World’s largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship is arriving to Nice

Photo: Robin Olsson from when the ship visited Nice in 2007

The Götheborg is on its way to Asia, and Nice is the 10th stopover on the Asia Expedition 2022/2023. The ship will be in Nice 29 September–4 October, will be moored at Quai Riboty in the Old Port of Nice/Port Lympia, and will be open to visitors during the stopover.

“ The ship Götheborg visited Nice in 2007, on its way back home to Sweden during the last Asia Expedition 2005–2007. We are very pleased to once again sail into the beautiful city of Nice”, said Kristoffer Bennis, Expedition Director at Götheborg of Sweden.

The ship is on a two-year long expedition, the Asia Expedition 2022/2023. Following in the historic footsteps of the original ship from the 18^th century, the purpose of the expedition is to promote trade relations in Europe and Asia. The ship will sail in Europe in 2022, stay in the Barcelona during the winter, and continue to Asia in March 2023. In September 2023, the ship will reach the expedition’s end destination Shanghai. The Götheborg left Gothenburg 8 June 2022 and has since visited Helsingborg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, London, Bremerhaven, Lisbon, and Málaga. Next stop after Nice is Monaco and after that Valletta, Malta.  

It is possible to sail along as a deckhand on board, from Nice/Monaco–Valletta, and the sailing leg after from Valletta to Barcelona, as an adventure and experience and to learn how to sail an 18^th century ship. On each sailing about 50 members of the public can sail along as deckhands. The professional crew consists of about 20 professional sailors, which means that there is between 70–80 people on board for each sailing leg.

Short facts

• Arrival in Nice 29 September, 2022
• Gun salute outside the city at 10:20 am
• Mooring at Quai Riboty, Old Port of Nice/Port Lympia at 11:00 am.
• Open to visitors 29 September – 3 October
• Departure on 4 October

Asia Expedition 2022/2023

Götheborg departed from Gothenburg 8 June 2022, and will arrive in Shanghai in September 2023. During the expedition, the ship is sailing in the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe before continuing to the Mediterranean. During winter 2022/2023 the ship will remain in the Mediterranean. It will continue to Asia in spring 2023.  

Greencarrier and Partners

In 2019 the Swedish logistics company Greencarrier acquired SOIC Ship Management, that operates the ship Götheborg, and thereby secured financing of the expedition to Asia. Spring 2020 Greencarrier also acquired the ship. Behind the decision lies a long-term interest in and commitment to the ship Götheborg, and the conviction that the ship is built to sail and therefore should do that.

Partners to the expedition are also EKN (The Swedish Export Credit Agency) and Vinnova (Sweden’s innovation agency), along with a great number of suppliers that support the expedition in different ways.

Short facts: The ship Götheborg – history

The Götheborg is a full-sized replica of an 18th century ship, that was owned by the Swedish East India Company, and that ran aground and sank outside of Gothenburg in 1745. In 1984 marine excavation of the original ship Götheborg was initiated and in 1995 the building of a new Götheborg was started. Eight years later, in 2003, the ship was launched, and between 2005-2007 the ship sailed the historical route to Asia and back. After that several expeditions around Europe were carried out, the latest one in 2015. In 2021 the ship sailed from Gothenburg to Stockholm and back.