We expect this event would contribute to infrastructure development in the regions."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli launched the international maritime event of Sail Karimata Strait 2016 on Wednesday.
The Sail Karimata Strait 2016 event will be held in four provinces located on Kalimantan and Sumatra Island: West Kalimantan, Jambi, Bangka Belitung and Riau Islands.
"We expect this event would contribute to infrastructure development in the regions," Minister Ramli stated during the launch at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology Building.
The main activities of the sailing event will include a national seminar on maritime affairs to be organized in Jambi on August 25, 2016; Belitung Festival on October 22; and Riau Islands Maritime Festival on October 28.
A series of activities to welcome the Sail Karimata Strait, however, will begin on June 1, while the peak event will be held in North Kayong District, West Kalimantan, on October 15.
The Sail Karimata Strait will be held for the eighth time since Sail Indonesia was first organized in 2009.
The previous sail events were Sail Bunaken held in North Sulawesi in 2009, Sail Banda in Maluku in 2010, Sail Wakatobi-Belitung in Southeast Sulawesi and Bangka Balitung in 2011, Sail Morotai in North Maluku in 2012, Sail Komodo in East Nusa Tenggara in 2013, Sail Raja Ampat in West Papua in 2014, and Sail Tomini held in the provinces of Central Sulawesi and Gorontalo in 2015.
The launch of the Sail Karimata Strait 2016 was also attended by Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya, Expert Staff of Minister of Maritime and Fishery Suseno Sukoyono, and Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy Admiral Ade Supandi.
Similar to the other sail events, the current edition is aimed at promoting tourism and boosting regional development.
Some 70 yachts will participate in the sail, in addition to warships and traditional boats.
(Reporting by Ade Irma Junida/Uu.INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
