The Italian Navy has just concluded its first collaboration with the Chilean Navy in the Antarctic Peninsula at the base of the southern hemisphere.
Lieutenant Commander Nicola Pizzeghello, and Petty Officer Giuseppe Ghirardini, of the Italian Navy Hydrographic Institute, based in Genoa, both hydro-oceanography specialists, on board Nave Aquiles, Chilean logistics support unit commanded by Commander Rodolfo Iañez Orsola carried out joint research work.
The activities, which lasted about one month, originated and ended at Punta Arenas – starting point for Antarctica, were carried out together with the Instituto Antártico Chileno (Chilean Antarctic Institute/INACH) and included maintenance to lighthouses and maritime signaling.
All the scientific expedition phases were carried out by the unit and minor assets: a barge, rafts and helicopters.
The activities the Italian Navy regularly carries out in Antarctica, as part of the National Research Program for the mapping of the Ross Sea, can now include this mission, which providednew knowledge from Chilean experts helpful for operations in extreme weather conditions.
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Image: Italian Navy