SUVA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A marine research vessel from Australia visited Fiji on Thursday on its first ever port of call, making a one-day stop in the city of Lautoka to resupply.
The vessel, Investigator, has an extensive range of scientific equipment on board and is able to study the deepest parts of the region's oceans, according to Australia's high commission in Fiji.
Since Investigator was commissioned in 2014, Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization has operated it to provide the Pacific with a world-class oceanic and atmospheric research vessel, said the high commission.
The research being conducted on the ship's current voyage has involved analyzing over 5,000 ocean water samples at depths of up to 6,000 meters as part of a program to monitor long term changes in the environment. The data help identify the ocean's role in climate variability and change, and sea level rise.
