Tall Ship Races vessels arrive in Aberdeen

Vessels taking part in the Tall Ships Races 2025 have begun arriving in Aberdeen ahead of a four-day festival.

The race began in Le Havre in France in early July and the ships sailed round the coast to Dunkirk before travelling on to Aberdeen.

They will stay in Scotland until July 22 and the competing ships will then race to Kristiansand in Norway and finally to Esbjerg in Denmark, arriving there in early August.

The festival in Aberdeen is expected to attract around 400,000 visitors between Saturday and Tuesday.

Around 50 ships from around the globe will be berthed at the quaysides, which will host a range of attractions from food and craft stalls to street performers and concerts, while visitors will also be able to board some of the vessels.

Events will also take place elsewhere in the city, including an international crew parade on Sunday with more than 1,500 sailors expected to take part, exhibitions, free activities and art installations.

On Tuesday, the ships will depart with a “parade of sail” along the quayside and beach esplanade.

It emerged on Wednesday that tall ship TS Shtandart has been denied entry to the Port of Aberdeen due to current national and international legislation.

The captain of the ship was born in Russia, and sanctions introduced following the invasion of Ukraine mean the vessel cannot enter a UK port.

Shtandart had originally entered to take part in race four between Kristiansand and Esbjerg.

The TS Shtandart has released an open letter to the port authorities stating: “The sail training ship TS Shtandart has been denied entry to the Port of Aberdeen.

“As a result, she and her crew have been excluded from the list of participants in the 2025 Tall Ships Races.

“Let us be absolutely clear: TS Shtandart is not a Russian ship.

“She does not fly the Russian flag. She is registered under the flag of the Cook Islands. She is owned by a Finnish citizen, operated by a German company and crewed by an international team.

“She has not visited Russia for more than 15 years and is neither owned, operated, nor funded – directly or indirectly – by any Russian entity or by the Russian Federation.

“Therefore, she does not fall under any categories listed in Article 57A of the UK Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations.

“The only remaining link to Russia is the captain’s place of birth. He left the country over a decade ago and has since been a long-term resident and taxpayer in Germany. He has not returned to Russia in many years and has dedicated his life to education and youth development at sea.

“TS Shtandart carries no political message. She is not a threat nor a tool for propaganda.

“She is a floating school, an ambassador of peace, a bridge between generations and nations.”

Sail Training International said Aberdeen was not a confirmed stop for the ship and Shtandart’s captain, Vladimir Martus, was fully aware of the situation.

It said: “Sail Training International confirms that it received communications from the ports of Aberdeen, Kristiansand and Esbjerg informing us that Shtandart was denied entry into their ports, due to current national and international legislation.

“As a result of this, Sail Training International regrettably cancelled her participation in The Tall Ships Races 2025.”