Under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Monaco Explorations intend to revive the Principalitys long-standing tradition of exploration at sea. Marine research, discovery, better understanding, awareness raising, as well concrete actions will all be major outcomes of this initiative.

It will consist of a three-year circumnavigation of the worlds Ocean on a versatile environment-friendly transoceanic marine research vessel, called Yersin. It offers optimal travel, research, teaching and educational capacities.

This endeavor will consist of 15 Missions around the World. Each Mission will be designed according to a specific topic or feature. The Monaco Explorations research team aboard the Yersin will also systematically associate local experts from the countries or the regions visited along its course.

A Scientific Steering Committee, composed of ten internationally recognized scientists, is in charge of selecting the research programs, thus ensuring their relevance to the strategic objectives of the Monaco Explorations.

This international and multidisciplinary undertaking will combine natural and human sciences, such as marine biology, behavioral studies of the species at hand and ethnology. It will enable the description of locations and ecosystems rarely explored and the relationship of the marine species with the Planets ecosystems. The campaign will also focus on the impacts of human activities and the relationship between mankind and the Sea.

The solutions-oriented research activities that will be carried out on the Yersin are selected not only for their scientific interest, but also for their relevance to decision makers in public and private sectors as well as for the general public.