The 19-year-old former Japanese fishing training vessel has been berthed at the Rattray St wharf since January 2007.
Today, it is expected to sail for India under its new name Sindhu Sankalp.
The vessel has been bought by India's National Institute of Oceanography and will be based at Goa, where it will be used for marine research work.
Previous owner Malcolm McLeod and four other Dunedin people are making the 28-day trip with the Indian crew which arrived here last month.
Mr McLeod said he brought the vessel to Dunedin for offshore charter work but that had not gone ahead.
The sale price was confidential, he said.
The vessel will have new accommodation, winches, cranes and scientific equipment fitted for its research role.
The New Zealand Ship and Marine Society records that the ship was built in Japan and was originally called the Chisimo Maru.
