German warships open for public tour

German warships open for public tour

JAKARTA (JP): Four German navy ships will dock at Tanjung
Priok port tomorrow morning for a four-day visit in which the
public is invited to come aboard and tour the ships.

The four ships are the frigate type F 123 Bayern, frigate type
F 122 Bremen and two auxiliary supply ships Glucksburg and Rohn.

They are here as part of a round the world tour which began in
their home port of Wilhelmshafen on July 24.

The trip has already taken the four ships to Israel, Egypt,
India, Malaysia, China, Japan, the Philippines and Brunei. They
are scheduled to return to Germany on Dec. 5.

The public is invited to visit the ships Friday and Saturday
between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

German Ambassador to Indonesia Heinrich Seeman said the
purpose of the visit was to enhance friendship and demonstrate
the ship's high technology.

"Those are the main two reasons of the visit," he said adding
that commercial motives were not part of the visit.

"They will not be here to sell the ships," he said.

The visit, he added, will enhance cooperation with the navies
in the region.

The Indonesian Navy is equipped with mostly German warships.
In 1994, the government bought 39 ships from the previous arsenal
of the former East Germany. (10)