A New Ship s Mission: Let the Deep Sea Be Seen – The New York Times

In 2014, when crude oil was selling for more than $100 a barrel, the cost of a new drill ship for oil exploration could run to $100 million.

So when the price of oil crashed, Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, an investment firm in Westport, Conn., saw an opening. In 2016, he bought a lightly used oil drilling ship at a very attractive price and transformed it into his dream a vessel for big science, big technology and big storytelling. Mr. Dalio s aim is to help Homo sapiens connect more intimately with the ocean, with what he calls our world s greatest asset.

OceanXplorer is now making its operational debut, after years of rebuilding, upgrading and outfitting. So is Mr. Dalio, 71, as a new kind of entrepreneur. He sees his glistening, high-tech ship as a superstar not only of oceanic research but of video production, nature television shows and livestreaming events that will open the abyss to an unusually wide audience.

via www.nytimes.com

I want one.