Laura Bassi
IRBIM CNR personnel have access to the Laura Bassi research ship, the only Italian ship capable of operating in polar seas, both in Antarctica and in the Arctic. It is an icebreaker ship, complying with the new international rules for ship access to polar areas (‘Polar Code’), and is able to access areas covered by sea ice.
It is owned by the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics-OGS since May 2019, but it is used to support of the entire national scientific community, thanks to an agreement between the main national Institutes that study polar areas and manage their infrastructure. It is a multipurpose ship that has scientific research capabilities associated with a significant capacity to transport materials and people. The operational and scientific management is enabled by an agreement between the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics – OGS, the CNR and the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development – ENEA that recognizing the strategic value, both in terms of logistical/operational capabilities and research opportunities for the Italian polar scientific community, undertake to ensure economic-management coordination to achieve the most effective use of scientific and logistical resources and expertise in the activities of the National Program for Research in Antarctica – PNRA and the Program for Research in the Arctic – PRA.
