The oceanographic vessel BAP Carrasco completed Peru’s latest scientific campaign in Antarctica (ANTAR XXVIII), which was carried out December 30, 2021-March 17, 2022. The crew consisted of 96 people: 62 members of the Peruvian Navy (MGP, in Spanish), 20 from the Army, and 14 crew members from the national and international scientific community.
Upon its arrival at the Callao Naval Base, the ship was received by Peru’s President Pedro Castillo; Prime Minister Aníbal Torres; Defense Minister José Gavidia; and Admiral Alberto Alcalá, MGP commander, among other authorities.
“This event not only shows the capacity and strength of our Navy, but also its strategic role in safeguarding Peru’s rights and interests abroad,” Castillo said in his welcome speech.
Scientific research
The scientific projects of ANTAR XXVIII provided information on sea conductivity, temperature, and pressure at different depths.
On January 14, the BAP Carrasco set sail for the Machu Picchu Antarctic Research Station, built in 1989 with a capacity to accommodate 40 people, and run by the Peruvian Army’s Antarctic Operations Company.
On January 17, the eight-day project on the evolution of submarine volcanos in the Bransfield Strait began.
On January 26, researchers began a study in the Bransfield Strait and around the South Shetland Islands on ocean circulation and its connection to the El Niño and La Niña atmospheric phenomena, where they collected water samples at different depths to analyze marine circulation patterns, water masses, and oceanic fronts, to find their relationship with the Peruvian coast and their effects.
In addition, participants launched a remotely operated vehicle off Bridgeman Island to study the seabed, while divers inspected the ship’s propulsion system.
Finally, after completing a series of formal activities in the ports of Ushuaia, Argentina, and Punta Arenas and Valparaiso, Chile, the BAP Carrasco returned to the port of Callao, where it arrived on March 17 to plan its next voyage to the frozen continent.