Polish and Arab cadets take part in joint sea exercises

Fifty Polish and Arab cadets, students of the Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia (northern Poland), are taking part in a joint two-month-long training voyage from Gdynia to the Persian Gulf, on board the Polish training ship ORP "Wodnik".

According to Lieutenant Commander Wojciech Mundt, a spokesman for the Naval Academy, 15 students from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and 10 from Qatar and Poland participate in training at sea. Their voyage began on Monday. Mundt remarked that this is the first time that such a large contingent of Arab students, who are training at the Gdynia Academy, receive such sea training.

For the 3rd year Polish cadets, it is a way for them to check their overall abilities, including instructor and command skills. The Polish naval cadets will support the Academy’s teaching staff and the ship's crew in managing the training practices for foreign students.

The Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia, named in honour of the Heroes of Westerplatte (Polish soldiers who heroically defended the Westerplatte peninsula against Nazi German invaders in 1939) has 105 foreign military students, mostly from Arab countries.

A large part of the marine exercises will take place on board the ORP "Wodnik" training ship. Mundt reported that "during four decades of service under the white-and-red flag, the ORP 'Wodnik' has participated in the training process of over 3,000 naval officers."