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Instructions/timeline for R/V LANGSETH Chief Scientists and PIs Foreign Clearances: Upon scheduling of a cruise, the PI will be contacted by R/V LANGSETH's Marine Science Coordinator. If foreign clearance is required, the US Department of State asks that applications be submitted to them 27 weeks in advance of the cruise. Applications for clearance to operate in foreign territorial waters or EEZs are submitted by Lamont's Office of Marine Affairs, but the Principal Investigator must provide the necessary background information, which typically includes a description of the science objectives and the methods to be used, a bibliography listing papers previously published concerning work in the area, a list of participants, a description of data to be collected, and how it will be shared with the country in question. Also required is a track map, the PI's CV and a scanned image of the PI's passport photo page. NSF has prepared a guide for Principal investigators, which will be quite useful. Environmental permits: All LANGSETHseismic cruises will be permitted according to the rules of the applicable agencies of US federal, state and foreign governments. The permitting processes may be quite lengthy, and it is imperative to identify the necessary permits and begin the application process as early as possible. If your cruise has a seismic component, or if it even includes the use of mapping and/or subbottom sonars, contact the Lamont Marine Safety and Environmental Coordinator: Michael Rawson, 845-365-8456 rawson@ldeo.columbia.edu Equipment: Shipboard equipment request form should be copied from the LANGSETH web page, filled out and returned at least four months prior to the cruise. This form includes all of the scientific equipment normally provided by the OMO technical group, and supplements the information given in the UNOLS Ship Time Request form, allowing us to prepare and provide the necessary instrumentation and supplies. Hazardous materials or chemicals: If these are to be used during the cruise, please fill out and return the HazMat form. Radioactive isotopes and standards are only to be used within a dedicated portable van. Arrangements must be approved by Columbia University's Radiation Safety Officer: George Hamawy, RSO Assistant Director Office of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety Columbia University 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (212) 854-4442 , Fax: 212-316-4937 email: gh81@columbia.edu Personnel and Security: The PI should provide a complete list of participants and briefly describe their shipboard role. Each participant should download the medical history and Next-Of-Kin forms from the LANGSETH webpage, fill them out, and mail or fax them to the Marine Science Coordinator. When Non-US ports are scheduled, every participating US scientist must have an up-to-date passport and visas as required. All Non-US participants must have a current up-to-date national passport AND a visa that explicitly permits entry into the scheduled ports. All foreign nationals arriving at a US port aboard a ship must have a visa, even if they do not need one when arriving by air. As of July 2003, new CFRs (Code of Federal Regulations) require all US ships to exercise positive access control. This requires a manned gangway watch, at all times. A security guard or a crewmember will permit or deny access to the ship depending upon the person's identity and business aboard. Once science crew are known and recognized, there should be little impact or inconvenience. However, newly arriving science personnel must be prepared to identify themselves with photo identification when first joining the vessel. New U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security regulations are being issued frequently and subject to change depending upon the current alert level. For the latest information, and how it may affect your cruise planning, please check with Paul Ljunggren (845-365-8845) Science Packages and Shipping: Any equipment sent by the science party to the ship must be clearly labeled and identified as to the recipient scientist (c/o the ship) and sender. Complete manifests must be transmitted in advance to the Lamont Office of Marine Operations. No packages, boxes, crates, backpacks, suitcases, containers, cylinders or any other type of unaccompanied baggage will be loaded on board until positively identified by a member of the science party for whom it is intended. If no one is available to vouch for a shipment when it shows up at the gangway, it will be left on the pier or returned to the warehouse, raising the possibility of delay and extra charges to the science party by agents, longshoremen, and shippers. Communications: Personal telephone calls may be made via Iridium satellite. Phone cards may be purchased on board. Email connects are made at least four times per day. Email use is not normally charged, but a limit of 75Kb per message is imposed. Arrangements can be made for larger messages as required by science operations. An email account will be created for each member of the science party for the duration of the cruise. Email addresses are typically of the form:
lastname@ewing.ldeo.columbia.edu - where lastname is truncated to 8 characters if necessary.
These accounts are set up by the shipboard computer systems administrator when the list of participants is received. Agent Charges: Please be advised that any science related Agent charges will be passed on to the science project. These may include (but are not limited to):
The Chief Scientist/Principal Investigator will be responsible for reimbursing Columbia University for all of these charges Frequently, Agents from foreign ports submit their invoices to us as much as six months after a port call. Therefore, PIs would be well advised to retain funds on hand for expected billings after their cruises. |