As an NWO institute, and as amply noted above, NIOZ makes available its knowledge and state-of-the-art analytical and sea going facilities at-large for the entire scientific community working in or with marine sciences in general in various ways, nationally and internationally. We commit to constantly updating and upgrading our analytical, technical and logistical capabilities where and when needed and feasible. We do this while coordinating with our various national and sometimes international research partners so that large scale equipment and capabilities are most effectively distributed (operationally and financially). Within NIOZ, field- and sea-going analytical and research equipment infrastructure is operated through National Marine research Facilities (NMF), while the bulk of the shore-based analytical and experimental facilities is housed within the most pertaining departments (see further below). Extremely important in the coming years is the notion that our current research fleet is aged, and well beyond its practical and economic lifetime. The urgent need for replacement has been noted throughout the past decade by every single national and international review panel. Together with NWO, the taskforce fleet replacement is now taking all appropriate technical and strategic steps to guarantee the viability of the Dutch marine science community in order to secure ocean and sea-going expeditions for the Netherlands in the future. Current planning includes having the new ships in operation by 2022. The new ships will be geared towards low to zero emission in due course, and will serve the marine and maritime (technical) communities alike, also with the aim to further building bridges between them.