The national research vessel, the Celtic Explorer, will embark this weekend on a historic and important research mission to Canada.
The vessel has been chartered by the Memorial University of Newfoundland to undertake fisheries research.
It will be the first time that an Irish research vessel will operate in Newfoundland waters, reinforcing historic relations between this country and Newfoundland which go back centuries.
The Celtic Explorer and a team of researchers from the Marine Institute in Galway were selected ahead of others because of the vessel's advanced capabilities for fisheries acoustic survey work.
These include a virtually silent propulsion system, sophisticated sonar gear and other advanced systems.
The team is preparing to leave from Cork harbour this weekend for work which will involve acoustic surveying and scientific trawling of overwintering cod off southern Labrador and Eastern Newfoundland.
The work will help assess fish stocks in Canadian waters and during its transit across the Atlantic, the Celtic Explorer will also be engaged in studying seabirds and the vocalisations of Humpback whales.
It will also deploy a series of specially designed buoys and sensors that will transmit vital information on oceanic conditions.
