Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Marine Institute has been given the go ahead to replace the Celtic Voyager with a new state of the art research vessel, which will be based in Galway.
Funds to replace the 20 year old ship have been earmarked in the National Development Plan.
The new vessel will be 20 metres longer than its predecessor and will be specially designed to operate in the harsh conditions off the west coast for up to 21 days at a time.
The replacement vessel is expected to be complete in 2021, and will be used by The Marine Institute, the Geological Survey of Ireland as well as other state agencies and universities.
CEO of the Marine Institute, Peter Heffernan says that the Celtic Voyager 2 will follow its predecessor's example of exemplary service.
