The historic ship Professor W. Besnard was towed this Friday (10/23) morning from Valongo Park to a shipyard located in Guarujá, on the left bank of the Port of Santos navigation channel, where it will undergo repairs. The objective is to ensure its return to Valongo, in a prominent place, to be visited by tourists and residents of the region.
The future of the ship, which carried out numerous research missions in the South Atlantic, including Antarctica, was defined by the president of the Port Authority of Santos (APS), Anderson Pomini: "The Besnard ship will be on permanent display at Valongo Park. We have already agreed on this new destination for the ship with Concais, which will also be transferred to Valongo. Thus, we will have another attraction in Valongo that will thrill tourists arriving in Santos by cruise ships," said Pomini.
The president of APS highlighted that, at the shipyard, the ship will undergo restoration; "Not to sail again, but so that it can be towed back to Valongo and there be contemplated in better conditions and with all the attention it deserves," said the president after being informed that the towing operation, authorized by the Brazilian Navy, was successfully carried out.
Four tugboats and other support vessels accompanied the ship's transit through the Port of Santos channel, which occurred without incidents and at low speed, in just over an hour and a half. The operation was monitored by the Port Guard, the Brazilian Navy, and technicians from the Marfort company.
History
The oceanographic ship Professor Wladimir Besnard was launched in 1966 at a shipyard in the city of Bergen, Norway. Commissioned by the government of São Paulo, it arrived in Santos on August 9, 1967, becoming the first civilian research vessel and the first oceanographic ship of USP.
Over the years, it carried out more than 260 scientific expeditions, took the first Brazilian research teams to Antarctica (in 1982), and underwent renovations in the 1990s.
It stopped sailing in 2008 due to a fire that occurred when the vessel was in Rio de Janeiro. Shortly after, the ship was towed to the Valongo pier in Santos, which years later was revitalized and became a tourist spot in the city.
In March 2026, the ship listed, and work began to refloat it. The engineering involved the complete sealing of the ship's compartments (plugging), leak testing, and the use of hydraulic pumps to remove water until the ship was raised and stabilized.
The ship's revitalization process took an important step this Friday, with the towing of the vessel to the shipyard in Guarujá, which will allow the completion of its recovery.
