Dewaruci Tall Ship Carries ASEAN Cadets

Balikpapan, East, 25 Dzulhijjah 1437/27 September 2016 (MINA) – A class A tall ship and the only barquentine owned and operated by the Indonesian Navy, Dewaruci, is carrying 25 cadets from ASEAN member countries to join in an exercise during the sea voyage.

Dewaruci Commander Lt. Col. Widyatmoko Baruno Aji said here on Monday that the 60-year-old ship is anchoring at Semayang seaport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

The cadets are from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines.

The ship will welcome the public from September 26 to 28.

This year, Dewaruci will sail from Surabaya (East Java), then proceed to Mataram (West Nusa Tenggara), Denpasar (Bali), and eventually heading north to Makassar (South Sulawesi) and then westward to Balikpapan.

According to Antara, the cadets sail as part of the activities within the framework of ASEAN Cadet Sail 2016.

An NCO Navigation, Second Sergeant Dwi Warno, said on September 28, Dewaruci will be leaving for Semarang on a three day journey, and will then head back to Surabaya.

“With a speed of 11 knots, the Surabaya-Semarang sail will take one day,” he noted.

During the sail, the cadets will be studying and practicing skills that they had gained at their corps.

“We use all kinds of equipment, including the old navigation methods using constellations as reference and also GPS,” Dwi explained.

In addition, the cadets will also practice roping, sailing, measuring wind speed and determining wind direction, reading weather, currents and waves, and survival skills during the cruise.

The 58.30 meters long and 9.5 meters wide ship was built in 1952 at HC Stulchen and Sohnshipyard, Hamburg, Germany, and was completed on January 24, 1953. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)