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The ship moored
outside VivoCity |
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The Swedish Ship Götheborg sailed into
Singapore on 30 Dec 2006. |
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Götheborg is a replica of an East Indiaman
that in 1745 ran aground and sank off the entrance to the Gothenburg
harbour. Its construction is based on a marine archaeological excavation
of the remnants of that ship. |
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On 2 Oct 2005, the Swedish Ship Götheborg
commenced her expedition to China along the same route as chosen by the
Swedish East India Company of those days in its trade with the Orient
and China. |
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As a flagship for Swedish enterprise, trade
and culture the ship has so far made portcalls in Vigo and C│diz in
Spain, Recife in Brazil, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth/Nelson Mandela Bay
in South Africa, Fremantle, Australia and Jakarta, Indonesia. She
reached Guangzhou (Canton), China in July and was finally in Shanghai on
29 Aug 2006. |
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The journey back home started on 28 Oct 2006
when the ship left Shanghai and sailed towards Hong Kong and Singapore
continuing via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean back to Sweden. |
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The two seaports Singapore and
Göteborg both have the lion as a symbol. It is therefore more than
a coincidence that the Swedish Ship Götheborg links the two cities
since she has a lion weighing 1,200 kilos for a figure-head. |
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The leg between Hong Kong and
Singapore was a swift one and at one occasion she made 219
nautical miles in 24 hours, implying a little more than 9 knots in
average speed and also that the 18th century record of the old
Swedish East Indiamen, 212 nautical miles, was broken. |
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The Götheborg is now moored
strategically opposite the newly inaugurated shopping centre
VivoCity. |
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"Our expectations are high and we have
really been looking forward to visiting Singapore and celebrate
the new year here. Also we are very grateful for the excellent
place of mooring, giving all interested a great opportunity of
coming aboard for a closer look at the ship," says Mr. Stellan
Mjärdner, CEO of SOIC, the foundation behind the ship's expedition |
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With 1,200 Swedish residents and some
170 Swedish companies established here, Sweden has a major
presence in Singapore, one of the largest in Asia, in fact. |
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"I and the entire Embassy have been
very much involved in the Götheborg project. This is probably the
single most important marketing event Sweden ever has had in
Singapore and it will be hard to surpass," says Pär Ahlberger,
Swedish Ambassador to Singapore |
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The Swedish Ship Götheborg will stay
in Singapore until January 14th. |
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Then the new year starts with new
adventures when she resumes her voyage back to Sweden via Chennai,
India and then the Suez channel, the Mediterranean and London. |
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For more information, visit the
Swedish ship Götheborg's Web site at
www.soic.se. |
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Source:
www.soic.se Press Release 29 Dec
2006 (Excerpted) |
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FrontPage Edition: Sun 7 January 2007
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