The historic Statsraad Lehmkuhl sailing ship, built in 1914, docked at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront on Friday.
The ship is on the final stretch of its “One Ocean Expedition”, a 20-month circumnavigation of the world, the goal of which is to bring attention to the role of the oceans in sustainable development.
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Rashika Lalla from the Royal Norwegian Embassy told IOL that the Norwegian ship was initially constructed in Germany for commercial purposes and has been sailing for more than a century under the Norwegian flag.
The ship has a crew of 25, is 98 metres long, has 22 sails, and can transport over 140 trainees on a trip.
The distinctive vessel left the coast of Norway in August 2021 for a 20-month circumnavigation around the world as part of the “One Ocean Expedition”.
In honour of and in celebration of Statsraad Lehmkuhl’s arrival, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) organised a beach clean-up campaign at the Black River that happened on the morning of Saturday, 14 January.
The Royal Norwegian Embassy and other organisations will host a number of events during the week that the ship is berthed at Jetty 2 at the V&A Waterfront.
The events will be closely related to the “One Ocean Expedition”, whose overall mission and goal is sustainable ocean management.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis tweeted a photo of the ship, welcoming it to Cape Town:
Welcome to the magnificent tall ship “Statsraad Lemkuhl” from Norway ?? Welcome to Cape Town! pic.twitter.com/Ac3Ig2usEq
— Geordin Hill-Lewis (@geordinhl) January 14, 2023
In its most recent expedition log, One Ocean Expedition said:
“Finally in Cape Town, though with some delay. After 10 days at sea it was a content voyage crew that put their feet on the ground here in the port. It has truly been an informative and educating voyage filled with science, lectures, culture from all around the world, music and sailing. Thanks to all the people who met us in the port of Cape Town with Norwegian flags and cheering. We are looking forward to our stay in the city, which also will focus on sustainability and the ocean.”
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Picture: @geordinhl / Twitter