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UIOM - New Oceanographic Ship

The State Budget for the Financial Year 2018 (Law 205 of 27.12.2017), published in the ordinary supplement of the Official Gazette of 19 January, provides in the article 649 at the bottom, the allocation of 12 million euros for the acquisition of an oceanographic vessel that will have to take the place of the glorious A 5303 Magnaghi. The institution in charge of this action is the Institute of Oceanography and Geophysics-OGS.

• Multipurpose vessel with various operational capabilities, including:
• hydrographic and oceanographic surveying;
• humanitarian intervention (evacuation) and medical support operations;
• maritime search and rescue including diving activities;
• command and control platform;
• mine countermeasures (MCM) operations management;
• helicopter and boat operations.

Driving design parameters are the efficiency in the whole speed range, extended range, remarkable seaworthiness performances. Due to the optimization of spaces, the ship is highly flexible in terms of configuration, embarked equipment and capabilities.

Article 649. "Consistent with the objectives of the National Research Program (PNR) 2015-2020 and the National Program of Research in Antarctica, as well as for the purpose of supporting Italian research in the polar areas, it is assigned to the National Institute of oceanography and experimental geophysics a financing, for the year 2018, of 12 million euros for the purchase of a ship as a scientific research and support infrastructure for the Antarctic base. The charge deriving from the application of the present paragraph, equal to 12 million euros for the year 2018, is provided by a corresponding reduction of the spending authorization referred to in article 10, paragraph 1, letter d), of law 19 October 1999, n. 370"

In the Forecast Budget 2018 of the OGS, stated "The delicate theme of the national naval vessels deserves a special mention , given the forthcoming impossibility of the Explora ship, to continue to go to Antarctica considering the age of the ship itself and the requisites required by the new Polar Code. The times are now very tight and the lack of a new ship puts at risk not only the national polar research but also the possibility of offering logistic support to the national Antarctic bases. Based on its decades of experience in the direct management of a research vessel, OGS is evaluating, together with the MIUR and the national scientific community, the overall picture and the prospects for the acquisition of a new unit to be used mainly for the missions . This theme represents one of the main challenges for 2018." In addition to twelve million at the Institute of Geophysics, funding from the Campania Region, MiSE and the ordinary budget of the Navy are expected.

The two icebreakers, USSP and UIOM, are needed quickly to make presence and support the ambitions of a permanent seat on the Arctic Council and the defense of Italian interests in the North Sea (ENI).