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SCP-900 Unknown ? low confidence
SCP-900
Expected annual
$31.1M
One-time setup
$152.6M
Annual recurring
$29.5M
Personnel
45
First-year capital and setup costs are large (~$153M) driven by Site-121 construction, vessel and submersible purchases, and large contingency reserves; steady-state annual costs are ~ $29.53M/yr driven primarily by personnel, vessel operations, and potential fisheries compensation/legal obligations.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $152.6M
Equipment $44.5M
[#2, #3, #5, #8, #11, #13, #16, #18, #19, #20] Major capital purchases: helipad/dock/gensets/desal/HVAC (#2), vessel fleet purchase (#3), helicopter purchase (#5), buoy/marker deployment (#8), communications hardware (#11), manned submersible + suits (#13), medical clinic equipment (#16), secure off-site hardware (#18), PPE/lockers/staging infrastructure (#19), waste-management systems (#20).
Facilities $40.0M
[#1] Construction of Site-121 (remote hardened research/observation facility, living quarters, perimeter defenses, docking/helipad siting). Estimate reflects remote construction, materials shipping, and platform choices.
Emergency Contingency Fund $30.0M
[#22] Rapid-response fund for escalation: contracting extra vessels, military assistance, evacuation, or large-scale containment/cover-up.
Fisheries Compensation Reserve $20.0M
[#10] Contingency reserve for fisheries/shipping compensation or buy-outs to mitigate political/diplomatic consequences of excluding 17,000 km2 of ocean.
Decommissioning Reserve $15.0M
[#23] Reserve for decommissioning Site-121, removing markers/moorings, and environmental remediation if the project is terminated.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $2.8M
[#12, #14, #15, #21] Lab and research buildout: non-electronic/mechanical instrumentation initial purchase (#12), forensic/materials analysis lab (cleanroom, SEM, XRF) (#14), physical archives/film lab/microfiche setup (#15), artifact conservation / museum-grade containment setup (#21).
Training Program Initial $275K
[#17] One-time curriculum development and initial specialized training for Burbak linguistics, non-electronic comms, SOPs, and safety exercises.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $29.5M/yr
Cover Story And Legal $11.8M/yr
[#7, #9, #10] Ongoing enforcement coordination and legal/PR: payments/reimbursements/liaison with national authorities (#7), legal/PR/cover-story maintenance and routine settlements (#9), recurring fisheries/shipping compensation as primary political cost driver (#10).
Research And Monitoring $6.8M/yr
[#4, #13, #18] Field research and monitoring recurring costs: vessel operations/crewing/fuel/drydock (#4), submersible/diving operations and maintenance (#13), secure off-site data processing/hosting for research data (#18).
Staff Wages $6.5M/yr
[#6] Salaries, benefits, hazard/secrecy premiums and remote-site allowances for a 30–60 person complement (site staff, researchers, linguists, security, maritime crew, medics, admin).
Logistics And Transport $2.5M/yr
[#5, #8, #25] Transport and logistics recurring: helicopter operations/maintenance or lease costs (#5), buoy/marker replacement vessel runs (#8), annual logistics and travel (staff rotations, supply runs, hazardous cargo handling) (#25).
Supplies And Consumables $2.1M/yr
[#11, #12, #14, #15, #16, #17, #19, #20, #21, #24] Recurring consumables and replacement budgets: communications upkeep (#11), sacrificial electronics budget (#12), lab consumables and instrument maintenance (#14), archival consumables/film development (#15), medical supplies (#16), ongoing training costs (#17), inspections/PPE replacements (#19), waste-management operations (#20), artifact conservation consumables (#21), high-turnover replacement budget for destroyed electronics (#24).
Facilities Maintenance $0/yr
[]
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $29.5M/yr
85.0% probability / year
Normal year with routine operations, no major incidents or large compensatory payments beyond the planned recurring fisheries reserve.
routine_patrols scheduled_research no major political escalation
🚨 Minor Incident $32.5M/yr
12.0% probability / year +$3.0M vs baseline
Localized incident requiring additional vessels, emergency medevac, overtime pay, and short-notice contracting for repairs/replacements.
small_breach_or_casualty emergency_recovery_operations
🚨 Major Fisheries Buyout $69.5M/yr
3.0% probability / year +$40.0M vs baseline
Sustained political/diplomatic escalation resulting in a large one-year compensation or buyout to local fisheries/government to maintain exclusion zone access.
government_compensation_demand diplomatic_crisis_over_exclusion_zone
👥 Personnel 45 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 12 [#6] Armed maritime boarding teams and on-site security rotations for perimeter enforcement and boardings.
Maritime Crew / Boat Crew 8 [#4, #3] Crews for patrol/research/logistics vessels, including engineers and deckhands.
Research Scientist 6 [#6, #14] Archaeologists, materials analysts, and research leads tasked with study of SCP-900 and artifacts.
Dive / Submersible Operators 3 [#13] Pilots and technicians for manned submersibles and atmospheric diving suits.
Linguist / Anomalous Communications Specialist 2 [#6, #17] Specialists for Burbak translation, heliograph/optical comms operations and analysis.
Medical Officer 2 [#16] On-site clinicians and medevac coordination staff.
Engineer / Maintenance 3 [#2, #16] Technical staff for generators, HVAC, desalination, vessel maintenance, and facility upkeep.
Conservator / Artifact Specialist 2 [#21] Artifact preservation, conservation, and museum-grade containment handling.
Administrative Staff 4 [#6, #9, #11] Administration, communications, scheduling, and legal/PR support staff (liaison coordination, FOI handling).
Logistics / Supply 2 [#25] Supply-chain coordinators for rotations, hazardous cargo handling, and provisioning.
Site Director / Executive Staff 1 [#6] Overall site leadership and executive coordination with HQ and national authorities.
📋 Confidence Notes
Costs are based on analyst estimates and wide ranges in the notes; the largest uncertainties are political/fisheries compensation, location-dependent logistics, and anomaly-driven operational variance, so overall confidence is low.
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