38

Welcoming our family's newest member!
Nelli Rünk (Norit) (Estonia, 2008)

Life after graduating from WMU has been going up and up. I am very happy to let our
Friends of WMU know about the birth of my son, Ramon, who was born on September 30 at 5:00 in the morning.
Ramon has been a real sweetheart, laughing a lot and sleeping very well. Although
he cannot walk or crawl yet, he moves his arms and legs all the time, as if he wants togo and run as fast as he can. We think this comes from his father, who is an avid
runner and has being doing sports his entire life.
Our lives have been full of joy and happiness. We feel so blessed to have such a
wonderful son. I would like to thank The Nippon Foundation and OPRF for giving me
the opportunity to share our great news, not only about my marriage, but also about thebirth of our family’s newest member.

March
2012

Information from the Secretariat
Introducing “nippon.com,”a New Multi-language Information Site

Established in December 2010, Japan Echo is a general foundation specializingin the dissemination of information about Japan in various languages for people
living overseas. In October this year Japan Echo launched “nippon.com,” its
multi-language website providing information aimed at promoting a deeper
understanding of Japan. The site features information and views on a wide rangeof areas, including culture, society, politics, the economy, foreign policy, andscience and technology. Visitors to the site will also find in-depth articles oncurrent conditions in Japan. Site content is available in Japanese, English,
Chinese (simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese), French, and Spanish. We
invite you to visit nippon.com and discover the Japan you’ve never known.

Notice of Temporary Relocation of our Office

We wish to notify you that the Ocean Policy Research Foundation(OPRF) will temporarily relocate to the following address from thisSpring due to refurbishment work at our building. We look forward to
your continued support after our relocation.

New Address:

Toranomon 35 Mori Building,
3-4-10 Toranomon, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 105-0001 JAPANFor further information, please go visit our website at: http://www.sof.or.jp/en/index.php

Obi tua r yProfessor Kenji Ishida of Kobe University passed away on January 17, 2012 at the age of 63 after an illness.
Professor Ishida served as a professor at WMU from 1993 to 1997. During his tenure there, he maintained an
active interest in the lives of students both inside and outside the classroom and stayed in touch with many
students including Sasakawa Fellows. These devoted efforts of the Professor laid the foundation for today’s
Friends of WMU, Japan network.
Professor Ishida also served as a member of the Selection Committee for the WMU Sasakawa Fellowship foran extended period from 2001 to 2009, where he applied the valuable, diverse experience of his career, including
his work at WMU, his involvement in exchange programs with overseas universities such as Sekolah Tinggi
Teknik Surabaya (STTS), and as Chief of the International Maritime Research Center at Kobe University.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to Professor Ishida’s family and our prayers for the repose of his soul.

Editor’s note
ISO/TC8/SC8 (Ships’ design) and the Ship Design and Equipment discussions at both venues to ensure smooth business, because
Sub-Committee at IMO are going to be held back to back in regulations and standards are tirelessly developed and revised.
London in February, both of which I am to participate in. They have Naturally, the same thing applies to the administrations as well,some common discussion items such as performance standards of because they are able to act in tandem to promote the safety of ships
protective coating of ships’ ballast tanks, water-tightness of compart- and protection of the marine environment. I sincerely hope that manyments and structural integrity, and so on. I have to prepare for a long WMU grads play important roles in both fields and have opportunistay in London, hoping that my colleagues will be able to handle the ties to work together.
work during my absence from the office.
Kunihiko Kitabayashi
Nowadays, parties concerned should carefully follow theJapan Ship Technology and Research Association (JSTRA)

Mr. Kunihiko Kitabayashi, Mr. Tomoya Shimizu

Gathering Orientation

URL: http://nippon.com/en/As

with Sasakawa Fellowship 2011 & 2012

we from OPRF are aware, 27 new
Sasakawa Fellowship students of
the Class of 2012 joined WMU as of
September 26th. Therefore, we thought wewould like to take this opportunity to have an
orientation session with them.
The reason for OPRF to have this event
was to strengthen the network andcommunication opportunities among thecurrent Sasakawa Fellowship students of
the Class of 2011 and 2012. Both academic
calendars allow for 2 months overlap only;
therefore, this event would be an excellent
opportunity to get to know each otherbetter.
In fact, the event was held on Tuesday,
October 18th from 17:00-21:00 at WMU.
And the event itself consisted of two parts: anorientation meeting and a reception.
The reception was attended not only by
current Sasakawa Fellowship students, butalso by graduates: Kyaw ZEYA (Myanmar,

1996), Pedro Severino LIMA FILHO(Brazil, 2008), Yusuf Mohammad BALA
(Nigeria, 2008), and Anete LOGINA(Latvia, 2009), and some WMU staff
members as well.
They all had a pleasant time in a friendly
atmosphere, and we feel that the meeting andreception were a great start to deepening theirmutual friendship as WMU Sasakawa
Fellows. We could see from the interaction
among them that it did not only encourage
meetings between the 2011 and 2012
students, but also among the 2012 students
themselves. They were all very new to WMU,
and it was a great opportunity for them to get
to know who the new Sasakawa Fellows were.
We certainly believe that this first event wasvery fruitful, and we will definitely plan tohold it for the students next year.
Friends of WMU, Japan Secretariat
OPRF

Orientation Meeting:
Shin Ichikawa, an OPRF staff member, gave a
one-hour presentation on the following topics:
1. The Nippon Foundation and its Relationshipwith OPRF & other Partner Organizations
1-1) Financial Resources of The Nippon
Foundation
1-2) Other Partner Organizations
1-3) Ocean Policy Research Foundation(OPRF)
2. WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Program2-1) Background to the Fellowship Program2-2) Selection Procedures2-3) Events while at University
3. WMU Sasakawa Fellows’ Network3-1) Society of the “Friends of WMU, Japan”
3-2) Activities of the “Friends of WMU, Japan”
Secretariat- Newsletter- Website- Directory- Regional Network Meeting- Sasakawa Fellows’ Chapters
4. Attitude toward Maintaining Sasakawa
Fellowship Program4-1) Frequent Update of One’s Data
4-2) Frequent Updates to Mr. Sasakawa
4-3) Letter of Appreciation from one’s
Authority4-4) Contributions to the Newsletter/Website

GRADUATION 2011
On Sunday, December 4, WMU’s Chancellor and IMO Secretary-General, Mr.

Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, conferred postgraduate degrees on the World Maritime
University’s Class of 2011. The Guests of Honour were Admiral Oscar Adolfo Arce,
Commandant, Prefectura Naval Argentina, and Vice-Admiral Brian Salerno,O

Deputy Commandant for Operations, US Coast Guard.

F

our graduates of the WMU PhD
programs, Li Ying of China, Kofi
Mbiah of Ghana, Rajendra Prasad of India
and Azfar Mohamad Mustafar of
Malaysia, received their degrees, alongwith 104 students graduating from the
Malmö-based MSc programme in
Maritime Affairs, and 23 from the
distance-learning Postgraduate Diploma
in Marine Insurance. Both Li Ying and
Azfar Mohamad Mustafar are graduates ofthe WMU MSc programme in Maritime
Affairs, when both were supported by
Sasakawa Fellowships.

