The Oceanographic Research Ship ‘Hespérides’ set sail to participate in the 33rd Spanish Antarctic Campaign.

The oceanographic research ship (BIO in its Spanish initials) ‘Hespérides’ set sail from her home port in Cartagena to participate in the 33rd Spanish Antarctic campaign. The farewell ceremony was presided over by the Maritime Action Admiral, VA Juan Luis Sobrino accompanied by other military and civilian authorities.

The Spanish Antarctic Campaign constitutes a model of cooperation between different public and private institutions at the service of R&D&I within the framework of the State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research. The coordination of all those activities is conducted by the Spanish Polar Committee.

The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities finances research projects, collaborating both, in the campaign expenses of the Spanish Antarctic Bases and the ship, as well as the polar projects that are developed in other bases or ships.

The ship will arrive at the ports of Montevideo and Punta Arenas, and then head to the South Shetland Islands to support the ‘Juan Carlos I’ Base (Livingston Island) run and managed by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) through the Marine Technology Unit (UTM); and the ‘Gabriel de Castilla’ Base (Deception Island) managed by the Spanish Army. The ‘Hespérides’ not only supports the mobility of research personnel who have to develop and test their projects on land, but also provides the necessary logistic support to the two bases providing fuel, different material and the necessary food and water supplies.

After the completion of around thirteen scientific projects in the southern summer, the Spanish polar bases will close with the logistic support provided by the ‘Hespérides’.

During her return transit, the ship will call at the port of Rio de Janeiro (May and June 2020) and will participate in the ZEEE 2020 oceanographic campaign of the Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone north of the Canary Islands.

In addition to conducting scientific and logistic missions, the ship will also participate in a solidarity relief work in Punta Arenas (Chile) during the port call in that city next December. The ‘Hespérides’ will deliver food, products to cover the basic essentials and other things like clothes, toys, school supplies... to a social care center donated by individuals, Navy units and different Spanish companies. This center, the ‘Miraflores Shelter’ (formerly ‘Hogar del Niño’), is a daytime center for children between 3 and 10 years of age in situation of vulnerability, as well as for people over 60 with some degree of dependence.