NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: NOAA Ocean Exploration

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer at sea. Image courtesy of Art Howard/NOAA Ocean Exploration. Download larger version (jpg, 11.5 MB).

Current Operations:

2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones

June 30 through July 29, 2021

NOAA Ocean Exploration and partners are conducting the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts expedition, a telepresence-enabled ocean exploration expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to collect critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deepwater areas off the eastern U.S. coast and high seas.

About the Ship

Meet the Ship

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is the only federal vessel dedicated to exploring our largely unknown ocean for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge about the deep ocean.

Meet the Team

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is operated by the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and civilians as part of the fleet managed by NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. Mission equipment is operated by NOAA Ocean Exploration.

Ten Years of Collecting Ocean Exploration Data

Since the first ocean exploration data was collected from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in 2009, NOAA Ocean Exploration has led expeditions on the ship around the globe.

Browse Expeditions

Follow expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer while underway or retrace past expeditions. For each expedition, you'll find information ranging from mission plans and background essays to educational materials, expedition updates, and imagery.