This was the first graduation ceremony
for students following the newly
structured,
streamlined
14-monthMalmö-based MSc program in Maritime
Affairs, which has placed higher demandson the intellect and stamina of thestudents. This group of graduates includes

the largest-ever number of women
graduates (31), the largest number ofstudents from Africa since 1989 (36, ofwhom 19 are from Nigeria), thelargest-ever number of students funded bytheir employer, government or frompersonal sources (44) and the youngest
group of students since the Class of 2001,
with an average age of 33.3.
The WMU graduates of 2011 bring thetotal to 3,242, and all are now making a
tremendous impact on the global maritime
sector. The World Maritime University isa unique model of international learningand cooperation that meets importantneeds in both developing and developed
countries, as well as in the maritime
industry. WMU graduates are highly
sought after to fill senior management andpolicy-making positions in their countries
or at an international level.

Nyein Ei Phyu of Myanmar won the C P
Srivastava Award

During the ceremony, the annual special
awards to students were announced:• Anne Bouyssou of France won the
Chancellor’s Medal for Academic
Excellence, the Pierre Léonard Prize for
the Best Female Student and the Lloyd’s
Maritime Academy dissertation prize• Zhao Jian of China won the Informa
Law dissertation prize• Nyein Ei Phyu of Myanmar (Sasakawa
Fellow) won the C P Srivastava Award forInternational Fellowship
Sue Jackson
Associate Registrar WMUAward Ceremony for Sasakawa Fellows,
December 2, 2011

ne of the most eagerly anticipated
events during “Graduation Week” isthe reception hosted by the Ocean Policy
Research Foundation (OPRF) to honour
the graduating students whose studies havebeen sponsored by the Sasakawa Fellowship
Programme. The reception is held in themagnificent Fridhemsborg mansion, thisyear with its trees and grounds beautifully lit
for the Christmas season.
Mr. Eisuke Kudo, Mr. Eiji Sakai and Mr.
Shin Ichikawa of OPRF greeted their guests
warmly, and in his speech to open theproceedings, Mr. Kudo welcomed inparticular the many distinguished guests,
including WMU President Dr. Björn
Kjerfve, the Mayor of Malmö andChairman of the City Board, Mr. Kent
Andersson and his wife Ms. Monica
Blomberg, Mr. Zhu Jianxin, Director of theTechnical Co-operation Division, IMO,
the Honorary Consul of Japan in Malmö,
Mr. Leif Almö, and Member of the WMU
Board of Governors, Rev. Tom Heffer,

Secretary-General of the Mission to
Seafarers, London.
Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Directorof The Nippon Foundation, addressed thestudents in a very personal way,congratulating them on their hard work andfine achievement in attaining their Master of
Science degree, urging them to put their new
knowledge to good use in their careers. They
were also warmly encouraged to remain
active in the “family” of Sasakawa Fellows
and to utilize the network of maritime
colleagues that gave them around the world.
The graduands were then each awarded acertificate and gift to mark their transition
from student to member of the Friends of
WMU, Japan. Ms. Nyein Ei Phyu from
Myanmar made a speech on behalf of thegraduating
Sasakawa
Fellows,
acknowledging the kind support of The
Nippon Foundation and the Ocean Policy
Research Foundation, and expressing
gratitude for the many ways in which theFellows are assisted both during theirstudies and after their graduation from
WMU. She promised that the 2011
graduates would indeed remain very much apart of the Sasakawa family in the future.
The Japanese-style buffet dinner that
followed was greatly enjoyed by all, as was
the opportunity for the graduating students
to meet and chat with the distinguishedguests, their junior student colleagues andmembers of the WMU staff. During thispart of the evening, two host families wereintroduced to Mr. Kudo, who thanked themfor their interest in the students and theirefforts to make them feel at home during
their studies in Malmö.
All too soon it was time to leave thewarmth of a very successful reception and tobrave the cold December weather. Many
thanks indeed to the OPRF for a wonderful
evening.

Lyndell Lundahl
Student Services Officer, WMU

Two Challenging Works of Dissertation

Two Fellows, who have been granted a "Research Grant-In-Aid for Sasakawa Fellowship Recipients 2011" by OPRF, handed over theirchallenging works of dissertation to Mr. Unno, Executive Director of The Nippon Foundation at the Award Ceremony for Sasakawa Fellows,
Class of 2011. Following are the names and their titles of dissertation:

1. Gopal Krishna Choudhary (India)
An analysis of the creation of a global ship recycling fund in the framework of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe andEnvironmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009
2. A J M Gunasekara (Sri Lanka)
Oil Spill Contingency Management, its Financial Arrangement and Implications in the South Asian Region

2

3

GRADUATION 2011
On Sunday, December 4, WMU’s Chancellor and IMO Secretary-General, Mr.

Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, conferred postgraduate degrees on the World Maritime
University’s Class of 2011. The Guests of Honour were Admiral Oscar Adolfo Arce,
Commandant, Prefectura Naval Argentina, and Vice-Admiral Brian Salerno,O

Deputy Commandant for Operations, US Coast Guard.

F

our graduates of the WMU PhD
programs, Li Ying of China, Kofi
Mbiah of Ghana, Rajendra Prasad of India
and Azfar Mohamad Mustafar of
Malaysia, received their degrees, alongwith 104 students graduating from the
Malmö-based MSc programme in
Maritime Affairs, and 23 from the
distance-learning Postgraduate Diploma
in Marine Insurance. Both Li Ying and
Azfar Mohamad Mustafar are graduates ofthe WMU MSc programme in Maritime
Affairs, when both were supported by
Sasakawa Fellowships.

This was the first graduation ceremony
for students following the newly
structured,
streamlined
14-monthMalmö-based MSc program in Maritime
Affairs, which has placed higher demandson the intellect and stamina of thestudents. This group of graduates includes

the largest-ever number of women
graduates (31), the largest number ofstudents from Africa since 1989 (36, ofwhom 19 are from Nigeria), thelargest-ever number of students funded bytheir employer, government or frompersonal sources (44) and the youngest
group of students since the Class of 2001,
with an average age of 33.3.
The WMU graduates of 2011 bring thetotal to 3,242, and all are now making a
tremendous impact on the global maritime
sector. The World Maritime University isa unique model of international learningand cooperation that meets importantneeds in both developing and developed
countries, as well as in the maritime
industry. WMU graduates are highly
sought after to fill senior management andpolicy-making positions in their countries
or at an international level.

