Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt transformed a former fisheries protection vessel into a philanthropic ocean research platform that, by 2022, had hosted more than 1,000 scientists and mapped over 1.3 million square kilometres of the ocean floor. According to Schmidt Ocean Institute, the vessel, named Falkor, was originally built in 1981 as a fishery protection ship. It was acquired by the Schmidts in 2009 when they founded the Schmidt Ocean Institute, an organisation focused on advancing oceanographic research and exploration. After undergoing an extensive two-year refit, Falkor was converted into what the institute described as the world’s first year-round philanthropic research vessel made available to scientists at no cost.
Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt donated to Italy’s National Research Council
Rather than retiring the vessel, Schmidt Ocean Institute donated Falkor to Italy’s Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), the country’s largest research organization, comprising 88 institutes nationwide and a marine science community of more than 450 researchers. Under CNR, the ship was renamed Gaia Blu and continues operating in the Mediterranean and beyond.Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute, said that after a decade of remarkable discoveries and scientific research, she and Eric couldn’t imagine a better home for Falkor than CNR, expressing confidence that the agency would continue the ship’s legacy of ocean exploration, supporting marine science, and bringing the wonders of the ocean to the public.Eric Schmidt echoed that sentiment, pointing to CNR’s century of scientific experience and its track record of investing in talented researchers as reasons he believed the organization was an excellent new home for the vessel, adding that he looked forward to seeing what further discoveries would emerge from Falkor’s continued work at sea.CNR president Prof. Maria Chiara Carrozza called the donation extremely beneficial for both CNR and the wider Italian scientific community, noting that it would help foster collaboration with international research institutes and universities studying the Mediterranean basin — one of the cradles of human civilization, and a region heavily impacted by human activity. She added that the vessel would give Italian scientists a unique opportunity to pursue multi-year ocean research as part of both European and other international projects.
Hosted more than 1,000 scientists
According to the institute, Falkor completed 81 research expeditions and hosted 1,056 international scientists during its time in service. The ship travelled a distance equivalent to more than 12 trips around the world while supporting marine research projects across multiple oceans.The vessel’s explorations contributed to several notable discoveries, including a 500-metre-tall coral reef in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, deep-sea coral “gardens” off Western Australia, and rare footage of the elusive glass octopus.
The mission continues with a bigger ship
Schmidt Ocean Institute didn’t step back from ocean research after donating Falkor — instead, it transitioned to an even larger vessel, Falkor (too), which launched in early fall 2022 after being outfitted with what the organization described as some of the most sophisticated maritime technology available. At 110 metres, the new ship is significantly larger than its predecessor, and has continued the Institute’s core mission: operating the world’s only year-round philanthropic research vessel made available to the international scientific community entirely free of cost.
