Ancient Swedish Ship to visit NMB
Published: February 17, 2006<< BACK TO NEWS
Large numbers of international dignitaries and journalists will flock to Nelson Mandela Bay for the visit of the replica of the majestic ancient Swedish sail ship, Götheborg, next month.
The ship is expected to dock in Nelson Mandela Bay on March 9 and will set its sails for Fremantle in Australia en route to China on March 25.
Among the visitors will be City of Götheborg Executive Mayor, Mr Goran Johannson and 10 representatives of the city’s business region, as well as the Götheborg Symphony Orchestra.
Other international guests and delegate that will participate in events in and around the ship will include a group of 13 people representing the Shanghai Municipal Peoples Government and the Shanghai District Government, while a total of 180 Volvo clients will attend the launch of new Volvo Trucks from 9 to 19 March, 2006.
From 21 to 23 March 180 delegates from African countries will convene in Nelson Mandela Bay for a SKF Sub-Saharan conference.
The international TV crews and journalists accompanying the ship are expected to contribute hugely to the marketing of Nelson Mandela Bay throughout the rest of the world.
International TV crews and journalists will include two Chinese crews that will be on the ship from Cape Town for the journey to China, as well as two crew members each from Dragon TV and CCTV. A crew of two from Sweden’s TV4, as well as three journalists from Sweden and other European countries will also be on board.
The replica of a wooden hull Swedish ship, built in 1738, that made several trips to China to trade, the Götheborg will dock in the Port Elizabeth harbour of Nelson Mandela Bay for three weeks in March - the ship’s major port of call on the African continent - and will play an important role in a number of events during that time.
The Götheborg departed from Götheborg on October 2 last year and is expected to dock in Port Elizabeth on March 9 and leave for Fremantle in Australia on March 25, 2006, en route to China.
The ship will make a brief four-day stop in Cape Town from February 20 to take on provisions and change crew before sailing for Nelson Mandela Bay, its twin city.
The visit of the Götheborg to Nelson Mandela Bay does not form part of the route that the original ship followed on its way to China in the 18th Century, but it has been included in view of the Sister-city relationship between Nelson Mandela Bay and the City of Goteborg.
This relationship started in November 1999 with a formal agreement between the two cities. Projects within this partnership focus on areas of Arts and Culture, Business, Municipal and Urban Development, Higher Education and Tourism, as well as a number of other projects, have been concluded over the last six years.
The impressive ship will, amongst others, be used to signal the start of this year’s gruelling internationally acclaimed Nelson Mandela Ironman triathlon with its booming cannons, while the mayor of Götheborg and other Swedish dignitaries will attend the Opening of Council.
It is also planned to have a tent village that will house all kinds of exhibitions and other stalls where the ship will be docked, while there will also be an opportunity for the public to go on board the ship.
The original Götheborg was built at the Terra Nova Shipyard in Stockholm in 1738 after the founding of the Swedish East India Company in 1734.
In 1745, the third trip to China ended 900 metres from Alvsborg Fortress when it struck an underwater rock and sank with its hold laden with coveted goods after 2,5 years of sailing.
The first seeds of the current adventure was sown in 1984 when divers found treasures from the ship below layers of clay and extensive excavation works began.
The ship had long disappeared, but what remained were quantities of broken porcelain, a 40cm thick layer of tea and parts of the wreck. Between 1986 and 1993 almost nine tonnes of broken porcelain and some 400 intact pieces of porcelain were salvaged, along with part of the transom stern, tea, spices and the crew’s personal belongings.
This vessel is the third East Indiaman to be named Götheborg. The first one managed three voyages to China before running aground at Hunnebadan, while the second one also experienced her fair share of drama. Built in 1796, she later sank off the South African coast.
The current Götheborg is a modern ship built to the original dimensions. It is 58,5m long with a beam of 11m and a draught of 5,25m. Its vertical clearance is 47m, a sailing area of 1,964 square metres, 10 cannons and a crew of 80 - 50 of them cadets.
It was decided in 1994 to build the current replica and its undertook its maiden voyage from Götheborg to Stockholm early last year.
The vessel is a wooden ship in the true sense of the word and terms of lines, hull and rigging corresponds with an 18th century merchant frigate. Traditional craftsmanship from the 18th century meets modern technology in a ship approved to sail in the new millennium.
To make the voyage possible the ship was built to comply with modern safety requirements. In simple terms it could be said that the this East Indiaman will be modern below the water with historical decks above the waterline.
Issued by: Lourens Schoeman on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
Lourens Schoeman
Media Liaison Officer
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
Tel: 041/502-9805
Cell: 082 780 2014
Fax: 041/502-9812
E-mail: lschoeman@mandelametro.gov.za
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