Korea Maritime and Ocean University holds departure ceremony for second-semester ocean training voyage

Korea Maritime and Ocean University held a departure ceremony Tuesday at its on-campus training ship dock for the second-semester ocean training voyage of the 2026 academic year. A total of 296 aspiring marine officers boarded the training vessels Hanbada and Hannara for a 25-day deep-sea voyage.

University President Ryu Dong-geun, faculty and staff, trainees, parents and alumni attended the ceremony. Park Jae-man, vice president of the university's alumni association, was also present. The ceremony proceeded in the following order: the national ceremony, delivery of the sailing order, congratulatory remarks from guests, a response address by the training ship captains, closing remarks, and the boarding and departure of the trainees.

The ceremony also featured the "manderail" tradition, in which students aboard the ships throw colored streamers to family members and friends standing on the dock. The navigation training runs from Tuesday through Nov. 6.

The Hanbada will call at Okinawa, Osaka and Hakodate in Japan, while the Hannara will stop at Cebu in the Philippines and Hiroshima in Japan before both vessels return to Busan. Trainees are expected to experience local cultures firsthand at each port of call and observe the maritime industries of the countries visited, broadening their international perspective.

"Ocean voyage training is a precious process in which students apply the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to the real sea and grow into professional marine officers," university President Ryu said. "I hope they will accumulate diverse experiences through this voyage and develop into maritime talent with a broader outlook and a spirit of challenge."