What is the situation of the shoals of fish occurring off the Namibian coast? And what about the ocean ecosystem? How can it be ensured that illegal fishers do not manage to catch fish? The maritime research vessel RV Mirabilis, built at the Rauma shipyard of STX Finland is studying these matters. The vessel, which was funded with a Finnish interest-subsidy loan, was handed over to the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in 2012.

The Finnish Environment Institute and the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences trained the staff of the Namibian National Marine Information and Research Centre and the vessel’s crew so that the benefits of the state-of-the-art vessel and the information collected by it can be used in the best possible manner.

Mirabilis cooperation has been of vital importance for Namibia because the Benguela Current on the western coast of Angola, Namibia and South Africa is one of the main fishing areas of the world. Fishing is one of the most important sources of livelihood in Namibia and the fishing industry is the second largest source of export income for the country.

Photo: Maiju Lehtiniemi, graphics: Juho Hiilivirta