A MINI boat built by Southampton students has made its maiden voyage.

Built by pupils at King Edward VI School in Southampton, the little vessel made its maiden voyage from the city on the world-class research ship, RRS Discovery as part of a project coordinated by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC).

The Educational Passages project has seen students work together over three months after school to build the boat, equipping it with a sail and satellite tracker that will allow them and the public to follow the boat’s ocean journey.

Named ‘KES Kraken’ by the students, the five-foot mini boat will be deployed by NOC scientists in the Atlantic Ocean during their expedition to service a collection of moorings that are helping to measure ocean currents and examine the effects on short-term weather and long-term climate.

During the project, NOC scientists also visited the school to provide talks on topical ocean and environmental issues including microplastics and climate change.

Dr B.B Cael, part of the Ocean BioGeosciences group at the NOC, said: “We really enjoyed working with this group of young students to engage them in oceanography in such a unique way.

"It’s so important to inspire people from a young age, especially on crucial environmental issues like climate change and microplastics that they might not otherwise be exposed to in school.

"We’re looking forward to tracking the mini boat once it’s deployed from the RRS Discovery and seeing where in the world in turns up.”