Dutch floats 2021: eastern North Atlantic

In 2020, a lot of (scientific) cruises were cancelled because of the COVID pandemic, causing a large backlog of floats to be deployed. KNMI had bought seven floats but could not deploy them as the cruis ship Plancius, from which the floats should have been deployed in the southern Atlantic Ocean, had to stay in port. American, Canadian and European partners teamed together to charter a sailing vessel, the Iris, for a cruise from Brest (France) via Woods Hole (USA) into the south Atlantic Ocean. During tht druise, five Dutch floats were deployed to the south of the Azores Islands.

Read more about te Blue Observer mission and about the European contribution.