Alpha Crucis ship makes maiden voyage flying the Brazilian flag

Vessel acquired by FAPESP departs Santos en route to Cabo Frio with the objective of testing equipment and training researchers.

By Karina Toledo

Agência FAPESP – The Alpha Crucis oceanographic vessel, acquired by FAPESP for Universidade de São Paulo’s Oceanography Institute (IO-USP), departed on Wednesday, October 31 from the Port of Santos for its maiden voyage under the Brazilian flag.

The ship travelled to Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, carrying 19 crewmembers and 20 researchers.

“The objective was to test the operationality of the ship and the equipment used in data collection, which will be very important in subsequent expeditions,” explained IO-USP Professor and Mission Chief Frederico Pereira Brandini in an interview with Agência FAPESP.

The mission was set to last five days. The first stop was at Ilhabela, an island off the São Paulo coast, where technicians intend to calibrate the echo integrator – an acoustic instrument used to measure the biomass of existing marine organisms in the water column.

“The echo integrator works on the same principle as an ultrasound machine. It generates images by emitting sounds and measures the biomass between the bottom and surface of the sea,” explains Brandini.

Upon arrival at Cabo Frio, the researchers conducted tests using water collection bottles and instruments to measure the temperature, salinity and transparency of the water.

“In addition to data on the water parameters, we intend to collect samples of sediments and plankton at different depths: 100 meters, followed by 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 meters. That is the goal, but we depend on climatic conditions and shipping,” said Brandini before the expedition.

Later, the researchers will conduct chemical and physical analyses of the samples collected. “We also intend to conduct genetic studies on the bacteria and other marine organisms collected,” he notes.

For Michel Michaelovitch de Mahiques, director of IO-USP, the expedition, although a pilot expedition, represents the resumption of cutting-edge oceanographic research, which had been at a standstill since 2008 when the Professor W. Besnard oceanographic vessel, which also belonged to IO-USP, was destroyed by a fire.

“The scientific community expects the Alpha Crucis – acquired through FAPESP’s Multiuser Equipment Program (EMU) – to raise the capacity for oceanographic research to an unprecedented level in Brazil,” comments Mahiques.

Although the Professor W. Besnard only had the capacity to conduct 15-day missions, the Alpha Crucis can navigate for 40 days, making studies on the open sea possible and broadening the geographical limits of research.

Furthermore, the new ship boasts the most modern equipment, among which is a multibeam sonar capable of producing a three-dimensional map of the sea floor.

It also has a dynamic positioning system, which allows it to maintain its position on oceanographic stations, an underwater profiler, two current profilers, winches and cranes that are suitable for several different tasks and more than 100 square meters of laboratories.

With the new infrastructure, previously impossible projects, such as studying schools of fish and measuring currents, are now possible in Brazil. The new vessel can also support remotely operated vehicles, particularly small submarine vessels.

Beginning research

According to Mahiques, two other expeditions are slated for 2012 to conduct research. The first will have the mission of launching a buoy in the southern region of the Brazilian coast. “The equipment will remain in the ocean to make measurements of atmospheric and oceanographic processes. It is the first time that a buoy of this type will be launched in the country,” he said.

The second research voyage, explained the IO director, will depart from the coast en route to the deep sea to conduct measurements of the current on the continental margins. “There is also a voyage slated for February 2012 to survey and collect material from the bottom of the sea,” he said.

Although the responsibility for maintenance and management of the Alpha Crucis falls with IO-USP, the guidelines established by the EMU program allow scientists from other institutions to utilize the ship. Researchers from three different institutions participated in the first voyage: USP São Paulo Campus, USP Ribeirão Preto Campus, and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG).