Peruvian Naval sail training vessel BAP Unión visits Dublin Port

Travelbiz Features Editor Declan Mescall was a guest of the Peruvian Embassy on board the Peruvian Navy’s sail training vessel BAP Unión during a recent visit to Dublin Port.

The BAP Unión is a steel hulled, four masted barque built in Peru between 2012-15 and is the largest sail training vessel in South America and one of the largest in the world at 115m long and 53.5m tall at her highest mast, with a beam of 13.5m. It is named B.A.P. Unión honouring the historical Corvette Unión from the Pacific War.

The ship has a crew of around 250 and in addition to her role as a training ship for future naval officers and cadets she also travels the world building stronger diplomatic relations between Peru and host nations as a floating embassy forging closer bonds across tourism, trade, investment and cultural connectivity. The Peruvian Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Jaime Cacho-Sousa, said the visit marks a “historic milestone in Peru–Ireland relations. This visit not only reflects the strong bonds of friendship between our two countries, but also opens new opportunities to share Peru’s culture, values and maritime tradition with the Irish people “.

In promoting Peru it showcases the country’s biodiversity, gastronomy, superfoods and crafts. A Peru Tourism Workshop was held onboard to showcase all the country has to offer visitors from Ireland to discover, feel, experience, taste and share. Last year over 7k Irish people visited Peru.

The vessel’s European tour began on May 9th with her departure from the port of Callao, Lima, Peru and has made stops in the UK, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. After Dublin the ship will sail to Vigo, Spain then return home to Peru.