Nyein Ei Phyu of Myanmar won the C P
Srivastava Award

During the ceremony, the annual special
awards to students were announced:• Anne Bouyssou of France won the
Chancellor’s Medal for Academic
Excellence, the Pierre Léonard Prize for
the Best Female Student and the Lloyd’s
Maritime Academy dissertation prize• Zhao Jian of China won the Informa
Law dissertation prize• Nyein Ei Phyu of Myanmar (Sasakawa
Fellow) won the C P Srivastava Award forInternational Fellowship
Sue Jackson
Associate Registrar WMUAward Ceremony for Sasakawa Fellows,
December 2, 2011

ne of the most eagerly anticipated
events during “Graduation Week” isthe reception hosted by the Ocean Policy
Research Foundation (OPRF) to honour
the graduating students whose studies havebeen sponsored by the Sasakawa Fellowship
Programme. The reception is held in themagnificent Fridhemsborg mansion, thisyear with its trees and grounds beautifully lit
for the Christmas season.
Mr. Eisuke Kudo, Mr. Eiji Sakai and Mr.
Shin Ichikawa of OPRF greeted their guests
warmly, and in his speech to open theproceedings, Mr. Kudo welcomed inparticular the many distinguished guests,
including WMU President Dr. Björn
Kjerfve, the Mayor of Malmö andChairman of the City Board, Mr. Kent
Andersson and his wife Ms. Monica
Blomberg, Mr. Zhu Jianxin, Director of theTechnical Co-operation Division, IMO,
the Honorary Consul of Japan in Malmö,
Mr. Leif Almö, and Member of the WMU
Board of Governors, Rev. Tom Heffer,

Secretary-General of the Mission to
Seafarers, London.
Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Directorof The Nippon Foundation, addressed thestudents in a very personal way,congratulating them on their hard work andfine achievement in attaining their Master of
Science degree, urging them to put their new
knowledge to good use in their careers. They
were also warmly encouraged to remain
active in the “family” of Sasakawa Fellows
and to utilize the network of maritime
colleagues that gave them around the world.
The graduands were then each awarded acertificate and gift to mark their transition
from student to member of the Friends of
WMU, Japan. Ms. Nyein Ei Phyu from
Myanmar made a speech on behalf of thegraduating
Sasakawa
Fellows,
acknowledging the kind support of The
Nippon Foundation and the Ocean Policy
Research Foundation, and expressing
gratitude for the many ways in which theFellows are assisted both during theirstudies and after their graduation from
WMU. She promised that the 2011
graduates would indeed remain very much apart of the Sasakawa family in the future.
The Japanese-style buffet dinner that
followed was greatly enjoyed by all, as was
the opportunity for the graduating students
to meet and chat with the distinguishedguests, their junior student colleagues andmembers of the WMU staff. During thispart of the evening, two host families wereintroduced to Mr. Kudo, who thanked themfor their interest in the students and theirefforts to make them feel at home during
their studies in Malmö.
All too soon it was time to leave thewarmth of a very successful reception and tobrave the cold December weather. Many
thanks indeed to the OPRF for a wonderful
evening.

Lyndell Lundahl
Student Services Officer, WMU

Two Challenging Works of Dissertation

Two Fellows, who have been granted a "Research Grant-In-Aid for Sasakawa Fellowship Recipients 2011" by OPRF, handed over theirchallenging works of dissertation to Mr. Unno, Executive Director of The Nippon Foundation at the Award Ceremony for Sasakawa Fellows,
Class of 2011. Following are the names and their titles of dissertation:

1. Gopal Krishna Choudhary (India)
An analysis of the creation of a global ship recycling fund in the framework of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe andEnvironmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009
2. A J M Gunasekara (Sri Lanka)
Oil Spill Contingency Management, its Financial Arrangement and Implications in the South Asian Region

2

3

Our Responsibility
for Maritime Safety

On the Occasion of the 100th Anniversaryof the Titanic Disaster
Hideo KUBOTA

Senior Chief Researcher
Japan Ship Technology Research Association(JSTRA)IMO and its Future

Hiroyuki Yamada
Head of Cargoes Section
Maritime Safety Division, IMO

Figure 1

Introduction
Dear friends and colleagues, I am very pleased
to write an article for this newsletter. After
working in the Japanese Maritime
Administration for 20 years, including a postat the Japanese Embassy in London, I joined
the IMO Secretariat in 2005. I have worked
as the Secretary to the SLF and DE
Sub-Committees and also have participatedin many technical issues, such as FSA and
GBS (I hope some Friends of WMU know
these abbreviations). From the beginning of
2012, I am in charge of the DSC and BLG
Sub-Committees.
In this article, I briefly touch upon recent
activities and the future of IMO. 2012 is avery special and important year for theannounced that a new agenda item on
100 Years after the Titanic – Passenger
passenger ship safety should be considered at the
Ship Safety
coming Maritime Safety Committee in May,MSC 90.

Need for reform of IMO
In November last year, the 27th session of the
IMO Assembly (A 27) was held, and many
important decisions were made for the next
biennium, 2012 and 2013. IMO’s budget isapproved by the Assembly every two years(biennial). Due to the current economic
downturn and tight budget of Member
Governments, A 27 approved only a slightincreased biennial budget of about £62m (1.9%
increase from previous £61m). Among otherdecisions, A 27 approved the new
Secretary-General (SG), Mr. K. Sekimizu(Japan). It can be said that the new SG isfacing more stringent budget cuts and moredemand for efficient management.

symposium was also envisaged to be the impetus support IMO’s activities in various areas intechnical and operational aspects.
to change the Organization drastically.
Finally, I attach a photograph taken last year,
However, as you all know, the Costa
Concordia accident happened. It has altered all as a memorable gift to the previous SG, Mr.
Mitropoulos, showing all 300 staff members on
postponed and will be rescheduled based on the IMO terrace, with the Parliament and Big
findings from the accident. Passenger ship safety Ben in the background!
has been a core issue of the Organization. A
package of amendments to the SOLAS
Convention entered into force in 2010, based on
a comprehensive review of passenger ship safety,
including damage requirements. A new conceptof safe return-to-port was introduced, i.e., a

2012 is “IMO: One hundred years after the
Titanic”, which will focus on the Organization’sroots and raison d’être, i.e. safety of life at sea.
Originally, there was a plan to hold an
epoch-making symposium in September, inis based on my personal opinions and not the conjunction with the WMD, to discuss the
future of IMO, focusing on safety issues that
official views of IMO.

Conclusion
At IMO, there are so many significant issues tobe solved, in addition to the aforementioned
matters, related to ocean safety, security and theenvironment, e.g., piracy off the coast ofSomalia, measures to reduce GHGs from ships,
etc. While the Organization has embarked onrough seas, I am sure IMO will be properly
guided and reach its objectives under theleadership of the new SG.
IMO, in particular the Secretariat, should be
more efficient, in spite of its small size as a UN
agency. I assume that WMU will also berequested to act in a similar manner owing to the
obvious fact that both are affiliated organizations.

