Vietnamese experts to study East Sea from Russian vessel

The ship docked at Hai Phong Port in the eponymous city of northern Vietnam on Monday prior to taking 36 Vietnamese and Russian researchers on a voyage across the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea, on Tuesday.

It marks the seventh field trip conducted by the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and Russian Academy of Sciences in line with the "Roadmap for cooperation in marine research for the 2018-2025 period."

At the ceremony to welcome the ship Monday, which was held online due to Covid-19, Chau Van Minh, chairman of VAST, and Valentin Sergienko, president of Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Science, highlighted the importance of maritime research cooperation in promoting scientific research and training at the two academies during the past time.

During the sixth trip in July 2018, the ship docked at Nha Trang in the central province of Khanh Hoa before conducting a 14-day tour to study the composition of coral reefs, accumulation of heavy metals in mollusks and active ingredients in marine microorganisms exploited at a depth of 500 meters in different weather conditions and temperatures.

Due to Covid-19, all crew members of the Akademik Oparin and all researchers will be quarantined on board when the trip concludes after a month.

The Akademik Oparin stretches 75.5 meters long and has a tonnage of 2,441.

She provides five laboratories and is equipped with 30 crew members.