TRIESTE – The mission of the icebreaker Laura Bassi has come to an end, after four months operating in Antarctic waters as part of the 41st expedition of Italy’s National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA). The vessel of the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) returned in recent days to the port of Lyttelton, New Zealand, at the conclusion of the summer scientific campaign. The Laura Bassi, Italy’s only icebreaker for oceanographic research capable of operating in polar seas, will now begin her return voyage to Europe: arrival in Trieste is expected in the second half of April, after crossing the South Pacific and the Atlantic.
The mission involved 44 technicians and researchers and 23 crew members, working on five research projects and on logistical support activities for Italy’s operations on the Antarctic continent. The expedition was structured in two phases: an initial campaign of around 25 days focused mainly on logistical support for the Italian Mario Zucchelli base and on transporting to the continent ice samples for the international Ice Memory initiative; a second phase, lasting 58 days, dedicated to scientific activities on oceanographic, climatic and geological processes in the Ross Sea. According to OGS, all operations were carried out as planned despite particularly challenging sea and weather conditions along the Antarctic coast.
