DTU Aqua at Mors has got a Starfish – a new vessel has been named

A new orange-and-white cutter has berthed at the Shellfish Centre on Mors. It is DTU Aqua’s new research vessel, which on Thursday 7 May was traditionally christened with champagne and celebrated with speeches and a festive atmosphere.

The Director of DTU Aqua christens the new research vessel Asterias with champagne. Photo: Jens Henriksen.

Friday 08 May 2026

Anne Trap-Lind

Clear blue skies, calm weather, cheerful guests and a bottle of champagne on a rope attached to a vessel – everything was ready for a ship christening on the quay at the Shellfish Centre at DTU Aqua on Mors yesterday, 7 May.

The Director of DTU Aqua, Anna Rindorf, had the honour of christening DTU Aqua’s new research vessel with champagne – an old tradition meant to bring good fortune, luck and safety at sea. The new orange-and-white research vessel was given the name Asterias:

“I have been very much looking forward to bringing our new vessel into use. Asterias will give us even better opportunities to understand the significance of climate, fisheries and other human pressures for the productivity and biodiversity of coastal waters, and for how we use and manage them,” said Anna Rindorf in her speech to guests on the quay.

School pupils helped name the vessel

The vessel’s name Asterias is the genus name for starfish – the star of the sea – as Jens Kjerulf Petersen, Professor and Head of Section at DTU Aqua’s Shellfish Centre, explains, adding that it was originally pupils from the centre’s school outreach programme who suggested that the vessel should be called Søstjernen (Starfish).

By choosing the name Asterias, their idea has been adopted while giving the name an added touch of flair.

Asterias was built in Norway by the shipyard Jemar Norpower, where it was specially designed as a state-of-the-art research vessel:

“Our new vessel can operate from nearshore waters in fjords out to open sea, thereby expanding our area of operation. The working environment for our technicians has also been an important element in the design of Asterias, and DTU Aqua’s investment in this vessel shows that the institute is truly committed to the section and the Mors field station, which is highly encouraging,” says Jens Kjerulf Petersen, who is based at the Shellfish Centre.

The new research vessel Asterias in the Limfjord en route to its christening on Thursday, 7 May 2026.
The Director of DTU Aqua, Anna Rindorf, christens Asterias with champagne.
The Director of DTU Aqua, Anna Rindorf, gives a speech at the christening. Photo: Camille Saurel.
Asterias christening, guests on the quay at DTU Aqua, the Shellfish Centre, Mors.
Professor and Head of Section at DTU Aqua’s Shellfish Centre, Jens Kjerulf Petersen, speaks at the christening.
Inside Asterias
Christening on the quay at DTU Aqua on Mors.

Egon P retires as a research vessel

Asterias replaces the vessel Egon P, which has completed its service as a research vessel at DTU Aqua, having been in use for 12 years.

Egon P was named after the former mayor of Mors Municipality, Egon Pleidrup Poulsen, who played an important role in establishing the Danish Shellfish Centre. The Shellfish Centre merged with DTU Aqua in 2014.

Egon P has been sold to a small harbour, Haarum near Harboøre, where it will be used as a service vessel.

Asterias’ first voyage DTU Aqua’s new survey vessel on Mors will be used for monitoring in coastal areas, for example in relation to mussel and oyster stocks in the inner Danish waters, and for fieldwork linked to research projects.

Researchers use data from monitoring surveys to advise decision-makers on setting fisheries quotas.

“With Asterias, the Section for Coastal Ecology once again underlines that its research infrastructure is state-of-the-art and able to support all of the section’s research areas,” said Jens Kjerulf Petersen in his speech at the christening.

Once the Danish maritime authorities have granted final approval, Asterias can set out on its first assignment, which will be to carry out a stock assessment of blue mussels in the Limfjord.

Contact

Jens Kjerulf Petersen

Jens Kjerulf Petersen Professor, Head of Section National Institute of Aquatic Resources Mobile: +45 61222429