Mexican Navy training ship in Manila for goodwill visit

August 11, 2024 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — In the spirit of goodwill and friendship, a ship of the Mexican Navy used as a training school has hoisted its anchor in Manila as part of its seven-month voyage.

Buque Escuela Cuauhtémoc is currently docked at Pier 15 of the Manila South Harbor and will remain until Aug. 12. The public can visit the ship from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The intermittent rains yesterday did not stop the visitors, including marine students and officers of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard, from setting foot on the 90.5-meter ship and checking out its features such as its three tall masts and its polished steering wheel – which can be turned by up to two persons – on the stern or rear side.

Cuauhtémoc has embarked on a seven-month voyage across the Pacific called “Tricontinental 2024.” It has visited ports in California and Hawaii in the United States, Tokyo in Japan, Incheon in South Korea, Shanghai in China and Manila.

The ship is where aspirants of the Mexican Navy spend the last leg of their training, which would last for an estimated three months, as shared by Mexican Navy cadet Gallardo Perez.

Mexico’s “Ambassador and Knight of the Seas” has 260 people on board, including its officers and 96 fourth-year cadets.

Perez said that cadets should be strong enough to endure the challenges such as the unstable movement of the ship and separation from family.

So far, his training at Cuauhtémoc – named after the last Aztec emperor – has inspired him “to be better each day.”

Another part of their training is keeping the training ship in as good a state as when it was built 42 years ago in Bilbao, Spain, said Perez.

Being the only one of its kind in Mexico, Perez believes Cuauhtémoc – which has docked in 73 countries – would not be retired or decommissioned anytime soon as they strive in “maintaining it in good shape.”

The training ship will visit ports in Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and French Polynesia before sailing back to its home port in Acapulco, Mexico.