BUILT in 1917, the Oosterschelde, sailed into the Fiji waters for the first time last week and continued its mission to train 200 young environmentalists in countries it docks at.
The program is part of the Darwin 200 project, a two-year planetary conservation mission on board the historic Dutch Tall ship Oosterschelde.
The expedition sailed from Plymouth Harbour, UK in August 2023, retracing Charles Darwin’s most famous maritime voyage.
Team leader Rolf Schreuder said this vessel was built as a freighter for the Rotterdam-based shipping company HAAS.
“It’s called Darwin 200 because maybe it’s almost 200 years ago when she started, but also because we want to train 200 young, amazing people to become tomorrow’s leaders in conservation,” Mr Schreuder said.
“The three-masted topsail schooner was designed to move four hundred tonnes of bricks, clay, and wood as well as salted herring, bran, potatoes, straw, and bananas.
“When the ship sails, there are about 24 people on board. Those are passengers. We do our projects in the ports and then we have projects like in Fiji.
“We have two projects with two Darwin leaders. But it can be four or six projects.
“So that depends a little bit on the situation.
“But in total, in the two years we are travelling, we are going to train 200 young people.”
The ship, he said, was now a monument for Dutch shipbuilding and sailing which was recommissioned on August 21, 1992, by her Royal Highness Princess Magriet and is one of the largest sailing ships in the Dutch fleet after restoration.
The crew, who currently utilise the ship for weddings and parties, had invited this newspaper for a tour around the vessel this morning.