RV SONNE cruise SO127, during 17 December 1997 to 7 January 1998 from Port Klang to Malé, was carried out by the Institut für Meereskunde of the University of Hamburg as part of the international World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE). The main goal of WOCE is to collect data for the development of models for a better description of the oceanic circulation, that will eventually allow a prediction of future climate changes. The cruise was a contribution to the German WOCE component and was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF).