by InTrieste
After traveling more than 12,000 nautical miles and spending 46 days at sea since departing from Lyttelton, New Zealand, the Italian research icebreaker Laura Bassi has returned to her home port of Trieste. The ship’s arrival marks the completion of a two-month scientific mission in Antarctica, part of Italy’s 40th Antarctic research campaign.
The mission was carried out under the umbrella of the Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA), funded by the Ministry of University and Research. The program is coordinated by Italy’s National Research Council (CNR), with logistical planning managed by the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). The National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) oversees the technical and scientific operations of the Laura Bassi.
During the expedition, the Laura Bassi completed two voyages between New Zealand and Antarctica, circumnavigating the Ross Sea and providing logistical support to Italy’s Mario Zucchelli Station (MZS). On March 5, the vessel set out from New Zealand once more, charting a course across the Southern Pacific, around Cape Horn, and into the Atlantic Ocean, aided by favorable winds.
Along its return journey to Trieste, the Laura Bassi made stops in Milazzo and Ancona, Italy. The mission represents a significant milestone in Italy’s long-standing commitment to polar research and contributes to the broader understanding of oceanographic and climate systems in one of Earth’s most remote regions.
