WALVIS BAY: Namibia’s newly acquired research vessel, the N.dollars 320 million RV Mirabilis, finally reached its destination – the Walvis Bay harbour – yesterday morning.

Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernard Esau stated during the arrival and commissioning of the RV Mirabilis that the vessel will make a significant contribution to Namibia’s efforts to improve the quality of its marine research.

The minister went on to say that the new research vessel acquired by the Namibian Government will not only improve local marine research, but will also monitor fish stocks.

Further tasks of the ship will include sorting, processing, freezing and storage of fish, as well as the collection of biological samples from the seabed. The vessel will also be used for water quality research and analysis.

The RV Mirabilis, which had to travel about 13 000 kilometres, was manned entirely by Namibian officers and crew as it embarked on its maiden voyage from Finland to Namibia on 06 July 2012.