Great African Expedition Expands Scope of Work from Atlantic to Indian Ocean

 

During the passage, on February 22, the vessel crossed the Equator line and entered the Southern Hemisphere, and on February 26, the Greenwich Meridian line and entered the Eastern Hemisphere. On March 7, the STM Atlantis passed abeam of Cape Agulhas or Cape Agulhas across the boundary between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

 

After bunkering with fuel on March 11-12 in the port of Durban (South Africa) and further passage, the vessel moored in the port of Maputo (Mozambique).

 

On the same day, March 17, a meeting of experts from the Atlantic branch of the Russian State Research Center "All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography" (VNIRO) and the Institute of Oceanography of Mozambique was held to agree on a program of joint research in the Mozambique zone during the Great African Expedition. The Russian delegation was headed by the head of the STM "Atlantis" expedition Grigory Maslyankin. The Mozambican delegation was led by the director of the aquatic ecosystems department of the Institute of Oceanography of Mozambique Candida Sete. Mozambican specialists attach special importance to conducting research in their zone. This is due to the representative delegation of about 15 people from Mozambique and the range of issues discussed during the Meeting of Experts.

 

The parties discussed the tasks of the research, areas and stages of work, and other numerous issues related to the methodology of surveying and the implementation of hydrological and hydrobiological stations, the scheme of trawls and stations, the specifics of sampling and recording samples, as well as the transfer of materials after the completion of the work.

 

As a result, a program of joint research in the EEZ of Mozambique during the Great African Expedition was agreed upon. Based on the results, a protocol of the meeting was signed.

 

On March 18, the STM Atlantis was visited by a delegation from the Institute of Oceanography of Mozambique. Russian and Mozambican scientists discussed some issues of collecting information and hydrological, hydrobiological, ichthyological and acoustic data during the survey. Colleagues from Mozambique were given a tour of the vessel, shown the wheelhouse, the crew's salon and scientific laboratories.

 

Four specialists from the Institute of Oceanography of Mozambique are planned to work on board the vessel with Russian scientists throughout the expedition: Isaías S. Bendana - marine biologist, Feleciano Manjate - ichthyologist, Dionisio Varela - ichthyologist, Kelvin da Conceição - planktonologist.

 

STM "Atlantis" will carry out research in the EEZ of Mozambique in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Russian Federation) and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Inland Waters and Fisheries (Republic of Mozambique) dated September 27, 2023 and the Agreement between VNIRO and the Institute of Oceanography of Mozambique on joint research work to assess the biomass of bottom bioresources on the continental shelf of Mozambique, signed on March 13, 2025.

 

At present, the STM Atlantis is in the port of Maputo awaiting permission to conduct research work in the EEZ of Mozambique.

 

Press service of VNIRO