WITH A complement of more than 300 crewmembers on board, the Argentine Frigate, A.R.A ‘Libertad’, a naval training vessel, docked in Guyana’s waters to convey a message of peace and friendship on behalf of the people of Argentina to the people of Guyana. In this its first visit here, the people of Argentina also sought to salute the 2011 Pro Tempore Presidency of Guyana at the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
During the vessel’s three-day sojourn(from July 16 to 19), the Captain and crew will seek to foster closer ties between the peoples of the two counties by hosting several receptions aboard ship, as well as venturing into the streets of the capital, Georgetown, to experience and savour the Guyanese culture and hospitality.
Yesterday, members of the media were invited to board the vessel to get a feel of its operational procedures as well as to experience true Argentine hospitality.
Braving the choppy, mid-afternoon waters, the Guyanese delegation embarked on a 45-minute boat ride aboard a local Coast Guard vessel towards the moored frigate  with its welcoming crew eagerly awaiting the arrival of the foreign contingent.
As the smaller vessel approached the bigger one, it was evident from the smiling faces of the naval officers that the mission was indeed born out of goodwill and peace.
While on board, the visitors were regaled about the history and operations of the Libertad and its fundamental mission by way of a brief presentation by the Ship’s Deck Officer, Garcia Bonini.
As to the purpose of its visit here, the ‘Libertad’s Captain, Guillermo Tyburec said: “As the two countries are part of UNASUR, this is part of the close relationship.”
Argentina’s Charge D’Affaires to Guyana, Luis Martino, who was a bit more explicit, said:
“The main mission of the ship as it sails  through the seas of the world every year  is to convey  the main message of solidarity, friendship, and peace to the peoples of the countries that it visits…that’s the main reason why the ship is here.”
His reason for being here, he said, is to reopen an Argentine mission in Guyana with the aim of re-launching the good relationship the two countries previously enjoyed.
The fundamental mission of the frigate is to train future officers of the Argentine Navy by instilling in them the virtues of men and women of goodwill, and transmitting the knowledge of navigation through the seas of the world, carrying a message of peace and friendship to all the nations it visits, a message which is deeply rooted in each member of the crew.
Each year, the ship sets sail on a five-month training and instruction voyage, carrying on board the cadets of the previous year of the Argentine Naval Academy, before graduation.
Accompanying the Argentine crew are nine cadets of the Uruguayan Naval Academy and 14 others from Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Panama.
According to Captain Martino, the 103.7-metre-long vessel, Libertad, was  unable to dock at Port Georgetown because of the shallowness of the Demerara River channel to accommodate its draught of 6.5 metres.   
Despite this setback, however, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is expected to provide support for select persons to go on the journey to the vessel moored off the Guyana coast.
The route of the 2011 voyage started in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires,  before moving on to the ports of Mar del Plata (also in Argentina), Rio de Janeiro and Recife (Brazil), Paramaribo (Suriname) and continuing after its stop in Georgetown, towards the ports of La Guaira (Venezuela), Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), Guayaquil (Ecuador), El Callao (Peru), Valparaiso and Punta Arenas (Chile), Ushuaia, Puerto Madryn and Bahia Blanca (Argentina), and finally Montevideo (Uruguay), last stop before returning to Buenos Aires, scheduled for October 22.
The personnel of the ship, currently on its XLII Instruction Voyage under the command of Navy Captain Guillermo Tyburec, is composed of 27 officers, 184 non-commissioned officers, 90 midshipmen, of which 25 are women and instructors of the Naval Academy.
Armed with a plethora of information, the visiting team of local media operatives left the vessel knowing they might never again meet the Argentine crew of the Frigate A.R.A ‘Libertad’, but safe in the knowledge that the brilliant sunset before them was entirely theirs.