Pedro Pessoa e Costa, who visited the NRP "D. Carlos I", moored since Monday in the port of Luanda with a detached national force made up of 52 soldiers, pointed out the special component of the ship, especially in the field of scientific research.
Accompanied by his delegation, the Portuguese diplomat visited, in more than half an hour, the various dependencies of the ship, was informed about its operation and, in the end, signed the book of honor of this ship of the Portuguese Republic.
"All the visits that we have from the Portuguese Navy to Angola are very important and symbolic, because, in fact, they are a good example of what naval diplomacy is, in this case it is a very special ship that is a much more dedicated to the field of scientific investigation", stated Pedro Pessoa e Costa.
The NRP "D. Carlos I" left the Lisbon Naval Base on October 18, as part of the National Force Detached for the Open Sea Initiative Mission 2021/22, which runs until January 2022 with bilateral and multilateral cooperation actions.
During his stay in Angola, hydrographic surveys will be carried out, with a multi-beam drilling system, inside and outside the port of Luanda between 6 and 14 December.
For Pedro Pessoa e Costa, the hydrographic survey at the port of Luanda is also a form of cooperation between the Angolan and Portuguese navies and for both hydrographic institutes to cooperate and work together.
"With the sharing of good practices and scientific and technological knowledge between the two countries as well, which reveals that Portugal and Angola are also connected and cooperating in such an important area as the sea," he stressed.
The training aspect, with the presence of "D. Carlos I" in Angola, was also highlighted by the Portuguese diplomat, stating that his country "has been doing training in Angolan human talent".
"So that more and more Angola can do its work without the need to always resort to others, but Portugal will always be available to give its contribution", he concluded.
On the other hand, the commander of the Portuguese Naval Force for the Mar Aberto 2021/22 Mission, Ferreira Moreira, highlighted that the hydrographic survey of the port of Luanda, in the interior and exterior area, aims to produce a navigation chart for the port unit.
Lectures with the Angolan Navy's diving team, fire drills, with the ability to transmit knowledge and good practices, are still some activities to be developed in Luanda.
Equipped with a sounding system and four generators that produce energy 24/24 hours, the NRP "D. Carlos I" has the capacity for hydrographic and oceanographic multi-beam surveys, for the collection of water samples at great depths, sample collection of microplastics and others.
