AWAKEN and Peruvian Navy Explore Use of Research Fleet for Amazon River Mega-Study

In August 2025, a Ukrainian–Peruvian delegation led by Dr. Yuriy Polyukhovych, Ambassador of Ukraine to Peru, and Olga Sytnyk, founder of AWAKEN, carried out a series of official meetings with the Peruvian Navy’s Hydrographic Service of the Amazon (SHA) in Iquitos and the Central Hydrographic Service in Lima. The visits also included an inspection of the B.A.P. Stiglich, a naval vessel that may serve as a platform for future joint research.

The central purpose of these discussions was to evaluate the possibility of using the Peruvian Navy’s fleet to establish floating laboratories for the most comprehensive study of the Amazon River ever attempted. The project, presented under the AWAKEN system, would deploy cutting-edge monitoring methods, including real-time data collection, ecological sensors, and DNA analysis of river ecosystems.

As part of its long-term vision, AWAKEN proposes to conduct a full-scale scientific expedition along the Amazon, beginning with a pilot study in the Peruvian section of the river. The initiative seeks to recreate — and surpass — the legendary 1980s Amazon expeditions of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, by repeating the route with today’s most advanced technologies. The ultimate goal is to generate the first complete ecological dataset of the Amazon River in over four decades, while also comparing historical observations with modern scientific results.

During the meetings, AWAKEN formally presented its project to the Navy authorities, and negotiations are now underway to secure the use of naval vessels, adapt them into floating laboratories, and integrate the Peruvian Navy into the broader AWAKEN research mission.

This collaboration would not only strengthen Peru’s scientific leadership in the Amazon but also set the stage for a landmark international expedition — one that unites advanced ecological science with the urgent mission of protecting the world’s largest river system.