Private Research Vessel Held in Icelandic Waters

Hey folks,

Allow me to start by saying that this seems like quite a small story and probably doesn't impact any of you at all, but considering that I know you all love a little mystery, please take the time to have a read of what will follow:

A Norwegian owned research vessel, Seabed Constructor, which was brought to harbour on Sunday by the Icelandic Coast Guard on suspicion of being engaged in unauthorized marine research, has been cleared to leave harbour. It has, however, been banned from engaging in any further research in Icelandic waters..

So, the crew of the vessel are claiming that they are surveying for the wreck of a ship called the S.S. Minden - a German merchant vessel which was sank by the Royal Navy shortly after the outbreak of WWII - for valuable minerals. Sounds like a standard salvage operation, and thus requires no special dispensation for them to do so nor would a ban-on-research be levied against them were this truly the case. So why the detainment and research ban? Well...

According to historical documents and the manifest of the SS Minden the vessel was not carrying a valuable cargo when it sank. Instead of minerals or valuables the ship was carrying resin from Brazil intended for industrial use.

What about this makes me bring this small piece of news to you? Let the juicy facts flow! (all from the linked article)

• The German vessel did make a stop in Rio de Janeiro after picking up its reported cargo in Santos
  
• After this stop the ship attempted to run the UK blockade of Germany, but was caught by the Royal Navy.
  
• Rather than having the Royal Navy capture the ship its crew scuttled the vessel.
  
• The research vessel is being operated by a UK company called Advanced Marine Services.
  
• Very little is known about the above company (just try finding anything that isn't Company House info).
  
• This mission (whatever it is) is expensive - costs at least 1 million NOK (116,000 USD/110,000 EUR) each day. It's mission in Icelandic waters would therefore already have cost several million USD/EUR.
  
• The decision by the Icelandic authorities to ban the ship from engaging in further research in Icelandic waters suggests that they did do not accept the company's argument that they were engaged in a salvage operation. Had they accepted this explanation the Seabed Constructor would have been allowed to continue its mission.
  

And finally, a little speculation from a local historian:

Either the British company has found some new information which has eluded everyone for the past 80 years, or they are using the Minden as cover for something else they are studying at the bottom of the ocean. For the time being I find the second explanation more likely.

Given the above, if proven accurate and correct, does anyone have any compelling ideas or lines of enquiry about such happenings?

They finally found the panels for the Amber Room? ?

Or Hitler's real body?

Exciting stuff, I love mystery and intriguing scenarios like this.
We need Mulder and Scully.

a reply to: Revolvacron

Googling the ships name reveals images of the vessel itself...

seabed constructor

In that search is a website connected with the seabed construction of you guessed it...

energy

It is private, researching locations for building seabed foundations for oil and gas platforms.

Edit: Also turns out data communications for defense and ummm, deep water recovery, according to this:

Swire Seabed’s other subsea vessels are Seabed Worker, Seabed Supporter and Seabed Prince. These versatile and modern vessels are designed to perform a diverse range of light construction, IMR and survey work scopes in both the Oil & Gas and renewables sector. All vessels are equipped with heavy-duty WROVs (work class ROVs), some with water depth capacity of 6,000 meters, and have a track record for executing specialist ultra-deep water cargo recoveries at depths well beyond 4,000 metres.

source

Are they recovering 'valuable mineral' cargo or surveying for oil and gas...

a reply to: Revolvacron

So, to be clear, this is a Norwegian ship, operating on behalf of a UK company?

Interesting. I wonder why this was necessary?

a reply to: intrptr

Yeah that's what my gut is telling me too. I'm not at home so haven't delved into it proper, yet.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Yeah, it's the little things about the story that piqued my interest, and had me bring it here for your dissemination

a reply to: intrptr

It certainly stinks of something corporate.

I am wondering if there are certain rules which apply to deep sea prospecting, which do not apply to salvage operations. That might explain why the double dutch was necessary.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Double dutch as in double speak? Yah, expect it, look for it.

The farther up the chain of greed we go the more we find they talk out both sides of their mouth.

I sure would like to know what that supposed resin is on the ship.

