Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
This morning the Harbourmaster’s office in Syracuse opened its doors to first-year students from the Rizza-Insolera nautical secondary school, renewing the “sea baptism” tradition for the 2026/27 academic year.
The commander of the Harbourmaster’s office in Syracuse, Captain Antonio Cacciatore, welcomed the students and teachers, expressing his pleasure at the visit and congratulating the pupils on their choice of school. The Syracuse nautical institute will train them as future maritime professionals in a sector where Italian seafaring leads the world in quality in international shipping.
A special greeting came from Don Claudio Magro of the local Stella Maris and from president Alessandra Salerno, who presented the association as a reference point for seafarers calling at the Syracuse port complex, in collaboration with the Welfare of Seafarers.
The students, more than a hundred of them, took part enthusiastically in the initiative, boarding a vessel provided by the local Mooring Masters and Boatmen Group for an instructional tour of Syracuse’s Porto Grande. They were accompanied by Coast Guard personnel, who explained the governance of ports and related maritime police activities, then covered navigation safety and finally the protection of the marine and coastal environment.
The students were also guests aboard the tug Santa Panagia, owned by the concessionaire Rimorchiatori Augusta Srl, where they met the captain and the chief engineer, who described the various technical and nautical service roles within the port organisation.
The morning ended with a meeting with the crew of the SAR (Search and Rescue) motor launch CP 323, who explained the vessel’s special features and the maritime rescue service it provides without interruption, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, by the crew on board.