On

playing a key role in adopting international
the night of January 13, 2012, thecruise ship Costa Concordia had a standards to ensure safe and environmentallyfriendly maritime transportation. Under theof the accident is under investigation by the auspices of IMO, 59 international conventions
Italian Government, and we must wait for the have been adopted so far and most of these havealready entered into force.
Unfortunately, in 2009, 699 precious lives
the media, because it occurred at the beginningof the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the were still lost due to safety-related accidents andincidents on ships subject to IMO Conventions“Titanic”.
and other instruments (see Figure 1).
June, 2010, has endorsed a proposal by IMO
Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios Mitropoulos Conventions and other mandatory instruments
to adopt “IMO, One Hundred Years after the h a v e b e e n c o n t i n u o u s l y r e v i e w e d a n d
Titanic” as the World Maritime Day theme for strengthened, especially for hardware aspects
and very detailed hardware requirements, i.e.
2012.
As you all know, the RMS Titanic was a requirements of ship structure, installations, etc.
passenger liner that struck an iceberg on her
maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to Conventions, SOLAS, LL and STCW are
New York City, and sank on April 15, 1912, accessed by 161 States, 160 States and 155
resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 people in States, respectively, out of a total of 170 IMO
one of the deadliest peacetime maritime Member States. However, Port State control
detention rates and non-compliance rates are
disasters in history.
One of the consequences of the sinking of still high (see Tables 1 & 2).
the Titanic was the adoption, two years later, ofthe first International Convention for the Safety emphasis on the proper implementation of
IMO Conventions. In my understanding,1914 Convention was gradually superseded “proper implementation” contains two aspects;
respectively, by SOLAS 1929, SOLAS 1948, namely, one is “being properly implemented by
SOLAS 1960 (the first adopted under the the Member States” which follow IMO
auspices of IMO, then acting as IMCO) and Conventions; and the other is “being properly
SOLAS 1974. SOLAS 1974 is still in force at understood and implemented by officers andpresent, amended and updated many times. In crews of ships”.
As to the former aspect, it is expected thato t h er w o r ds , t h e d is a s t e r t r ig g e r e d a ninternational forum to enhance maritime safety. the IMO Member States’ Audit Scheme, which
Over the course of these 100 years, especially is under consideration to be made mandatory,
will work appropriately and will attain its
in the latter 50 years or so, IMO has been

Source: IHS Fairplay

objectives, in conjunction with technicalassistance for capacity building in the IMO
Member States, to be able to comply with theprovisions of the mandatory IMO instruments
to which they are party. Mr. Koji Sekimizu,
who was elected Secretary-General of IMO for
the term of 2012 to 2016 at the IMO Council
at its 106th session, stated his intention toenhance technical co-operation, capacity
building and implementation of IMO
Conventions. I expect his leadership and theclose cooperation of IMO Members to be able
to handle this issue. And, of course, the effortsof our Friends of WMU are highly desired.
As to the latter, it is said that the humanfactor contributes to almost 80 percent of all
maritime accidents. Bearing this fact in mind,
IMO adopted the ISM Code as mandatory
instruments under the SOLAS Convention.
Taking account changes surrounding shipping
companies and seafarers, measures should betaken through strict implementation and proper
education and training to enhance
improvements in this field.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of
the terrible disaster, we should pay tribute to thememory of those who lost their lives in thefreezing waters of the North Atlantic and to all
those who, in the course of the 100 years, havecontributed to improvements in maritime
safety. At the same time, we should examine
whether the lessons drawn from amongst themost costly accidents in human lives lost in thelast 100 years, including the latest tragedy of the
Costa Concordia, have been learned to thefullest.

review was initiated by another SG, Mr. O’Neil,around the year 2000, taking into account the

restructured and streamlined comprehensively revised SOLAS has been considered appropriate
for such mega ships, thanks to the proactive
the Secretariat on his first day this year. efforts of IMO.
Costa Concordia, built in 2006, fell under(see:http://www.imo.org/MediaCentre/PressBr
iefings/Pages/Positional-changes-at-IMO-Secr previous SOLAS regulations and, hence, we canetariat.aspx) By the way, it is worthwhile still say that new ships designed in accordance
visiting the IMO website (www.imo.org), with the new requirements should be moresince it contains various updated information robust and safe. IMO, however, cannot be
about the Organization, including many complacent and is expected to act moremeeting documents, which are the core proactively, though we have to wait for the
products of IMO.
Source: IMO document (C 105/3(a)/1)

4

5

Source: IMO document (C 105/3(a)/1)

Our Responsibility
for Maritime Safety

On the Occasion of the 100th Anniversaryof the Titanic Disaster
Hideo KUBOTA

Senior Chief Researcher
Japan Ship Technology Research Association(JSTRA)IMO and its Future

Hiroyuki Yamada
Head of Cargoes Section
Maritime Safety Division, IMO

Figure 1

Introduction
Dear friends and colleagues, I am very pleased
to write an article for this newsletter. After
working in the Japanese Maritime
Administration for 20 years, including a postat the Japanese Embassy in London, I joined
the IMO Secretariat in 2005. I have worked
as the Secretary to the SLF and DE
Sub-Committees and also have participatedin many technical issues, such as FSA and
GBS (I hope some Friends of WMU know
these abbreviations). From the beginning of
2012, I am in charge of the DSC and BLG
Sub-Committees.
In this article, I briefly touch upon recent
activities and the future of IMO. 2012 is avery special and important year for theannounced that a new agenda item on
100 Years after the Titanic – Passenger
passenger ship safety should be considered at the
Ship Safety
coming Maritime Safety Committee in May,MSC 90.

Need for reform of IMO
In November last year, the 27th session of the
IMO Assembly (A 27) was held, and many
important decisions were made for the next
biennium, 2012 and 2013. IMO’s budget isapproved by the Assembly every two years(biennial). Due to the current economic
downturn and tight budget of Member
Governments, A 27 approved only a slightincreased biennial budget of about £62m (1.9%
increase from previous £61m). Among otherdecisions, A 27 approved the new
Secretary-General (SG), Mr. K. Sekimizu(Japan). It can be said that the new SG isfacing more stringent budget cuts and moredemand for efficient management.

symposium was also envisaged to be the impetus support IMO’s activities in various areas intechnical and operational aspects.
to change the Organization drastically.
Finally, I attach a photograph taken last year,
However, as you all know, the Costa
Concordia accident happened. It has altered all as a memorable gift to the previous SG, Mr.
Mitropoulos, showing all 300 staff members on
postponed and will be rescheduled based on the IMO terrace, with the Parliament and Big
findings from the accident. Passenger ship safety Ben in the background!
has been a core issue of the Organization. A
package of amendments to the SOLAS
Convention entered into force in 2010, based on
a comprehensive review of passenger ship safety,
including damage requirements. A new conceptof safe return-to-port was introduced, i.e., a

2012 is “IMO: One hundred years after the
Titanic”, which will focus on the Organization’sroots and raison d’être, i.e. safety of life at sea.
Originally, there was a plan to hold an
epoch-making symposium in September, inis based on my personal opinions and not the conjunction with the WMD, to discuss the
future of IMO, focusing on safety issues that
official views of IMO.

Conclusion
At IMO, there are so many significant issues tobe solved, in addition to the aforementioned
matters, related to ocean safety, security and theenvironment, e.g., piracy off the coast ofSomalia, measures to reduce GHGs from ships,
etc. While the Organization has embarked onrough seas, I am sure IMO will be properly
guided and reach its objectives under theleadership of the new SG.
IMO, in particular the Secretariat, should be
more efficient, in spite of its small size as a UN
agency. I assume that WMU will also berequested to act in a similar manner owing to the
obvious fact that both are affiliated organizations.

