On board were scientists from one of the largest oceanic research projects in the world.

It is called the ATLAS project and it has just handed down the findings of its five-year study of the Atlantic Ocean.

After sending special robotic landers to the lowest depths of the ocean, it brought back a trove of scientific riches.

Among them was the discovery of 12 new deep-sea species, including a coral growth called Epizoanthus martinsae.

The species lives on black corals up to 400 metres below the ocean surface.

A moss animal, or bryozoan, named Microporella funbio was also discovered. The researchers found it in an undersea mud volcano off the Spanish coast.

Another moss animal called Antropora gemarita, which feeds on particles of food suspended in the water, was identified.

The team also found up to 35 new examples of species in areas where they were previously not known to exist.

The research was not limited to new species, with scientists also mapping currents and discovering a field of hydrothermal vents, or hot springs, in an area known as the Azores.