Historic Russian vessel arrives in Mauritius

(MENAFN) The iconic Russian tall ship, the Kruzenshtern, arrived at Port Louis, Mauritius, on Wednesday for an official stop as part of its international "Sails of Victory" voyage. The ship was welcomed by Russian windsurfers, a kitesurfer, and a foiler who greeted the vessel from the water. Despite facing rough seas while traveling from Cape Town, South Africa, the Kruzenshtern successfully completed its journey as planned.

In addition to its primary mission of training cadets, the Kruzenshtern, operated by the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries, organized a children's art exhibition and a message-in-a-bottle campaign onboard. This marks the ship's first visit to Mauritius in nearly 20 years, with its previous visit occurring during its second global circumnavigation.

The current voyage, its 135th, began in mid-March and is dedicated to celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II. The four-month journey involves training exercises for 135 cadets, supported by a permanent crew of about 60 sailors. The ship is set to return to its home port of Kaliningrad by the end of July.

Captain Mikhail Yeremchenko spoke about the significance of the visit, noting that it commemorates Soviet aid to Mauritius in 1975 after tropical cyclone Gervaise devastated the island. Soviet ships traveled over 2,500 miles to assist, sending 300 sailors just five days after the disaster. This gesture of solidarity is still remembered by the people of Mauritius.

Before reaching Mauritius, the Kruzenshtern made a stop in Cape Town, where the crew paid tribute to Russian sailors buried in Simon’s Town and laid flowers at a memorial marking the 60th anniversary of the Soviet victory in WWII.

Originally built in 1926 in Germany as the Padua, the Kruzenshtern is now one of the largest sailing ships in the world. After being transferred to the Soviet Union in 1946 as part of war reparations, the ship was renamed to honor Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern, the leader of Russia's first circumnavigation expedition from 1803 to 1806. Today, the ship serves as a sail training vessel for Russia.

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