Research ship to map the Atlantic

THE first trans-Atlantic mapping survey, under the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance, was announced last week by Marine Minister Simon Coveney.

The Irish research vessel, RV Celtic Explorer will undertake a mapping expedition between St John’s in Newfoundland, Canada and Galway in Ireland in June of this year, as scientists from the Marine Institute of Ireland will be joined by a team made up of USA, Canadian and European ocean mapping experts.

Speaking from Brussels, Minister Coveney said that information from the sea-floor is vital to the sustainable management of the Atlantic, as well as to important industries such as fisheries, aquaculture and tourism. ‘Ireland has developed a world-leading reputation for sea-bed mapping and is also very committed to the implementation of the Galway Statement and so I am delighted to put at the disposal of the team, Ireland’s state-of the art research vessel-RV Celtic Explorer,’ he said.

The announcement was made at the European Commission-hosted event, “The Atlantic- Our Shared resource. Making the Vision Reality, which was a follow up to the May 2013 signing of the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Research Cooperation between the EU, Canada and the US.