Akademic Oparin, a research-survey ship of the Russian Academy of
Sciences, has left Nha Trang port for northern port city of Hai Phong
to conduct a joint study with Vietnamese scientists on the host
country’s marine biodiversity.
According to the Nha Trang
Institute of Oceanography, the join survey team includes 12 Vietnamese
scientists from Vietnamese research institutes and 22 Russian
researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences.
They
are planned to conduct a comprehensive survey on marine biodiversity and
biochemistry in all territorial waters of Vietnam, Lao Dong
newspaper reported on May 3.
The team will research
coral ecosystems, collect and identify varieties of seaweed, organisms
and micro-organisms in deep waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, Cat Ba
island, Van Phong gulf and Ca Na beach. Ecosystems of Tho Chu, Nam Du,
Con Dao and Phu Quoc islands and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago are
also included in the research.
Since 1987, Akademic
Oparin has conducted four surveys on marine biodiversity and
biochemistry in Vietnam’s sea area under a cooperation agreement between
Vietnam’s Academy of Science and Technology and the Russian Academy of
Sciences, the paper quoted marine researcher Nguyen Tac An as saying.
Results from the research are used in developing
aquaculture development, building strategies on sea-based economic
development environmental protection and security-defence at sea.
The Akademic Oparin was specially designed to conduct biochemical and
bioorganic research at sea and is one of only two known ships in the
world dedicated to this type of research.-VNA