The training ship “Juan Sebastián de Elcano" began the 98th Midshipmen Training Cruise on January 10th, departing from the port of Cádiz with 73 midshipmen from the 428th Spanish Navy graduating class and the 158th Marine Corps graduating class.
The ship is scheduled to arrive in Port of Spain (Pier Nº 6) on the morning of Monday, February 16th, and will remain in the city until the early morning of Saturday, February 21st. After departing Port of Spain, the journey will continue until July 31st, when the ship will return to Cádiz.
The Training Cruise will make eleven port calls, nine of them abroad. Following its stay in Port of Spain, the ship will continue sailing towards San Juan de Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Veracruz, Puerto Limón, Curacao, Galveston, Norfolk, Baltimore, and New York.
During the cruise, the ship carries out two main missions that she has been assigned:
- Comprehensive training of midshipmen (nautical, military, social, and human) as part of their third year of the five-year training program at the Naval Academy.
- Support for Spain's foreign policy and diplomatic presence in the ports visited.
During her stay in Port of Spain, the ship will be open to the public at the following times:
- Monday, February 16: 16:00-18:00.
- Tuesday, February 17: 11:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00
- Wednesday, February 18: 11:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00