is particularly valuable and carries a lot of responsibility. Whereas NOAA scientists used to occasionally come along on voyages and take part in the measurements, Hapag-Lloyd employees currently have to conduct the tests by themselves.
“This isn’t a lot of extra work for us, but it makes the wide range of tasks on our training ship even more interesting,” explains Captain Heinrich, who has been at the helm of the “Chicago Express” on its trans-Atlantic leg since September 2020. “We carry out the tests on all longer stretches at sea. For example, on the Mediterranean, it doesn’t make any sense because the distance between ports is too short.”
The 335-metre-long “Chicago Express” regularly sails between Europe and the United States and serves as a training vessel for Hapag-Lloyd. For this reason, the 36-person crew is larger than the crew normally found on a container ship of this class. The ship has an additional deck for the cabins of the young trainees on the crew. At the moment, there are 13 apprentices on board learning to perform various tasks. “By collecting climate and weather data, we are also raising awareness among the trainees of the climate, ocean and environment,” Captain Heinrich says. “For us, it feels nice to be doing something extra for a good cause. And, on top of that, the measuring method is also very interesting from a technological point of view.”
The “Chicago Express” will be calling at the Port of Miami in a few days. Once there, the crew will be visited in person by NOAA scientists. The crew will receive new measuring probes, and the measuring procedures will be expanded to include ones for the Argo program. Argo is a global program for monitoring oceanic weather that uses miniature robots on free-drifting profiling floats to take measurements.
More information on weather monitoring and the Argo program:
https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/argo/index.php
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