Good for the Icelandic Coast Guard for catching them.

a reply to: Revolvacron

Very interesting. My interest is not in the SS Minden, but in the story of the US Navy sub SS Trepang that has been featured on ATS from other accounts. If those images in that account are genuine of a huge submarine-type of ship falling out of the sky back in March of 1971, then that story didn't end there. The US, if not other countries, had a top secret mission to retrieve a sunken Soviet sub with a ship built by Howard Hughes called the Global Explorer. Some stories of that mission say it mostly failed and some say that it was a success. It was decades before the details of that mission became known. Today such work would probably use submersibles and not the crude grappling claw used in that expedition.

I'm not claiming anything, BUT, if any aspect of the Trepang story is true, I can't imagine that the US would allow that sunken submarine/spaceship to remain in its resting place.

www.theblackvault.com...#

According to Lárusson the ship doesn’t have any permits for research in Icelandic waters, that’s why it was directed to land in Iceland. He says it doesn’t matter if it was looking for a wrecked ship

“To find a wrecked ship you need to do explore and do research, and for that a permit is needed. This is conduct is inexcusable. This is a great ship that costs millions to run. The company operates all over the world and the managers know full well that there are rules. I find this all rather suspicious.”

icelandmonitor.mbl.is - Norwegian research ship directed to dock by Coast Guard.

Telling the coast guard two different stories probably doesn't help your cause! Especially using *shifty eyes* which they did. Add to that, they were sitting in dock for a while which prompted the initial coast guard contact.

Very strange!

a reply to: TrueBrit

Local knowledge.

Interesting.

I wonder if this has any connection to the warships sunk during WWII that have gone missing.

l ink

Tomb robbing, essentially.

a reply to: TrueBrit

very simple - vessel capability and availiability

just my opinion - but seabed constructor was the first " free for charter " vessel that " ticked all boxes "

there are only so many ships out there - some are unsitible for " whatever " the mission really was - and a percent of those that are sutible - are unavailiable

thus - they chartered " seabed constructor " - it was the first availiable vessel capable of fulfiling the mission

a reply to: Natas0114

blinks - just WTF ????????????????

how the hell could :

" hitlers body " or " the amber room " get on board a vessel scuttled in 1939 ??????????????????

you didnt bother to read anything in the OP did you ?

Cannot comment specifically on this interesting case, but will point out that pillaging and looting marine sea/war graves is done on an industrial scale in the North Sea and across the world. A "research" vessel may be a coverall title for unscrupulous salvagers.

a reply to: Revolvacron
Great yarn...just tagging this to stay in the loop.

a reply to: Revolvacron
Let me put you all straight on their actions. The wording of the report clearly stated that they were in Icelandic waters and ANYTHING in those waters firstly belongs to Iceland.
Before any of you jump ship, this means technically they were on Icelandic soil. So for them to be there, as the story portrays, Without any papers from the Icelandic government is a very, very big no no so they were pulled in.
It's exactly the same as a foreign company coming and digging up your property to search for something without your or your governments permission.

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Unless there was a ghost ship.

From a brief google search.

In 1939 she was rebuilt: 116.8m, 4,301 grt and powered by a Steam Turbine giving 15 knots.

The research vessel looks like it would be more appropriate for undersea oil and natural gas exploration?
The only energy related item aboard the Minden circa 1939 might have been "heavy water" bound for Idaho Falls.

originally posted by: paraphi

A "research" vessel may be a coverall title for unscrupulous salvagers.

Even "scrupulous" ones!

Using robotic submarines, researchers from the UK's National Oceanography Centre found that the crust is dark and fine-grained and stretches in a layer roughly 4cm thick over the entire surface of the mountain.

Dr Bram Murton, the leader of the expedition, told the BBC that he had been expecting to find abundant minerals on the seamount but not in such concentrations.

"These crusts are astonishingly rich and that's what makes these rocks so incredibly special and valuable from a resource perspective."

He has calculated that the 2,670 tonnes of tellurium on this single seamount represents one-twelfth of the world's total supply. [!!!]

BBC.com (US ver), Renewables' deep-sea mining conundrum.

Trace minerals and rare-earth elements are the new gold rush. You can only dig so many large, open pit mines. This is just lying on the sea floor. The issue is that humans want these elements and in so doing the natural living creatures will be hurt (the article say, "unrecoverable" to some populations). Anyway, it is a long read and a good one to see what and why sea mining is purposed.

I find it interesting that "UK" is involved with the Iceland incident and this shows up on BBC! Justification?