Miyagi Prefecture's Training Ship 'Miyagi Maru' Departs for Bali on Fisheries Exchange Voyage

Miyagi Prefecture's ocean training vessel 'Miyagi Maru' (699 tons) departed Kesennuma Port in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, on October 7, carrying 20 students: 16 first- and second-year students from Kesennuma Koyo High School and 4 first-year students from the prefectural fisheries high school. After stopping at Ishinomaki New Fishing Port, the ship will conduct tuna longline fishing practice in the North Pacific before arriving in Bali, Indonesia, on November 2. During the stay in Bali, the students are scheduled to exchange with local high school students studying fisheries. The ship is expected to return to Kesennuma on November 19.

At the departure, around 300 people, including students and parents from Kesennuma Koyo High School, gathered to see off the trainees. After a representative student gave a farewell speech, the students boarded the ship amid colorful paper streamers thrown from the dock.

While this voyage does not directly affect tourists or short-term visitors in Bali, it represents an example of international exchange between Japanese and Indonesian fisheries education communities. For Bali residents and local school staff, this may be of interest as an opportunity for cross-cultural interaction with Japanese students.