The Ship Laura Bassi Sets Sail for Antarctica

This marks the beginning of the ship's mission as part of Italy’s 40th Antarctic expedition, funded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) under the National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA). The PNRA is managed by the National Research Council (Cnr) for scientific coordination, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) for logistical planning and organization of activities at Antarctic bases, and the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) for the technical and scientific management of the icebreaker Laura Bassi.

The icebreaker will spend a total of three months in Antarctic waters to conduct research activities under six projects funded by the PNRA, as well as activities in collaboration with the Italian Navy Hydrographic Institute and support and logistical operations for the Italian Antarctic Base Mario Zucchelli (MZS).

Among the six projects on board, two are coordinated by OGS:

• IOPPIERS (Ice-Ocean Past and Present Interactions in the Eastern Ross Sea) – led by Michele Rebesco – aims to investigate past and present interactions between ice, the ocean, and sediments in the Hillary Canyon area (Eastern Ross Sea).

• IBIZA (Iron-Binding Organic Ligands – Planktonic Microbes Interactions in Coastal and Offshore Zones of the Ross Sea, Antarctica) – led by Mauro Celussi – seeks to deepen understanding of the interactions between iron-binding organic ligands and planktonic microorganisms (prokaryotes and protists) in the waters of the Ross Sea.

The Laura Bassi is scheduled to return to the port of Lyttelton, New Zealand, on March 7, 2025, with its arrival in Italy expected in the second half of April 2025.