By Kim Ji-eun
The Peruvian Navy training ship 'BAP Union' (a 3200-ton sailing ship) arrived at Busan International Cruise Terminal in Yeongdo-gu, Busan on the morning of Sept. 10.
The ship is a cruise training ship for the education and training of Peruvian naval cadets, and chose Busan as its fourth port of call to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Korea-Peru diplomatic relations during its round-the-world cruise training.
The 115.5-meter-long, 6.5-meter-wide, 13.5-meter-high mast sailing ship has a total of 250 sailors, including 100 cadets, and is commanded by Captain José Arce.
B.A.P. Union, which set sail from its homeport in Callao, Peru, on June 17 for the 2023-2024 overseas training deployment named “Circumnavigation.” in fulfillment of its mission to enhance the professional development and training of the Peruvian Navy´s future Officers, promote maritime awareness, and contribute to the nations international relations, while showing its flag as the itinerant embassy the ship is during the ports of call and interacting through its crew with the citizens of the country it visit.
On board are 97 midshipman from the Peruvian Naval Academy and 149 Peruvian Navy crew members, a total of almost 250 sailors.
B.A.P. Union will circumnavigate the globe for over 10 months, visiting 14 countries across the 5 continents
This is Union´s first global voyage since its construction and the second for the Peruvian Navy since 1856, over 167 years ago.
It arrived in the beautiful Busan after sailing over 12,000 nautical miles from its homeport. This iconic vessel of its navy , Peru´s itinerant embassy, carries the spirit of Peruvian people and represents Peru, Its mission includes contributing to the country´s foreign policy and joining in celebrating the 60 years of diplomatic relations between Peru and Korea.
This year 2023 Korea and Peru celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relationship with a shared vision of cooperation and friendship, where both navies are fond of a well developed military cooperation relationship, development of defense industry and academic exchange programs, such as the transfer of two Pohang class corvettes and the construction of 2 multipurpose amphibious LPD ships and the Coastguard Maritime patrol ship.
The Commanding Officer of B.A.P. UNIÓN Captain José Arce said, “It is important for us to welcome the public in general, and show them our decks and the “Peruvian House” exhibition hall. This ship is a symbol of Peruvian culture and maritime tradition, built entirely by Peruvian hands in the Shipyards of the Peruvian Navy, undoubtedly a source of pride for the country.”
Starting with a welcoming ceremony for the Union, which arrived at Busan International Cruise Terminal, the Navy Operations Command plans to conduct various exchange activities such as mutual ship visits, receptions hosted by the Peruvian Navy, and friendly sports activities during the four-day, five-night visit to promote friendly cooperation between the two navies.
The ROK Navy will also designate the Birobong (KST-І-2600t class) as a host ship to ensure the comfort of the Peruvian naval personnel during the visit. Host ship is an international courtesy between navies that designates a separate ship as a guide to ensure the comfort of foreign ships visiting their country and conduct friendly cooperation and exchange activities between ships.
BAP Union will open the ship to the citizens of Busan for free from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day from Sept. 10 through 13. Inside the ship, visitors can view the Casa Perú, a mobile museum that provides various information on Peruvian traditions and culture, and experience food culture.
The following is the summary of a welcoming address by Peruvian Ambassador to Korea Paul Duclos
Good morning to the journalists of Korea and especially the city of Busan, and welcome to the BAP Union ship.
I am very pleased to be here to welcome the BAP Union to the beautiful city of Busan, South Korea, for the first time as part of its circumnavigation of the world.
The BAP Union will be able to share Peruvian culture with the Korean people. It is especially auspicious that the Union ship is visiting Busan in the year of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, which celebrates the mutual cooperation and friendship between Korea and Peru.
According to Eastern philosophy, the 60th anniversary, or jubilee, is a very important milestone, a moment of celebration, and a year of transition to a new and better period of cooperation.
For 60 years, the two countries have been cooperating through formal meetings in the political, economic, academic and technological fields, including the signing of a free trade agreement in 2011 and the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership since 2012.
As a result, visits by high-level officials from various ministries have gradually increased in recent years.
We are also very pleased that Peru and the Republic of Korea will chair the APEC Forum in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
This will allow for the essential coordination associated with the major regional coalition forum that is APEC. At the same time, the arrival of the BAP Union reminds us of the great work that Peru and South Korea have done in the naval field.
Our two countries have developed mutual cooperation in the areas of military and industrial co-production and technology transfer through the construction of multipurpose ships and naval vessels at state-owned shipyards under the Peruvian Navy.
We are confident that your participation will contribute significantly to bringing the peoples of our two countries closer together, deepening mutual understanding and discovering the similarities between our two countries.
You will be able to become part of Peru's proud millennial culture, with its diverse traditions and artistic expressions, and experience its gastronomy, which is very famous internationally.
The question & answer session
In the meantime, during the question & answer session, the Commanding Officer of B.A.P. UNIÓN Captain José Arce, replied, “The Peruvian Navy is working hard to improve relations with the Republic of Korea Navy, and this visit is part of that effort. The BAP Union serves as Peru's mobile embassy, and we are doing a lot to deepen the relationship between the Korean people and the Peruvian people.
Noting that currently, there are 100 naval cadets on board the BAP Union and more than 150 officials on board, he said, “The ROK Navy and Marine Corps have been meeting once a year, once in Korea and once in Peru. We also continue to have weekly high-level meetings between the two countries. The high-level meetings are attended by the second-level officials of both countries to discuss the development of the relationship and cooperation between Korea and Peru.
“In 2012, I visited South Korea as a staff member of a Peruvian naval officer. When I visited 11 years earlier, the Union was not yet built. The Union has been in service for about seven years since it was built. So it's not a coincidence that I'm here because we, the Peruvian Navy, have a very good relationship with the Republic of Korea Navy and we are closely linked to the defense industry in Korea.”
Asked what do you do on the ship, what is your daily routine, and what do you usually spend time doing with the cadets, the captain said, “On the ship, the cadets are divided into two groups. One group has a classroom on the ship, and they get a full course lecture, while the other group is doing hands-on work.
“The other group is assigned to a specific location on each deck, and they're trained in engineering, and they're trained in how to operate the ship, how to handle it, and all of that stuff. And then the cadets who are doing the hands-on training, they get to help the officers, and they get to help the officers with the day-to-day operations. So it's a very hands-on experience and it iss kind of like an internship.
“These cadets are all between the ages of 21 and 23, usually in their third or fourth year of college. And all of the groups within that are divided into four groups, and they do a variety of activities for the purpose of sailing. Along the way, they also learn leadership skills to move forward.
“On the weekends, on Sundays, we have a church inside the union ship, so we go to mass, and on Saturdays, for example, we're divided into four groups, and we play pool, and we work out, and we do things to de-stress.”
During the Q&A session, Ambassador Paul Duclos said, “There are also many aspects of our two peoples that allow us to understand each other very well. Of course, our traditions and cultures are very different, but Peru and Korea have a common political system in terms of democracy, and we have very similar ways of running our economies.
“This is why Korea and Peru are able to move forward with the same vision. In this sense, I would say that the two countries have very easy conditions to work together.”
