Götheborg of Sweden will play an important role in the celebration of the city of Gothenburg’s 400-year anniversary in June 2023. The ship, currently moored in Barcelona, will therefore head for Gothenburg at the end of March/beginning of April.
Photo: Street Studios
“ The Swedish East India Company and its ships played a central role in the development and history of the city of Gothenburg. It is therefore natural that our ship Götheborg joins in the celebrations of this anniversary. The ship Götheborg of Sweden is a symbol of the era that laid the foundation of what Gothenburg is today”, says the board of Rederi Götheborg in a statement. “We are therefore delighted to play an important role in the great celebrations.”
Last year, the ship Götheborg carried out a very successful expedition across Europe, visiting ports in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom. More than 50,000 people visited the ship and had the opportunity to learn more about Swedish ship history, as well as improve their knowledge about the city of Gothenburg and Sweden. In addition, close to 500 people experienced what it is like sailing on an 18th century ship while sailing as deckhands between the various ports. Götheborg received extensive media coverage at all the different port stops.
A number of port stops will be made this year as well, on our way sailing from Barcelona to Gothenburg. Negotiations regarding which ports will be visited are currently underway.
After the celebration of Gothenburg's 400-year anniversary, the ship will undergo thorough inspection and maintenance. This year marks 20 years since Götheborg was launched and a thorough review of the ship's condition is necessary, as the ongoing maintenance has become more and more extensive. The best place for such work is Gothenburg.
A consequence of the longer standstill for Götheborg after arriving to Gothenburg, is that the number of employees at Rederi Götheborg AB will gradually be reduced due to lack of work.
Götheborg of Sweden is the world’s largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship and a unique replica of an 18th century Swedish East India Company ship that sank outside of Gothenburg in 1745. Today, the ship operates with paying deckhands who sail on board to sail along between ports and learn how to sail an 18th century ship. In ports, it is also a popular visitor destination. The ship Götheborg is owned SOIC AB and operated by Rederi Götheborg AB. Both SOIC AB and Rederi Götheborg AB are fully owned subsidiaries of Greencarrier Group, a family-owned company with over 40 years of history specialising in logistics solutions.
Götheborg of Sweden will officially open the city of Gothenburg’s great 400-year jubilee on the 2nd of June 2023 by greeting the city with a gun salute. As previously announced, the ship will sail to Gothenburg for the jubilee. Today it was announced that the ship will open the festivities with gun salute and join Gothenburg’s Anniversary Festival in Frihamnen in Gothenburg.
Götheborg of Sweden today released the two final port stops of the European Tour 2023; Rotterdam and Hamburg. This means that all six sailing legs and port stops for 2023 are now announced. The ship, currently moored in Barcelona, will sail to Sète, Gibraltar, Jersey, Rotterdam and Hamburg before arriving at its home port Gothenburg, Sweden. In Gothenburg, the ship will take part in the city of Gothenburg’s 400-year jubilee.
Götheborg of Sweden is now moored in Barcelona for the winter stopover, and the plan has been to continue to Asia in March 2023. This plan has now been postponed, and the ship will instead sail in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe in 2023.