Russian training ship calling at Malta

The tall ship Sedov, a Russian training ship, will be in Malta between October 18 and 20, on her way from Barcelona to Marseilles, on the return leg of her trip to St Petersburg.

The Sedov was built in 1921 in Germany and is the largest sail training ship in the world. When built, she was the largest sailing ship in the world.

She is one of only two existing cargo sailing ships which operated in the early years of the last century.

She is named after Georgij Sedov, a celebrated Arctic explorer who died during an expedition in 1914.

The Sedov measures 117.5m in length, and can carry over 4,000 square metres of sail from four masts. Her maximum speed under sail is over 18 knots. Apart from her sheer size, one of her innovations is a glass-domed banqueting hall with a stage, as well as a small museum.

This is the vessel's third training voyage this year, and is carrying 135 cadets, 56 crew and 30 trainees. Based in Murmansk, she is part of the Murmansk State Technical University.

The vessel will be open to the public against a contribution of Lm1 for adults, which will go towards the preservation of the ship.