In its 35th year of operation the Peace boat has announced its 100th cruise. What is the Peace Boat and why might it be of interest?

Based in Japan and run by a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation, the Peace Boat sails the world promoting peace, human rights, sustainable development and environmental respect. Partnering with other similar organisations around the world, the Peace Boat spreads its message through educational programmes, advocacy and cooperative projects.

Independent location

The use of a ship for this kind of activity has an interesting effect - the Peace Boat forms a neutral space wherever it docks. People of all ages, races and creeds get together to share the problems they face and the solutions they've found in a non-confrontational environment.

Conferences and informal meetings are held on the boat, which cruises the world at various times throughout the year. Last month, to celebrate what will be its 35th year of operation, the Peace Boat announced a round the world cruise starting on Boxing Day 2018.

The cruise will be the 100th so far and is a fitting tribute to the group of Japanese university students who thought of the idea in the first place.

In the beginning

It started in 1983 when the students hit on the idea of visiting regions that had been affected by past Japanese military action in the Asian-Pacific region. They wanted to hear about those experiences first-hand, because the Japanese government was censoring public discussion on the topic at home.

Seven years later, as the Gulf War started, the first round-the-world cruise took place, with the boat visiting ports along the way to appeal for peace.

As well as the Peace Boat the organisation now has seven Peace Centres throughout Japan, a branch in Switzerland and an affiliate organisation in the USA. The organisation also created an offshoot specifically to deal with disaster relief arising from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The Peace Boat

The current Peace Boat, 'Ocean Dream', is a passenger liner that the organisation charters for each voyage. The organisation plans to build its own ship, to be launched by 2020, but as yet hasn't placed an order with a shipbuilder.

Each cruise takes on 700 to 1,000 people of all ages and backgrounds as volunteers, either to help run the ship or take part in the various educational and outreach projects.

Get ready for 2018 - or earlier!

The Peace Boat has just finished it's 94th round-the-world cruise so you don't have to wait for the 100th cruise to join in.

If you fancy doing some good works, meeting lots of different people and seeing the world, applying for a place on a voyage might be just the ticket.

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