The "Hesperides" (Spanish Navy).

The Oceanographic Research Ship (BIO) of the Navy 'Hesperides' has arrived at its base port in Cartagena ending the campaign Exclusive Economic Zone 2016 (ZEEE 2016) for which it left at the end of last May. The project has provided a comprehensive knowledge of the marine environment of the SEEA, as well as a database geo-referenced with the information obtained. In the more than 20 years of existence it has provided information in some cases unpublished, with an unprecedented resolution to date of our funds and subsoils. The actions of this Research Plan are led by a Steering Committee, whose presidency is the Director of the Armed Forces Intelligence Centre.

The Oceanographic Research Ship 'Hesperides' is the only Spanish vessel designed to carry out multidisciplinary scientific research, making it possible to develop the planned scientific research. It has a strength of 55 men and women, under the command of Fragata Captain Julio Albaladejo, and has the capacity to house up to 37 scientists and technicians.

The ZEEE-16 Exclusive Economic Zone Campaign

The ZEEE 2016 campaign is part of the Cartographic Plan of the Armed Forces 2013-2016 and is the continuation of a systematic scientific research work in the area that began in 1995. It is led by the Royal Observatory of the Navy and is part of the Instituto Hidrográfico de la Marina, the Instituto Española de Oceanography, the Instituto Geológico y Minero de España and staff of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, de Cadiz and Granada. Spain has a coastline with a total length of more than 5000 km in its peninsular area, and an Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEE), with an extension of 1.1 million Km2.

In 1994, the Armed Forces Cartographic Plan (FAS) was extended to include as an annex the "Hydrographic-Oceanographic Research Plan of the Exclusive Economic Zone." The Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEE) project is being developed in 1995. Since then, more than 20 one-month campaigns have been conducted in the following geographical areas: the Balear Sea and the Gulf of Valencia, the Canary Islands, the Continental Margen Galician and the Cantábrico Margen.