In 2017 Kjell Inge Rokke announced that he was funding the purchase of an 182.9 meter research vessel to provide equipment and tools to enable researchers to take measurements from the atmosphere, and from below sea level, for advanced research.
In May 2017, Rkke announced that he is funding the purchase of the world's largest and most advanced research vessel (). The 182.9-meter-long vessel, which is scheduled to be launched in 2021, will give researchers tools they could not otherwise have dreamed of, reports Aftenposten. Equipment on board the research ship will enable researchers to take measurements from the atmosphere as well as 6,000 meters below the surface of the sea  including up to 20 meters under the seabed. 
