Traditional Palauan canoe arrives in Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung, March 7 (CNA) A traditional voyaging canoe from Palau arrived at Kaohsiung Port on Saturday, where Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) held a ceremony to welcome the crew making an ambitious Pacific voyage guided entirely by traditional navigation.

The vessel, Alingano Maisu, set sail from Palau on Feb. 15 on what the council described as the largest voyage of its kind, a four-month journey covering about 6,200 nautical miles across the western Pacific.

The canoe is captained by master navigator Sesario Sewralur, who leads a 13-member crew from Palau, Taiwan, the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Speaking at the ceremony, Sewralur thanked Taiwan for its warm welcome.

Sewralur said a canoe crossing the ocean brings people together as one family. "One ocean, one family."

Taiwan is the first stop for the Alingano Maisu, which will continue to Okinawa, Guam, Saipan, as well as Satawal and Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, before returning to Palau.

According to the OAC, the crew navigates without modern instruments, instead reading winds and ocean currents, observing stars and celestial patterns, and interpreting signs from marine life to determine their course.

OAC Deputy Minister Wu Hsin-hsiu (吳欣修) said at the ceremony that the voyage demonstrates the depth and precision of Austronesian seafaring knowledge passed down through generations.

During their stay in Kaohsiung, the crew will host cultural exchanges and maritime education activities with Indigenous groups, sailing communities and academic institutions, the council said.

Earlier Saturday, the canoe was escorted toward Kaohsiung from waters near Dapeng Bay by sailboats from Taiwanese universities and sailing groups.