The new mission of the research vessel Laura Bassi gets underway

The research vessel Laura Bassi, at the end of the tests carried out by afloat ship in the port of Trieste (HAT Harbour Test), left yesterday for the second phase of testing the on-board instrumentation along the Adriatic route that will take her to Catania. From here, it will begin the long journey to Bergen, Norway, in early August for its first scientific campaign in the Arctic, which will last two and a half months, one and a half of which will be operational. 

The icebreaker is now beginning an important and delicate phase of verification and fine-tuning of the scientific instrumentation after the important refitting work carried out in recent months at Fincantieri's shipyard in Trieste, thanks to the support of maritime engineering excellence, namely Meccano srl and Cartubi, and the cooperation of the Trieste Port Authority. New scientific instruments have been installed on the ship, including more than 10 different types of sonar which will enable the three-dimensional reconstruction of the seabed, the exploration of the subsoil, the mapping and recognition of marine fauna and will also allow mapping sea currents. The vessel has also been equipped with a new system for coring the seabed, making it possible to study the impact of man and climate change on the environment.

The Laura Bassi is today the only Italian icebreaker for oceanographic research, and at the moment also the first and only Italian-flagged ship ever capable of operating in polar seas, both in Antarctica and the Arctic, in compliance with the new international rules for ship access to polar areas (the so-called 'Polar Code') which regulate many technical aspects that may impact navigation in a remote, difficult, weather-intensive and highly vulnerable environment.