On

playing a key role in adopting international
the night of January 13, 2012, thecruise ship Costa Concordia had a standards to ensure safe and environmentallyfriendly maritime transportation. Under theof the accident is under investigation by the auspices of IMO, 59 international conventions
Italian Government, and we must wait for the have been adopted so far and most of these havealready entered into force.
Unfortunately, in 2009, 699 precious lives
the media, because it occurred at the beginningof the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the were still lost due to safety-related accidents andincidents on ships subject to IMO Conventions“Titanic”.
and other instruments (see Figure 1).
June, 2010, has endorsed a proposal by IMO
Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios Mitropoulos Conventions and other mandatory instruments
to adopt “IMO, One Hundred Years after the h a v e b e e n c o n t i n u o u s l y r e v i e w e d a n d
Titanic” as the World Maritime Day theme for strengthened, especially for hardware aspects
and very detailed hardware requirements, i.e.
2012.
As you all know, the RMS Titanic was a requirements of ship structure, installations, etc.
passenger liner that struck an iceberg on her
maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to Conventions, SOLAS, LL and STCW are
New York City, and sank on April 15, 1912, accessed by 161 States, 160 States and 155
resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 people in States, respectively, out of a total of 170 IMO
one of the deadliest peacetime maritime Member States. However, Port State control
detention rates and non-compliance rates are
disasters in history.
One of the consequences of the sinking of still high (see Tables 1 & 2).
the Titanic was the adoption, two years later, ofthe first International Convention for the Safety emphasis on the proper implementation of
IMO Conventions. In my understanding,1914 Convention was gradually superseded “proper implementation” contains two aspects;
respectively, by SOLAS 1929, SOLAS 1948, namely, one is “being properly implemented by
SOLAS 1960 (the first adopted under the the Member States” which follow IMO
auspices of IMO, then acting as IMCO) and Conventions; and the other is “being properly
SOLAS 1974. SOLAS 1974 is still in force at understood and implemented by officers andpresent, amended and updated many times. In crews of ships”.
As to the former aspect, it is expected thato t h er w o r ds , t h e d is a s t e r t r ig g e r e d a ninternational forum to enhance maritime safety. the IMO Member States’ Audit Scheme, which
Over the course of these 100 years, especially is under consideration to be made mandatory,
will work appropriately and will attain its
in the latter 50 years or so, IMO has been

Source: IHS Fairplay

objectives, in conjunction with technicalassistance for capacity building in the IMO
Member States, to be able to comply with theprovisions of the mandatory IMO instruments
to which they are party. Mr. Koji Sekimizu,
who was elected Secretary-General of IMO for
the term of 2012 to 2016 at the IMO Council
at its 106th session, stated his intention toenhance technical co-operation, capacity
building and implementation of IMO
Conventions. I expect his leadership and theclose cooperation of IMO Members to be able
to handle this issue. And, of course, the effortsof our Friends of WMU are highly desired.
As to the latter, it is said that the humanfactor contributes to almost 80 percent of all
maritime accidents. Bearing this fact in mind,
IMO adopted the ISM Code as mandatory
instruments under the SOLAS Convention.
Taking account changes surrounding shipping
companies and seafarers, measures should betaken through strict implementation and proper
education and training to enhance
improvements in this field.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of
the terrible disaster, we should pay tribute to thememory of those who lost their lives in thefreezing waters of the North Atlantic and to all
those who, in the course of the 100 years, havecontributed to improvements in maritime
safety. At the same time, we should examine
whether the lessons drawn from amongst themost costly accidents in human lives lost in thelast 100 years, including the latest tragedy of the
Costa Concordia, have been learned to thefullest.

review was initiated by another SG, Mr. O’Neil,around the year 2000, taking into account the

restructured and streamlined comprehensively revised SOLAS has been considered appropriate
for such mega ships, thanks to the proactive
the Secretariat on his first day this year. efforts of IMO.
Costa Concordia, built in 2006, fell under(see:http://www.imo.org/MediaCentre/PressBr
iefings/Pages/Positional-changes-at-IMO-Secr previous SOLAS regulations and, hence, we canetariat.aspx) By the way, it is worthwhile still say that new ships designed in accordance
visiting the IMO website (www.imo.org), with the new requirements should be moresince it contains various updated information robust and safe. IMO, however, cannot be
about the Organization, including many complacent and is expected to act moremeeting documents, which are the core proactively, though we have to wait for the
products of IMO.
Source: IMO document (C 105/3(a)/1)

4

5

Source: IMO document (C 105/3(a)/1)

International Conferences on Anti-Piracy Issues
A Testimony of Joy Attending ICOPAS 2011

Somalia Piracy - Regional Capacity Buildingfor Maritime Law Enforcement Organizations

Pedro S. Lima Filho (Brazil, 2008)

Osamu Marumoto

Project Officer (Operations),
Counter-Piracy Project Implementation Unit, IMO

T

he International Maritime Organization
was invited to attend the “Senior
Officials’ Meeting and Forum on Capacity
Building for Maritime Law Enforcement
Organizations in Neighboring States ofSomalia”, on November 1-2, 2011, in Tokyo.
It is now an annual event organized by theJapanese Coast Guard in co-operation with
OPRF, inviting senior officials engaged inplanning and implementing measures toenhance maritime law enforcement capability
from Djibouti, Kenya, Oman, Seychelles,
Tanzania, Somalia (Puntland) and Japan,
representatives
from
IMO
and
ReCAAP-ISC, as well as observers from theUnited States and the European Union, inorder to consider and discuss prospective
measures to enhance maritime law
enforcement capability of the western Indian
Ocean
region
in
the
field
of
anti/counter-piracy.
I was given an opportunity for the first timeever during my almost 5 years’ service with the
IMO Secretariat, to travel to my home country
on a mission and represent IMO. I was
honoured to meet the distinguishedparticipants from the region, including H.E.
Mr. Saeed Rage, Minister of Maritime
Transport, Ports and Anti-Piracy of Puntland,
who gave opening remarks that emphasized
the need to engage with and assist the Somali
authorities in counter-piracy, if efforts were to
succeed in eradicating it off the coast ofSomalia.
IMO has been informally approached by anumber of Governments and there are asignificant number of demands for advanced
level education in maritime security andcounter-piracy, preferably at WMU. Somedelegates showed their interest in sending a
few young, promising people to WMU to
study counter-piracy administration andseeking sponsorship. Although IMO might
not be able to fund their scholarships, it will
co-operate with other organizations forpossible development in this field.

Among the results of the meeting, aninteresting idea was raised and endorsed,
which I would like to particulary highlight,
because it is also specified in the Djibouti
Code of Conduct, in article 7 – Embarked
Officers.
Noting the extremely limited sea-goingassets in general in the region, the meeting
recognized the effectiveness of the concept of“embarked officers’ operations” in accordancewith the Djibouti Code of Conduct, in which
duly authorized law-enforcement officers
embark on patrol ships of other States orwarships of their own State to exercise judicial
functions in operations. It is a much needed
approach, and sharing available assets will be
encouraged more and more in the future, as
IMO will be emphasizing the need forembarked officers’ operations for future
training.

