by Nina Vaclavikova
Interviews: Franco Coren, Director of OGS’s Naval Infrastructure Management Center; Franco Sedmak, Captain of the Laura Bassi
Visitors to Trieste this week had the opportunity to step aboard the Laura Bassi, Italy’s only icebreaking research vessel, as the ship opened its decks to the public during the annual meeting of the European Research Vessel Operators.
Moored at Scala Reale in Trieste’s Piazza Unità, the vessel serves as a floating laboratory and logistical platform for scientific missions in some of the world’s most remote environments, including Antarctica and the Arctic.
During a tour of the ship, Franco Coren, director of OGS’s Naval Infrastructure Management Center, described the vessel’s role in supporting oceanographic, geophysical and climate research. Operated by the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), the Laura Bassi is equipped with laboratories, scientific instruments and icebreaking capabilities that allow researchers to collect data in polar regions.
The ship, originally built for Arctic operations, was acquired by OGS in 2019 and has since become a key asset for Italy’s participation in international polar research programs.
