Arcadia, the ISPRA research vessel for marine conservation, has been unveiled.

ISPRA – Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research – has presented Arcadia , the new oceanographic vessel designed to study, monitor, and protect Mediterranean marine ecosystems. It will thus support the MER – Marine Ecosystem Restoration project, aiming to collect data, build knowledge, and guide environmental policies toward a more sustainable future. ISPRA describes Arcadia as a “floating laboratory symbolizing the balance between humanity and nature, where science and technology meet to give voice to marine ecosystems and address the environmental challenges of our time.” With this new vessel, ISPRA renews its commitment to protecting the sea , deploying a scientific infrastructure at the service of research, the environment, and the community.

Presented to the Chamber of Deputies in the Refectory Hall of Palazzo San Macuto, Arcadia's launch is scheduled for June 2026 , but its mission began with a €400 million investment from the PNRR ( National Plan for the Protection of the Marine Environment) for marine environmental protection. This program , implemented by ISPRA under the aegis of MASE (Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security), allows for the mapping and restoration of often invisible underwater ecosystems, yet crucial for the climate, biodiversity, and the economy, also thanks to the collaboration of the Italian Navy .

Arcadia features some of the most advanced underwater technologies currently available in Europe, including a 9-meter-long structure integrated into the hull known as a " gondola ," which will enable continuous, high-quality surveys even in extreme operating conditions. With the installation of a work-class, electric, remotely operated ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle), it can operate at depths of up to 4,000 meters. Equipped with 4K cameras, sonar, and 3D lasers, it can conduct scientific missions in extreme environments, such as geological exploration, biological surveys, or interventions on underwater infrastructure. The presence of an autonomous AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle), capable of independent missions of over 60 hours at depths of up to 3,000 meters, for seabed mapping, object and wreck location, geophysical anomalies, and 3D profiling of marine habitats, is also available.

The new ship is a flexible and interconnected infrastructure, designed to respond to today's environmental challenges with cutting-edge scientific instruments. It will be involved in strategic activities for the ecological transition , including the characterization and monitoring of the seabed , aimed at the installation and maintenance of cables, pipelines, and submarine data and power transmission lines for the production of energy from renewable sources; the geomorphological and biological mapping of deep-sea habitats , with the aim of deepening knowledge of geological characteristics, assessing geo-mining potential, analyzing the effects of climate change in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, and protecting marine biodiversity; and the assistance and maintenance of offshore buoys for the detection of marine weather parameters, through the use of advanced technologies and latest-generation underwater vehicles.