John Culatto
A SALVO of artillery fire marked the arrival of the Gotheborg of Sweden, the world’s largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship to Gibraltar on Thursday.
Commander British Forces Gibraltar Tom Guy watched the two-minute gun salute with the Gotheborg Stopover Team and CEO of the Gibraltar Tourist Board Kevin Bossino from the balcony of the Tower.
The ship then sailed toward the Mid-Harbour Marina where it will remain until April 10.
Gibraltar is the Gotheborg’s second stopover on its 2023 European Tour, its first time on the Rock.
The ship is a unique replica of the 18th Century ship that ran aground just outside its Swedish home port of Gothenburg in 1745.
It tells the story of the Swedish East India Company, one of the country’s most successful ever businesses that operated throughout much of the 18th Century.
Its owner is the Greencarrier Group, which is dedicated to sustainable solutions in shipping and commerce.
It arrived in Gibraltar from Sete in southern France after a five-month stay in Barcelona over the winter months.
Minister for the Port Vijay Daryanani and governor Sir David Steel took part in a welcoming ceremony aboard the ship on Thursday.
After the stop in Gibraltar it will head through the Straits north along the coast of Portugal to the Bay of Biscay.
It will then sail to Gothenburg for the 400-year jubilee of the city in June.
From April 6-10 interested guests in Gibraltar can go aboard for a modest price of £10 to check out the wooden sailing boat.
More enthusiastic wannabe seafarers can even pay to work as a deckhand on exciting trips to Jersey or Hamburg.
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