Chinese Navy training ship to visit several countries including SL : spokesman
A Chinese navy training ship will embark on an ocean-going voyage to enhance the professional capabilities of midshipmen and conduct naval exchanges with other countries, Defence Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang told a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.
“According to an annual plan, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy training ship Polang will embark on an ocean-going midshipmen training voyage from mid-August to late November, during which it will visit multiple countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Singapore, and make a technical stop in Hong Kong. The mission aims to enhance the professional capabilities of midshipmen, promote exchange, cooperation and mutual trust between the PLA Navy and the navies of the ship’s destination countries, and contribute to the building of a maritime community with a shared future,” said Zhang.
The Polang training ship is a three-mast full-rigged clipper measuring 85 meters long and 11 meters wide, with a maximum displacement of about 1,200 tons, a maximum sail area of 2,630 square meters and a maximum navigation speed of 18 knots. It can accommodate the training of 50 cadets at a time.