The institute's campus includes specialized laboratories, administrative buildings, computing and remote sensing resources, a library, an atmospheric tower, as well as facilities for housing staff and students.

The establishment of the Institute traces back to December 1974, when Professor Warren Wooster from the University of Miami was invited to METU to discuss the founding of a marine sciences department.

Initially based in Ankara, the department was envisioned to relocate to Turkey’s southern coast upon the completion of a permanent campus, highlighting the importance of coastal proximity for marine sciences research.

In alignment with global marine conservation efforts, the Department played a pivotal role in the United Nations Environment Programme’s Mediterranean Action Plan (MED-POL) in the late 1970s.

Designated as a national and regional activity center, it undertook pilot projects on monitoring heavy metal pollution, chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, petroleum hydrocarbons, and ocean currents in the Mediterranean.

Constructed in Istanbul and launched in 1983, the vessel features a steel hull and specifications tailored for diverse marine research activities: R/V Bilim 2 accommodates a crew of 12 and a scientific team of up to 14 members for extended missions of approximately 45 days.

[6] For oceanographic measurements, data is collected using a Sea-Bird Model 9 CTD profiling system and a General Oceanics rosette sampler with 12 bottles of 5-liter capacity, both operated via a Lebus hydrographic winch fitted with a 2000-meter cable.

Additionally, it supports marine geological investigations with an EG&G Uniboom shallow seismic system, side-scan sonars, corers, and a Mini Rover Benthos MK II underwater remotely operated camera for seafloor surveys.