During her transit she carries out ad-hoc scientific campaigns and calls at different ports in Central America, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Santo Domingo or Uruguay. The voyage to the Antarctic Ocean from her home base in Cartagena normally takes a month. She has sailed as far south as latitude 71º in the Sea of Bellinghausen in 2003, and 80º 50’ north in 2007. The Hespérides is the only Spanish ship purposely built for multidisciplinary scientific research in any sea or ocean, including Arctic and Antarctic Areas.Īccording to the navy, the Hespérides sails an average of 240 days a year, on many occasions prolonged voyages without port-calls.
HESPERIDES CARTAGENA SERIES
During this period, scientists aboard the Hespérides will be conducting a series of scientific research projects in different parts of this southernmost area: a geophysics project in the South Orkney Islands, a seismology project in the Sea of Bransfield and different jobs related to the Spanish Galileo project which is led by the Spanish Navy Hydrographic Institute. The Hespérides is now proceeding towards the second stage of the campaign which started January 11 and will take place until March 12. Most of the material was loaded in Spain, while the scientific personnel embarked in Ushuaia. This first part of the campaign has been mainly logistic. 50 people –Army servicemen, scientists and technicians– were also distributed between both bases.
This included disembarking more than 60 tons of material including food supplies, vehicles, fuel and scientific material. The Spanish Navy-operated polar research ship B.I.O. Hespérides has started the second phase of the 31st Spanish Antarctic Campaign after a three and a half-month voyage from her homeport in Cartagena.Īfter making port calls in Mar de Plata and Ushuaia, the ship proceeded towards the Antarctic continent to help open the Spanish bases ‘Juan Carlos I’ and ‘Gabriel de Castilla’.
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