It’s official: All American Marine will build Middlebury’s new research vessel. The vessel will be twin hulled — a catamaran — and 45 feet long. Middlebury’s research vessel will be very similar its sister ship, the R/V AUK (pictured here), which AAM built for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Of the eight ship builders who sent us proposals in 2008, AAM was the best: their design and construction capabilities are superior, and the level of detail they provided convinced us that they are the right choice.