The BIO “Hespérides” Concludes the ZEEE-16 Campaign

The oceanographic research vessel (BIO) “Hespérides” returned to its base in Cartagena last weekend, concluding the Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone campaign 2016 (ZEEE 2016), which began on May 23. Spain has a coastline that stretches over five thousand kilometers in its peninsular zone and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covering 1.1 million square kilometers.

The project has provided comprehensive knowledge of the marine environment of the EEZ, as well as a georeferenced database with the information obtained, reports the Spanish Navy. In its more than twenty years of existence, it has provided unprecedented information in some cases, with unprecedented resolution to date of our seabeds and subsoils. The actions of this research plan are directed by a steering committee, chaired by the director of the Armed Forces Intelligence Center.

The ZEEE 2016 campaign is part of the Armed Forces Cartographic Plan 2013-2016 and is a continuation of a systematic scientific research effort in the area that began in 1995. It is led by the Royal Observatory of the Navy and involves the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain, and personnel from the Complutense University of Madrid, the University of Cádiz, and the University of Granada.

Family photo of the BIO "Hespérides" crew during the campaign

In 1994, the Armed Forces Cartographic Plan (FAS) was expanded to include as an Annex the "Hydrographic-Oceanographic Research Plan of the Exclusive Economic Zone." The Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEE) project began to develop in 1995, and since then more than twenty month-long campaigns have been conducted in the following geographical areas: Balearic Sea and Gulf of Valencia, Canary Islands, Galician Continental Margin, and Cantabrian Margin.

The oceanographic research vessel “Hespérides” is the only Spanish vessel designed to conduct multidisciplinary scientific research in all the seas and oceans of the planet, enabling the proper development of the planned scientific investigations. It has a crew of 55 men and women, under the command of frigate captain Julio Albaladejo, and can accommodate up to 37 scientists and technicians.

Photo: Spanish Navy