Richmond could once again see the Kaiwo Maru Tall Ship in Steveston next spring.
This was on the agenda at Tuesday's (April 22) general purposes committee meeting, where city council discussed options for an approximate five-day event for the ship at Imperial Landing in Steveston in May 2026.
The Kaiwo Maru is a training vessel operated by the Japan Agency of Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers (JMETS), an organization that trains future navigators and engineers.
The organization confirmed with the City of Richmond that they are interested in returning with Kaiwo Maru in May 2026.
The Kaiwo Maru is 361 feet long and 182 feet high, with 36 sails -- one of the largest tall ships in the world -- with capacity to carry around 200 people, including 100 cadets.
The last time the vessel was in Richmond was in 2017 for the city's Canada 150 celebrations, and before that in 2004.
City staff presented three event budget options ranging from $1 million to $1.9 million.
The cheapest option would be a ship viewing and boarding event and a school education program for local students to visit, with no on-land public events.
The second and third options presented, with an approximate $700,000 and $900,000 price tag difference, respectively, include community events such as art displays, vendors and food trucks during the Kaiwo Maru's stay.
Many city councillors asked whether the annual Maritime Festival could be moved from its usual August time to May.
"I wonder if there is an opportunity to combine Maritime Festival and any other waterfront activities to save dollars to have a bigger celebration," said Coun. Bill McNulty.
Coun. Michael Wolfe further asked how much the city would save if the Kaiwo Maru's visit was tied in with the Maritime Festival.
Marie Fenwick, director of arts, culture and heritage services at the City of Richmond, estimated the budget of the Maritime Festival would be just over $200,000.
"If there was a decision that this was the Maritime Festival for 2026, there would be an opportunity to offset maybe approximately $220,000 in costs (for the Kaiwo Maru event)," said Fenwick.
McNulty and Coun. Kash Heed both asked for more information, including the proper timeframe of the event and a breakdown of the full program and site production before choosing an event option.
Staff was referred back to get more details on revenues, expenses, programming and sponsorship on the visit of Kaiwo Maru.
This will be discussed again at city council on Monday, April 28.
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