Aranda starts tour to Baltic countries

The Finnish marine research vessel Aranda, is heading to Lithuania and Latvia in June and to Estonia in September, said the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) in a press release on Tuesday.

During its Baltic tour, there will be stakeholder cruises and open doors to public. R/V Aranda’s Doors will be open to citizens in Klaipeda, Lithuania, on 14th June and in Liepāja, Latvia on 15th June. Aranda will visit Estonia, Tallinn on September 1 and September 2.

The Aranda Baltic tour is part of the BALTICITIES project, led by the Finnish Environment Institute. The aim of the project is to bolster cooperation between Finland and the Baltic countries in protecting the Baltic Sea especially at the urban and municipal levels.

The main partners of the tours are the cities of Helsinki, Turku, Tallinn, Liepāja, and Klaipeda, the Estonian Maritime Museum, Klaipeda University, the embassies and environment ministries of the Baltic Sea countries, the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, and Finnish embassies in the Baltic Sea countries.

On 12th June, before sailing to the Baltic countries, Aranda was in Stockholm for a seminar of the European Research Vessels Operators (ERVO).

In addition to northerly seas, the voyages of Aranda, the flagship of Finnish Baltic Sea research, have included destinations as remote as the Antarctic.

During its tour of the Baltic countries, coastal residents will be acquainted with their own sea under the guidance of researchers and local experts.