His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham bin Tarik Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth
Muscat: His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham bin Tarik Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, will preside over the farewell ceremony of the RNO Shabab Oman II, organised by the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO).
Oman’s friendship yacht is to set sail today for a nearly month-long journey across the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Titled “Oman: A Renewed Approach”, Shabab Oman II will first visit Kuwait, before stopping over in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, after which it will be anchored in the United Arab Emirates for 10 days, as part of Oman’s contributions to Expo 2020 in Dubai.
The yacht will depart from Port Sultan Qaboos on Sunday, 7 November, before calling at Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City on the 11th and 12th of this month.
The crew will then sail the yacht to King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, where it will once again anchor for two days: the 14th and 15th of this month. Shabab Oman II will then make the short voyage to Bahrain’s Salman Port in Manama, where it will once again halt for two more days. On the 17th, the ship departs from the Bahraini capital and heads for Doha Port in Qatar, where it will stay for the 18th and 19th of November.
The next leg is the longest overseas stay of its voyage: Shabab Oman II will be anchored at Dubai Harbour from 21 November to December 1, and will be part of Oman’s attractions at Expo 2020. The yacht and its crew are back in Muscat on the fifth of next month.
“During its voyage, the ship will visit a number of ports of the brotherly GCC countries and will also take part in the offerings of the Oman Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai,” said the team from Shabab Oman II, in a statement.
Shabab Oman
The first pan-GCC voyage undertaken by an Omani vessel of this nature was in 1983, when the current yacht’s predecessor, Shabab Oman, embarked on a mission to spread the country’s vision of friendship and cooperation.
“That was an ancient and glorious history written by authentic Omani hands, carrying on their shoulders a great legacy left by their parents and grandparents,” said Shabab Oman II’s management team.
Closer to home, during the aftermath of the recent cyclone Shaheen, crews from the yacht were involved in cleaning up debris that had floated out to sea as a result of the weather.
