Mexican naval ship back in Mumbai after 15 years

ARM Cuauhtémoc has visited 59 countries

The Buque Escuela Velero ARM Cuauhtémoc (BE-01), the Mexican Navy’s largest instructional vessel, which sails around the world every year, called on Mumbai’s port on Wednesday.

Headed by Captain Rafael Antonio Lagunes Arteaga, the vessel is manned by a crew of 234 navy personnel, including 43 cadets of the Heroic Military Naval School of Mexico.

Melba Pría, Ambassador of Mexico to India, said, “The journey of the Cuauhtémoc every year is for training purposes, but it also has as its mission to strengthen the ties of friendship between Mexico and other countries. We are proud to welcome it into India after 15 years since its last visit here.” Mr. Pría, who welcomed the boat, said, “Generations of Mexicans have an emotional bond with this boat. It has been given the nickname ‘

Caballero de los Mares ,’ which means Knight of the Seas in Spanish.”

On arriving in India, the crew observed a solemn moment in memory of cadet Eva Lidia N., who fell overboard on June 11 due to inclement weather while performing a manoeuvre of sails.

The historic vessel is named after the last Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtémoc. It made its first trip in 1982 and has so far completed 34 instructional journeys covering 705,012 nautical miles, equivalent to 33 laps around the world. In its long career, the Cuauhtémoc has visited 59 countries.

On its 2017 tour, this moving naval academy will visit 15 ports in 12 countries.

After India, the Cuauhtémoc will go on to Singapore, the Philippines, China, South Korea, Japan, the United States, and will end its voyage at the Mexican port of Acapulco.