Operations Officer Nicola VerPlanck discusses the ship's position with Major Muddan Zayadi and Commanding Officer Joe Pica on the bridge. Soon after Major Muddan confirmed that data collection could commence, INDEX-SATAL 2010 was underway.

Operations Officer Nicola VerPlanck discusses the ship's position with Major Muddan Zayadi and Commanding Officer Joe Pica on the bridge. Soon after Major Muddan confirmed that data collection could commence, INDEX-SATAL 2010 was underway. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, INDEX-SATAL 2010. Download larger version (jpg, 505 KB).

Ship's Position
June 24, 2010

After more than one and a half years of planning and preparation, INDEX-SATAL 2010 has finally started. At approximately 1630 local time, Major Muddan Zayadi, the onboard security officer from the Indonesian Navy, confirmed that the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer was within the approved geographic areas of operations. Within 15min of that determination, ship sensors were turned on. The Indonesia-US Deep Sea Exploration of the Sangihe-Talaud Region is now underway!