Mayor: Arrival of KRI Bima Suci an opportunity to introduce Medan City's culture

Medan (ANTARA) - Medan Mayor Rico Tri Putra Waas stated that the presence of the Republic of Indonesia Ship (KRI) Bima Suci-945, docked at Belawan Port in Medan City, North Sumatra, serves as an opportunity to introduce the cultural richness of the region.

“This will be an opportunity for us to introduce the cultural wealth of Medan City to the world stage,” he said while welcoming the arrival of KRI Bima Suci-945 as part of the international friendship sailing, ASEAN Plus Cadet Sail (APCS) 2026, in Medan on Sunday.

He mentioned that this opportunity arises because the ASEAN Plus Cadet Sail 2026 involves navies from various countries.

Although he did not detail Medan City’s culture specifically, he hoped that the event, themed “Sailing Together for Navy Brotherhood,” would leave sweet memories for all participants.

“We want all participants to have a positive experience here. Hopefully, through this activity, Medan’s tourism and cultural potential will become more widely known to the international world through the stories of the participants when they return to their respective countries,” he said.

Therefore, he emphasised that the government under his leadership is committed to fully supporting the smooth running of the event scheduled from 5-8 April 2026.

“We extend a warm welcome to Medan City. The presence of KRI Bima Suci in Belawan waters is a great honour for us. This ship is a symbol of friendship, diplomacy, and strong inter-country cooperation,” he stated.

The ASEAN Plus Cadet Sail is an international maritime diplomacy programme initiated by the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL), bringing together naval academy cadets from ASEAN and non-ASEAN countries to interact.

Lieutenant Colonel (N) Rasyid Al Hafiz, Head of Public Affairs and Naval Operations Diplomacy, stated that the route for the APCS 2026 programme is Surabaya-Jakarta-Belawan-Colombia.