It

has always been an immeasurable pleasure
for me to be a Sasakawa Fellow, eventhough since graduation (MET-2008) I haven’t
had the opportunity to express my gratitude forbeing selected, supported during my major
studies, and accepted as part of such a distinctive
group through the generosity of Mr. Yohei
Sasakawa. I was told to write a personal letter to
Mr. Sasakawa for that purpose, but I also want toexpress my feelings in public. As a participant of
the International Conference on Piracy at
Sea, ICOPAS 2011, I had the long-desired
chance to return to the WMU campus and meetother Fellows, as well as contemporary graduates,
faculty and staff.
Both the Newsletter and the Directory arestrong evidence of the contributions of each
Fellow to shipping and related activities,
nevertheless I was especially glad during
ICOPAS 2011 to find them strongly involved in
discussions aiming to put an end to piracy andother unlawful acts that have such a terrible
effect on seafarers, their families, and theshipping industry as a whole. Outstanding
among other key speakers was Mr. Yusuf
Mohammed Bala. His straightforward,
provocative, and well prepared presentation“The economical, political and social
implication of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea andthe world trade: Nigeria as a case study”, clearly
showed why he got the epithet “bold andhandsome” during his student days. It’s obviousthat he is doing a very good job as
Environmental Management Officer at the
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA).
We also met Miss Anete Logina, holder ofthe 2009 special award for best female student,
serving as Legal Adviser for the Maritime
Administration of Latvia, and Mr. Kyaw Zeya,
Academic Dean of Myanmar Maritime
University. Both are equally good examples ofTokyo Malmö

A Social Gathering after
the Training Seminar

Party for NF Projects-related People
in Yangon

T

On

Phung Trong Hieu (Vietnam, 2008)

his was a very good chance for me to get intouch with the feelings of more than three
years ago when I was at WMU and visiting Japanfor the first time on a field trip with other
Sasakawa Fellows. Interesting discussions, formal
meetings, nice and warm receptions, seeing
friends, Fellows, and OPRF staff, all these things
brought me back. Moreover, this wasn’t just agreat visit with all of the above, but a valuable trip
personally and professionally as well.
I came for the “Seminar of Upgrading
International Cooperation with AsianCountries in Seafarers Training System”,
which was held by the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism(MLIT), with a sponsorship from OPRF.
Representatives from the Philippines,
Indonesia, Japan, and Vietnam worked anddiscussed means of cooperation among Asian
countries in the field of seafarer training andeducation for five days. After the discussion

participating in matters of importance to themaritime industry. After the October 18
sessions, we were kindly invited to theorientation meeting for Sasakawa Fellowshipstudents of the class of 2011 and newcomers in
the class of 2012. The focus of the meeting in
the Srivastava Hall was a presentation on the
WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Program, The
Nippon Foundation, and the Ocean Policy
Research Foundation.
Afterwards, the reception in the Conference
Room on the second floor of the WMU campus
brought back a certain feeling of nostalgia, since
there are plans to move WMU installations to a
new building, meaning that this might be the lasttime these events occur in the venues we veterans
all know and love.
But again, the main purpose of these notes is
to express my pride for being connected withsuch a wonderful group of proactive
professionals and generous human beings.
From my experiences as a WMU student and aprofessional, I can truly say that whenever two
Sasakawa Fellows meet they are both in very
good company. And that was probably the aimof Mr. Sasakawa from the very beginning, may
I dare say: not only to help students to improvetheir education, but to help people to do theirbest for the benefit of maritime activities ingeneral and their own continuing improvement
as human beings. My deepest gratitude goes to
Mr. Sasakawa and his staff for this.

Capt. Soe Lwin (Myanmar, 1989)

session, the parties agreed that key issues tobe considered were: 1) sharing resources suchas material, curriculum and training methods;2) cooperating in MET by way of exchange
students and lecturers; and 3) utilizing
facilities for seafarer teaching and training
among Asian countries.
The results show the immense efforts madefrom Japan in particular, as well as otherparticipating countries in general, and awarenessfrom Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines as
to seafarer training issues in the present andfuture. Hopefully, there will be more action
taking place between Asian countries, and otherparts of the world, to improve the quality andquantity of seafarer training globally.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention OPRF’s

6and the network of Sasakawa Fellows’ role incontributing to the success of the seminar, as
well as cooperation in the maritime field.
Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to send
my appreciation and many thanks to OPRF and
Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, who have given very
meaningful support to the development of themaritime field and seafarer training.

December 15, 2011, a wonderfuldinner was organized by The Nippon
Foundation. I had known that The Foundation
was helping Nagris cyclone survivors in thedelta region, but I’ve recently realized how
involved the Sasakawa foundation is in many
sectors in Myanmar, such as assisting thedisabled, eliminating leprosy, and much more.
Many of my old colleagues who are stillworking for the Government told me that the
Sasakawa foundation is helping develop many
sectors in Myanmar.
As I am from the marine sector allow me totake the opportunity to express my gratitude to
the Sasakawa foundation for all the help it hasgiven to my country. Prior to 1989, there were
only two maritime professionals holding
qualifications as Extra Master Mariner andExtra First Class Engineer. Upon theestablishment of IMO’s World Maritime
University at Malmö, Sweden, the Sasakawa

foundation started offering
Myanmarmaritime
professionals the chance to get
additional qualifications as a
Master of Science in various
specialized areas in the maritime sector, such as
maritime administration, maritime educationand training, technical ship management, port
management and many others.
Now, the Institute of Marine Technology
has been upgraded to the Myanmar Mercantile
Marine College and has established the
Myanmar Maritime University, both with
Sasakawa Fellows. The Department of Marine
Administration personnel are developing an
examination syllabus in line with IMO’s
STCW convention, where the senior officials
are also Sasakawa Fellows.
As we have enough resources to run theprivate maritime sector, Sasakawa Fellows are
involved in setting up private maritime

7

education centers, shipping management
teams, and there is even a plan to establish aclassification society.
Whenever Chairman Sasakawa visits
Myanmar, notwithstanding his busy schedule
visiting institutions involved in the treatment ofHansen's disease, he always tries to make time
to meet with WMU graduates like us, as well as
scholarship recipients and graduates of the
University of Peace (UPeace) and Building a
Better Asia (BABA). The dinner party inDecember was held not only to provide an
opportunity for Chairman Sasakawa andvarious stakeholders to exchange information,
but also to promote the development of a social
network among the stakeholders.

