Part private yacht, part research vessel, the 76.6-metre Maltese-flagged MY Yersin has been delivered in Malta to its French owner, who plans to take it around the world, with researchers, scientists and students on tow.

The Yersin, which was launched by Pirou Shipyards in Concarneau, France, last month, is the brainchild of its owner, François Fiat, and required two years of design and three years of construction to build.

Mr Fiat explained that the vessel was designed with three objectives in mind, namely adventure, science and education.

Citing a childhood love of conservationist Jacques Cousteau and The Adventures of Tintin as an inspiration, he noted that the vessel is intended to embark on short and long-distance missions - its maximum range is 12,000 nautical miles - allowing researchers and scientists, as well as cadets and maritime school students, to study the environment in remote and ecologically-sensitive areas of the world.

The boat itself is equipped to handle as many different environments as possible. It can operate safely in environments of between -20 degrees and 50 degrees Celsius, has a dynamic positioning system which can allow it to stop in sensitive environments such as coral reefs without dropping anchor, and its hull is specially designed to navigate shoal waters.

It can travel autonomously for up to 50 days, and do so without any interior or external pollutant releases for up to 10 days while carrying 38 people including crew.

The Yersin was launched as a project during last year's Monaco Boat Show, and is set to be one of the main exhibits in this year's edition of the show.

The ship was registered under a Maltese flag through Fenech and Fenech Advocates, with Mr Fiat explaining that as a native of the Mediterranean region, he felt that the ship should be registered there.

On his part, registrar-general of shipping Ivan Sammut said that it was an honour for Malta to include such a unique vessel in its registry, and said that by flying the Maltese flag across the globe, the Yersin would serve as a great advert for the country.

The owners' wish list includes numerous destinations, including Alaska, the Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon, the New Zealand fjords, the St Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands.

(Pictures by Jonathan Borg)