May 29th 2024, Greetings from the North Sea.

For a while we noticed on the radar that the German warship F223 was following us.
We talked about how safe it is to travel when there is a warship convoy.

The ship sailed with us for about four hours and then contacted us by radio.
We were a little confused because it has been quite unusual during the trip for foreign authorities to contact us when we are at sea. They had found out who we are, where we are coming from and why are we travelling.

Very politely, they asked if they could greet us and pay respects by passing us on the board side.

It was really impressive to encounter such attention.
They respected and appreciated us in an incredibly fine way.

Everything happened on their initiative, they passed us on the board side, they did the flag salute and the signal horn salute, we answered their salute. They drove past and turned back.

An unforgettable experience and a truly significant honor for us.
It's very difficult to put into words what happened and how it all feels.
A sensitive but at the same time glorious event in its own way.

M/S Alpo
On behalf of the crew
Captain
Teppo Niiranen

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