The Professor W. Besnard, a historic ship docked at the Port of Santos, has partially sunk after rainwater accumulation and flooding. The vessel's manager, Instituto do Mar (Imar), indicated that the situation escalated because the ship's external pumping equipment could not be activated, as the necessary power cables were stolen. The ship has been out of operation since 2008 and was in the process of renovation after being donated to Imar by the city of Ilhabela.

The transformative plan for the Professor W. Besnard is to turn it into a floating museum, which would feature a cinema and historical archives. However, the project faces significant challenges, mainly due to a lack of financial resources and supportive investors, complicating the volunteers' work at the institution. The incident occurred late Friday night when the ship settled on the floor of the estuary, drawing attention to the vulnerabilities of this maritime heritage.

Instituto do Mar's president, Fernando Liberalli, described that the ship's sinking was a result of flooding from water that could not be pumped out. The theft of power cables not only jeopardizes the ship's structural integrity but also highlights broader concerns regarding security and preservation of historical nautical vessels. Fundraising efforts and increased protection measures may be needed to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future and to ensure the ongoing preservation of this significant maritime artifact.