We have arrived!
Today, on 10 January 2026, the FS METEOR entered the port of Limassol in Cyprus. The city welcomes us with windy but sunny weather. After two days of transit from our work area to the east, we are glad to feel solid ground under our feet again, because at the end of our journey, the Mediterranean briefly showed that it can certainly keep our team on their toes with wind and waves.
The last few days of work were marked by a focused atmosphere as we sought to complete the scientific tasks before the start of the transit. Given the challenging operating conditions, we were able to rely on the excellent cooperation of the entire team. A particular focus was placed on the technical operations of our autonomous underwater vehicles, AUV Anton and AUV Kalle, which carried out their missions reliably and precisely. This work was complemented by long dives with the MOMO video sled, which was able to deliver high-resolution and impressive image data of the Kallisti Pools in the Santorini caldera and the Anhydros fault under demanding conditions. These images provide new, detailed insights into the structures of the seabed and represent a significant scientific added value of our expedition.
The Modular Ocean Landers (MOLAs) were very successful, with excellent communication between the devices themselves, as well as with the associated buoy and the Blue Boat, a small ROV. This brings us one step closer to being able to use MOLAs for monitoring and early warning in the future. In addition, areas in our operational region that had not yet been explored at such high resolution were mapped using the ship’s own multibeam and sediment echo sounder.
After four intensive, busy and at the same time very successful weeks on board, our M215 expedition, the third of the MULTI-MAREX project, is coming to an end. We would like to express our special thanks to the crew members of the FS METEOR, whose knowledge and well-coordinated teamwork with the scientists made our research possible!
We bid farewell to the FS METEOR and begin our journey home to a snow-covered Germany – bringing with us valuable data, new insights and the experience of an all-round successful expedition. We look back gratefully on our time at sea and look forward to further evaluating and scientifically classifying the findings we have gained on land.
This marks the official end of our trip and this blog. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all readers who have followed our journey with interest.
Sunny greetings from Cyprus!
The M215 (MMC-3) team