International Conferences on Anti-Piracy Issues
A Testimony of Joy Attending ICOPAS 2011

Somalia Piracy - Regional Capacity Buildingfor Maritime Law Enforcement Organizations

Pedro S. Lima Filho (Brazil, 2008)

Osamu Marumoto

Project Officer (Operations),
Counter-Piracy Project Implementation Unit, IMO

T

he International Maritime Organization
was invited to attend the “Senior
Officials’ Meeting and Forum on Capacity
Building for Maritime Law Enforcement
Organizations in Neighboring States ofSomalia”, on November 1-2, 2011, in Tokyo.
It is now an annual event organized by theJapanese Coast Guard in co-operation with
OPRF, inviting senior officials engaged inplanning and implementing measures toenhance maritime law enforcement capability
from Djibouti, Kenya, Oman, Seychelles,
Tanzania, Somalia (Puntland) and Japan,
representatives
from
IMO
and
ReCAAP-ISC, as well as observers from theUnited States and the European Union, inorder to consider and discuss prospective
measures to enhance maritime law
enforcement capability of the western Indian
Ocean
region
in
the
field
of
anti/counter-piracy.
I was given an opportunity for the first timeever during my almost 5 years’ service with the
IMO Secretariat, to travel to my home country
on a mission and represent IMO. I was
honoured to meet the distinguishedparticipants from the region, including H.E.
Mr. Saeed Rage, Minister of Maritime
Transport, Ports and Anti-Piracy of Puntland,
who gave opening remarks that emphasized
the need to engage with and assist the Somali
authorities in counter-piracy, if efforts were to
succeed in eradicating it off the coast ofSomalia.
IMO has been informally approached by anumber of Governments and there are asignificant number of demands for advanced
level education in maritime security andcounter-piracy, preferably at WMU. Somedelegates showed their interest in sending a
few young, promising people to WMU to
study counter-piracy administration andseeking sponsorship. Although IMO might
not be able to fund their scholarships, it will
co-operate with other organizations forpossible development in this field.

Among the results of the meeting, aninteresting idea was raised and endorsed,
which I would like to particulary highlight,
because it is also specified in the Djibouti
Code of Conduct, in article 7 – Embarked
Officers.
Noting the extremely limited sea-goingassets in general in the region, the meeting
recognized the effectiveness of the concept of“embarked officers’ operations” in accordancewith the Djibouti Code of Conduct, in which
duly authorized law-enforcement officers
embark on patrol ships of other States orwarships of their own State to exercise judicial
functions in operations. It is a much needed
approach, and sharing available assets will be
encouraged more and more in the future, as
IMO will be emphasizing the need forembarked officers’ operations for future
training.

It

has always been an immeasurable pleasure
for me to be a Sasakawa Fellow, eventhough since graduation (MET-2008) I haven’t
had the opportunity to express my gratitude forbeing selected, supported during my major
studies, and accepted as part of such a distinctive
group through the generosity of Mr. Yohei
Sasakawa. I was told to write a personal letter to
Mr. Sasakawa for that purpose, but I also want toexpress my feelings in public. As a participant of
the International Conference on Piracy at
Sea, ICOPAS 2011, I had the long-desired
chance to return to the WMU campus and meetother Fellows, as well as contemporary graduates,
faculty and staff.
Both the Newsletter and the Directory arestrong evidence of the contributions of each
Fellow to shipping and related activities,
nevertheless I was especially glad during
ICOPAS 2011 to find them strongly involved in
discussions aiming to put an end to piracy andother unlawful acts that have such a terrible
effect on seafarers, their families, and theshipping industry as a whole. Outstanding
among other key speakers was Mr. Yusuf
Mohammed Bala. His straightforward,
provocative, and well prepared presentation“The economical, political and social
implication of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea andthe world trade: Nigeria as a case study”, clearly
showed why he got the epithet “bold andhandsome” during his student days. It’s obviousthat he is doing a very good job as
Environmental Management Officer at the
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA).
We also met Miss Anete Logina, holder ofthe 2009 special award for best female student,
serving as Legal Adviser for the Maritime
Administration of Latvia, and Mr. Kyaw Zeya,
Academic Dean of Myanmar Maritime
University. Both are equally good examples ofTokyo Malmö

A Social Gathering after
the Training Seminar

Party for NF Projects-related People
in Yangon

T

On

Phung Trong Hieu (Vietnam, 2008)

his was a very good chance for me to get intouch with the feelings of more than three
years ago when I was at WMU and visiting Japanfor the first time on a field trip with other
Sasakawa Fellows. Interesting discussions, formal
meetings, nice and warm receptions, seeing
friends, Fellows, and OPRF staff, all these things
brought me back. Moreover, this wasn’t just agreat visit with all of the above, but a valuable trip
personally and professionally as well.
I came for the “Seminar of Upgrading
International Cooperation with AsianCountries in Seafarers Training System”,
which was held by the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism(MLIT), with a sponsorship from OPRF.
Representatives from the Philippines,
Indonesia, Japan, and Vietnam worked anddiscussed means of cooperation among Asian
countries in the field of seafarer training andeducation for five days. After the discussion

participating in matters of importance to themaritime industry. After the October 18
sessions, we were kindly invited to theorientation meeting for Sasakawa Fellowshipstudents of the class of 2011 and newcomers in
the class of 2012. The focus of the meeting in
the Srivastava Hall was a presentation on the
WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Program, The
Nippon Foundation, and the Ocean Policy
Research Foundation.
Afterwards, the reception in the Conference
Room on the second floor of the WMU campus
brought back a certain feeling of nostalgia, since
there are plans to move WMU installations to a
new building, meaning that this might be the lasttime these events occur in the venues we veterans
all know and love.
But again, the main purpose of these notes is
to express my pride for being connected withsuch a wonderful group of proactive
professionals and generous human beings.
From my experiences as a WMU student and aprofessional, I can truly say that whenever two
Sasakawa Fellows meet they are both in very
good company. And that was probably the aimof Mr. Sasakawa from the very beginning, may
I dare say: not only to help students to improvetheir education, but to help people to do theirbest for the benefit of maritime activities ingeneral and their own continuing improvement
as human beings. My deepest gratitude goes to
Mr. Sasakawa and his staff for this.

Capt. Soe Lwin (Myanmar, 1989)

session, the parties agreed that key issues tobe considered were: 1) sharing resources suchas material, curriculum and training methods;2) cooperating in MET by way of exchange
students and lecturers; and 3) utilizing
facilities for seafarer teaching and training
among Asian countries.
The results show the immense efforts madefrom Japan in particular, as well as otherparticipating countries in general, and awarenessfrom Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines as
to seafarer training issues in the present andfuture. Hopefully, there will be more action
taking place between Asian countries, and otherparts of the world, to improve the quality andquantity of seafarer training globally.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention OPRF’s

6and the network of Sasakawa Fellows’ role incontributing to the success of the seminar, as
well as cooperation in the maritime field.
Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to send
my appreciation and many thanks to OPRF and
Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, who have given very
meaningful support to the development of themaritime field and seafarer training.

December 15, 2011, a wonderfuldinner was organized by The Nippon
Foundation. I had known that The Foundation
was helping Nagris cyclone survivors in thedelta region, but I’ve recently realized how
involved the Sasakawa foundation is in many
sectors in Myanmar, such as assisting thedisabled, eliminating leprosy, and much more.
Many of my old colleagues who are stillworking for the Government told me that the
Sasakawa foundation is helping develop many
sectors in Myanmar.
As I am from the marine sector allow me totake the opportunity to express my gratitude to
the Sasakawa foundation for all the help it hasgiven to my country. Prior to 1989, there were
only two maritime professionals holding
qualifications as Extra Master Mariner andExtra First Class Engineer. Upon theestablishment of IMO’s World Maritime
University at Malmö, Sweden, the Sasakawa

foundation started offering
Myanmarmaritime
professionals the chance to get
additional qualifications as a
Master of Science in various
specialized areas in the maritime sector, such as
maritime administration, maritime educationand training, technical ship management, port
management and many others.
Now, the Institute of Marine Technology
has been upgraded to the Myanmar Mercantile
Marine College and has established the
Myanmar Maritime University, both with
Sasakawa Fellows. The Department of Marine
Administration personnel are developing an
examination syllabus in line with IMO’s
STCW convention, where the senior officials
are also Sasakawa Fellows.
As we have enough resources to run theprivate maritime sector, Sasakawa Fellows are
involved in setting up private maritime

7

education centers, shipping management
teams, and there is even a plan to establish aclassification society.
Whenever Chairman Sasakawa visits
Myanmar, notwithstanding his busy schedule
visiting institutions involved in the treatment ofHansen's disease, he always tries to make time
to meet with WMU graduates like us, as well as
scholarship recipients and graduates of the
University of Peace (UPeace) and Building a
Better Asia (BABA). The dinner party inDecember was held not only to provide an
opportunity for Chairman Sasakawa andvarious stakeholders to exchange information,
but also to promote the development of a social
network among the stakeholders.

