Happy birthday to us! 1 Year of Malizia Explorer
The Malizia Explorer is back in Lorient, France, its home port, after more than a year of travelling around the world on a wide range of research and outreach missions. Time to take the time to revisit this past year.
Malizia Explorer in Lorient for a short refit. © Marie Lefloch
The adventure began with the vessel's christening and participation in UNOC (the United Nations Ocean Conference) in Nice and Monaco. From there, the boat embarked on a short mission off the Spanish coast before turning south towards Senegal and Cabo Verde.
In July, ECOP Senegal, in collaboration with Malizia Explorer, led the country's first-ever oceanographic training mission. Nine young Senegalese researchers from four universities, two ministries, and several national research centres joined the expedition, gaining valuable hands-on experience in ocean science and field research.
Docked in the commercial port in Dakar, Senegal. © Andreas Lindlahr
The crew then sailed to Cabo Verde, where the mission focused on studying key bioindicators, including corals, seagrass, and microalgae, off the coast of Santa Luzia Island. Malizia Explorer supported this joint mission with Instituto do Mar (IMar) and the Atlantic Technical University (UTA) in Cabo Verde, with backing from GEOMAR and Luxembourg Cooperation (LuxDev). This research formed part of a climate resilience project contributing to understanding ecosystem responses to climate change and informs strategies for sustainable Ocean management.
© Edson Silva Delgado
An Atlantic crossing later and the vessel arrived at the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha. There, together with the Blue Marine Foundation and Instituto Vida no Oceano, a range of scientific studies aimed to support conservation measures for sharks, whales, and other key species, helping to ensure the long-term protection of this unique ecosystem and its surrounding seamount habitats.
The team is deploying BRUVs to document marine wildlife© Andreas Lindlahr
Without a doubt, the highlight of the year, and perhaps also the boldest undertaking for a vessel in its very first year operating as a scientific research platform, was the expedition to Antarctica. Over the course of three consecutive voyages, including two to the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and one to the eastern side reaching the Danger Islands, the team carried out and collaborated on three extraordinary scientific campaigns in one of the most remote and challenging environments on Earth.
Malizia Explorer in Antarctica © Marin Le Roux / PolaRYSE / Team Malizia
Looking back, it is hard to believe that all of these achievements fit into a single year, especially the very first year of operations. There were challenges, setbacks, and countless hurdles along the way, but an exceptional team came together to advance scientific knowledge, support ocean protection, contribute to climate research, and foster stakeholder dialogue.
As we celebrate an incredible first year, we are already looking forward to what the next chapter will bring! Stay tuned!
