A research vessel from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC) will travel to Valencia to help in the search for victims and assessment of the affected areas, as confirmed by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities in a statement. . Specifically, it is the Ramón Margalef ship, launched in 2011 and equipped with cutting-edge technology, “capable of exploring the oceans with great precision and detail, which has a length of 46 meters and capacity for 11 researchers and technicians,” they explain. from the Government.
The vessel has a multibeam echo sounder system, a tool that allows obtaining detailed images of the seabed, generating high-resolution bathymetric maps. Thanks to this technology, it is possible to study underwater topography and identify different types of substrate with resolution of a few meters,” they indicate. In addition, it has the Liropus 2000 underwater robot, a model that became infamous in 2021 when it participated in the search in Tenerife for the girls Anna and Olivia, missing along with their father, Tomás Gimeno, who kidnapped them to later murder them.
Equipped to explore hard-to-reach areas
In addition to its ability to map the seabed, the Ramón Margalef is equipped to operate unmanned underwater vehicles (ROVs), robots that can be deployed to explore hard-to-reach areas, collect samples and make direct observations of the seabed. It is estimated that the ship will reach the coast of Valencia on November 9, after a previous stage to embark technical equipment and research personnel in Alicante.
The Ramón Margalef will have researchers with experience in emergency operations and in the analysis of bathymetric data, object tracking and use of the ROV in critical situations. In addition, it will have specialists in the analysis of the ecological effects of massive runoff events in the sea, contributing to the monitoring of water quality and the observation of phenomena such as eutrophication, anoxia and phytoplankton blooms, among other environmental impacts.
Ramón Margalef’s actions are part of the support that the MICIU is providing to the management of the consequences of DANA through the CSIC Disaster and Emergencies Advisory Group. Specifically, the CSIC is already offering help to the Ministry of the Interior related to the interpretation of satellite images that are being obtained from the Copernicus Earth Observation Program of the European Union, as well as geographic information systems to support the emergence in the preparation, interpretation and management of cartographic data.
The Military Emergency Unit (UME) of the Ministry of Defense has also requested support from CSIC specialists for advice regarding the situation of possible damage to buildings and infrastructure in the affected areas.
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