The oceanographic vessel Alpha Crucis is inaugurated

"This inauguration is the most important moment for Brazilian oceanography in the past 45 years," affirms the director of USP’s oceanography institute. USP will manage the ship acquired by FAPESP

By Fábio de Castro

Agência FAPESP – The oceanographic vessel Alpha Crucis was inaugurated on May 30, 2012 at a ceremony held at the Port of Santos. The ship, acquired by FAPESP for the Universidade de São Paulo’s Oceanography Institute (IO-USP), will replace the vessel Professor W. Besnard.

The Besnard had been used from 1967 to 2008, when a fire rendered the vessel inoperative for research, drastically limiting oceanographic research in São Paulo State. The acquisition of the Alpha Crucis is part of a project that IO-USP submitted to FAPESP for funding to increase research capacity in the area under the auspices of the Multiuser Equipment Program (EMU).

The São Paulo Governor, Geraldo Alckmin—who was participating in the Accelerate São Paulo State Meeting, where he announced strategic actions for the development of the Santos Basin—and the USP President, João Grandino Rodas, unveiled the inaugural plaque.

Other participants in the ceremony included the FAPESP president, Celso Lafer, vice-president, Moacyr Krieger, scientific director, Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, and administrative director, Joaquim José de Camargo Engler, and the IO-USP director, Michel Michaelovitch de Mahiques.

Lafer emphasizes that the ship, whose maintenance and management are IO-USP’s responsibility, can be used by scientists from other institutions, within the guidelines of the EMU program. The ship is expected to foster a quantitative leap in oceanographic research in the country.

“This is a great day for Brazilian oceanography. The ship will allow IO-USP to continue its mission, while the entire scientific community and all of São Paulo society will benefit from this important development in the FAPESP Multiuser Equipment Program,” commented Lafer.

Rodas remarked that the ship will bring a new dimension to oceanographic research conducted by São Paulo State. “Researchers from São Paulo state universities and other Brazilian institutions that have important research projects will benefit. In the fight to acquire a new ship, all of us came out winners,” declared Rodas.

Brito Cruz acknowledged the large and very successful effort made by the director of IO-USP and by FAPESP’s administration for the acquisition of an oceanographic vessel.

“Professor Mahiques was responsible for putting the needs of the scientific community on paper in the form of a very well elaborated project to develop oceanography in São Paulo State. This effort was decisive for the acquisition of the ship to become a reality,” says Brito Cruz.

According to Mahiques, USP now has the most modern oceanographic ship in Brazil. In addition to boosting oceanographic research, the capabilities of the vessel should also add to major research programs such as the FAPESP Research Program on Global Climate Change and the BIOTA-FAPESP program.

“This is the most important step in oceanographic science in the country since 1967, when the Professor Besnard was acquired. Now we have a much more modern ship which will allow more advanced research and projects with a greater duration. The Alpha Crucis will have a fundamental role in training undergraduate and graduate students and will produce knowledge that can be applied to public policy, benefiting all of society,” said Mahiques.

The ship originally belonged to the University of Hawaii and was named Moana Wave. After its acquisition by FAPESP, the ship underwent renovation and modifications for 10 months in Seattle, Washington.

Rigor in maintenance

With a 64 m length and 11 m breadth, the ship has the capacity to house 20 researchers and 20 crew members and can carry 972 tons. The total cost of the vessel, including refurbishment, was US$ 11 million.

“The Alpha Crucis has modern equipment, including a dynamic positioning system (which allows the vessel to maintain its position at oceanographic stations), a sub-bottom profiler, two wave profilers, an ecointegrator, towing equipment and cranes for several tasks, and more than 100 square meters of laboratories,” says Mahiques.

According to the ship’s chief researcher, Luiz Vianna Nonnato, the ship is equipped with multiband sonar. “It is fantastic equipment that allows scientists to produce a 3-D map of the ocean bed. As the ship navigates, the device reads the relief of the ocean bed in real time in a band surrounding the ship,” Nonnato explains.

The maintenance of the ship will be given special attention. “One of the problems with the Professor Besnard was that it did not have adequate maintenance. One of FAPESP’s requirements before the acquisition of the ship was that we committed to providing rigorous care for the Alpha Crucis. The maintenance of the ship is very costly. We expect to work with the ship for many years to come,” he said.

Nonnato affirms that operating the ship costs US$ 20,000 to US$ 30,000 per day. The insurance and the fuel – roughly 10,000 liters per day on average when sailing – are among the most expensive items. “Even when it is docked, the costs are high,” he said.

One of the advantages of the Alpha Crucis, according to Nonnato, is that it is a general-purpose ship that was designed specifically for oceanographic research.

“We can work with fishing, oil or the environment, for example. The laboratories allow several teams to work simultaneously on different projects, optimizing the use of the ship. Another positive feature is that the ship has been broadly tested in oceanographic research. The Alpha Crucis project is exceptionally good. Furthermore, the ship has been well maintained and very well renovated,” he added.