The operation to rescue one of the greatest symbols of Brazilian maritime science has officially advanced at the Port of Santos. The 8th Naval District of the Brazilian Navy approved, last Friday (24th), the removal plan for the oceanographic vessel Prof. W. Besnard, presented by the company hired on an emergency basis by the Santos Port Authority (APS).
The vessel heeled over on March 13th, remaining partially submerged alongside the dock at Parque Valongo, which mobilized a technical task force involving APS, the Port Authority and a specialized maritime salvage company.
According to APS, the salvage plan provides for gradual restoration of buoyancy, through internal drainage of accumulated water, sealing of compartments and other technical refloating actions. Once the vessel is in adequate structural condition, it will be towed to a shipyard, where it will undergo inspection to assess the feasibility of eventual restoration, albeit partial.
Services have been carried out since March 31st, with diving work, underwater inspection, hull cleaning, sealing of cracks and continuous structural monitoring. The operation has been treated as an absolute priority, mainly due to involving navigation safety, environmental prevention and historical preservation.
The emergency hiring of Marfort Serviços Marítimos had an estimated cost of R$ 8.6 million, encompassing technical diving, lifting, pollution containment, refloating methodology and shipyard docking.
Although the vessel currently belongs to the Institute of the Sea, after being donated by the University of São Paulo (USP), APS assumed direct responsibility for the removal due to the emergency situation declared by the Port Authority.
The Prof. W. Besnard is considered a landmark of Brazilian oceanography. The vessel took part in the first Brazilian expedition to Antarctica and carried out dozens of scientific missions, contributing to oceanographic and climatic studies of the South Atlantic.
In the port industry, the expectation is that the operation will also represent an important step for the future museum preservation of the vessel, a project that has been debated for years by local entities and those linked to Santos' maritime heritage.
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