38

Welcoming our family's newest member!
Nelli Rünk (Norit) (Estonia, 2008)

Life after graduating from WMU has been going up and up. I am very happy to let our
Friends of WMU know about the birth of my son, Ramon, who was born on September 30 at 5:00 in the morning.
Ramon has been a real sweetheart, laughing a lot and sleeping very well. Although
he cannot walk or crawl yet, he moves his arms and legs all the time, as if he wants togo and run as fast as he can. We think this comes from his father, who is an avid
runner and has being doing sports his entire life.
Our lives have been full of joy and happiness. We feel so blessed to have such a
wonderful son. I would like to thank The Nippon Foundation and OPRF for giving me
the opportunity to share our great news, not only about my marriage, but also about thebirth of our family’s newest member.

March
2012

Information from the Secretariat
Introducing “nippon.com,”a New Multi-language Information Site

Established in December 2010, Japan Echo is a general foundation specializingin the dissemination of information about Japan in various languages for people
living overseas. In October this year Japan Echo launched “nippon.com,” its
multi-language website providing information aimed at promoting a deeper
understanding of Japan. The site features information and views on a wide rangeof areas, including culture, society, politics, the economy, foreign policy, andscience and technology. Visitors to the site will also find in-depth articles oncurrent conditions in Japan. Site content is available in Japanese, English,
Chinese (simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese), French, and Spanish. We
invite you to visit nippon.com and discover the Japan you’ve never known.

Notice of Temporary Relocation of our Office

We wish to notify you that the Ocean Policy Research Foundation(OPRF) will temporarily relocate to the following address from thisSpring due to refurbishment work at our building. We look forward to
your continued support after our relocation.

New Address:

Toranomon 35 Mori Building,
3-4-10 Toranomon, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 105-0001 JAPANFor further information, please go visit our website at: http://www.sof.or.jp/en/index.php

Obi tua r yProfessor Kenji Ishida of Kobe University passed away on January 17, 2012 at the age of 63 after an illness.
Professor Ishida served as a professor at WMU from 1993 to 1997. During his tenure there, he maintained an
active interest in the lives of students both inside and outside the classroom and stayed in touch with many
students including Sasakawa Fellows. These devoted efforts of the Professor laid the foundation for today’s
Friends of WMU, Japan network.
Professor Ishida also served as a member of the Selection Committee for the WMU Sasakawa Fellowship foran extended period from 2001 to 2009, where he applied the valuable, diverse experience of his career, including
his work at WMU, his involvement in exchange programs with overseas universities such as Sekolah Tinggi
Teknik Surabaya (STTS), and as Chief of the International Maritime Research Center at Kobe University.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to Professor Ishida’s family and our prayers for the repose of his soul.

Editor’s note
ISO/TC8/SC8 (Ships’ design) and the Ship Design and Equipment discussions at both venues to ensure smooth business, because
Sub-Committee at IMO are going to be held back to back in regulations and standards are tirelessly developed and revised.
London in February, both of which I am to participate in. They have Naturally, the same thing applies to the administrations as well,some common discussion items such as performance standards of because they are able to act in tandem to promote the safety of ships
protective coating of ships’ ballast tanks, water-tightness of compart- and protection of the marine environment. I sincerely hope that manyments and structural integrity, and so on. I have to prepare for a long WMU grads play important roles in both fields and have opportunistay in London, hoping that my colleagues will be able to handle the ties to work together.
work during my absence from the office.
Kunihiko Kitabayashi
Nowadays, parties concerned should carefully follow theJapan Ship Technology and Research Association (JSTRA)

Mr. Kunihiko Kitabayashi, Mr. Tomoya Shimizu

Gathering Orientation

URL: http://nippon.com/en/As

with Sasakawa Fellowship 2011 & 2012

we from OPRF are aware, 27 new
Sasakawa Fellowship students of
the Class of 2012 joined WMU as of
September 26th. Therefore, we thought wewould like to take this opportunity to have an
orientation session with them.
The reason for OPRF to have this event
was to strengthen the network andcommunication opportunities among thecurrent Sasakawa Fellowship students of
the Class of 2011 and 2012. Both academic
calendars allow for 2 months overlap only;
therefore, this event would be an excellent
opportunity to get to know each otherbetter.
In fact, the event was held on Tuesday,
October 18th from 17:00-21:00 at WMU.
And the event itself consisted of two parts: anorientation meeting and a reception.
The reception was attended not only by
current Sasakawa Fellowship students, butalso by graduates: Kyaw ZEYA (Myanmar,

1996), Pedro Severino LIMA FILHO(Brazil, 2008), Yusuf Mohammad BALA
(Nigeria, 2008), and Anete LOGINA(Latvia, 2009), and some WMU staff
members as well.
They all had a pleasant time in a friendly
atmosphere, and we feel that the meeting andreception were a great start to deepening theirmutual friendship as WMU Sasakawa
Fellows. We could see from the interaction
among them that it did not only encourage
meetings between the 2011 and 2012
students, but also among the 2012 students
themselves. They were all very new to WMU,
and it was a great opportunity for them to get
to know who the new Sasakawa Fellows were.
We certainly believe that this first event wasvery fruitful, and we will definitely plan tohold it for the students next year.
Friends of WMU, Japan Secretariat
OPRF

Orientation Meeting:
Shin Ichikawa, an OPRF staff member, gave a
one-hour presentation on the following topics:
1. The Nippon Foundation and its Relationshipwith OPRF & other Partner Organizations
1-1) Financial Resources of The Nippon
Foundation
1-2) Other Partner Organizations
1-3) Ocean Policy Research Foundation(OPRF)
2. WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Program2-1) Background to the Fellowship Program2-2) Selection Procedures2-3) Events while at University
3. WMU Sasakawa Fellows’ Network3-1) Society of the “Friends of WMU, Japan”
3-2) Activities of the “Friends of WMU, Japan”
Secretariat- Newsletter- Website- Directory- Regional Network Meeting- Sasakawa Fellows’ Chapters
4. Attitude toward Maintaining Sasakawa
Fellowship Program4-1) Frequent Update of One’s Data
4-2) Frequent Updates to Mr. Sasakawa
4-3) Letter of Appreciation from one’s
Authority4-4) Contributions to the Newsletter/Website