47
June

2014

Ports in an Era ofDramatic Maritime Change
Michael Grey

Michael Grey has been a Visiting Professor to WMU for many years. He is a Master Mariner, a former
Editor of Fairplay International Shipping Weekly and Lloyd’s List and continues to work as acommentator, consultant and author.

This document is a special contribution
aimed at WMU Fellows for the 30-year
anniversary of WMU.
Ports might be considered among the mostimmediate indicators of trade fluctuations, withincreasing and decreasing trade and commodity
volumes, with the reality of economics reflectedin the cargo flows crossing quaysides, in thechanging nature of the goods and quantities
shipped, their origins and destinations.
It was a well-known economic journalist who
said that he liked to drive down to his nearby
port once a month and park on a hill overlooking
the car terminals, the occupancy of which he saidgave him a very accurate and immediate overview
of economic activity in the nation. And while one
might suggest that it probably more likely
depended on whether a couple of enormous car
carriers had been delivering their loads, it could
still be a reasonable assessment. In some respects,
he was grasping a real truth about the way inwhich a port’s activity can be a reliable indicatorof the health of the economy. But ports now findthemselves in a fast-changing maritime world,
subject to a number of serious pressures.
Ports as an investment opportunity
Ports, which might have been operating for
centuries without attracting great degrees offinancial attention, are now courted by major
investors and even sovereign wealth funds withmoney to burn. But it is worth noting that ports
and their terminals are primarily service providers,serving that great service industry of shipping, theultimate example - so the economic textbooks liketo tell us - of derived demand, and subject toextraordinary volatility.
In many parts of the world, we see another phaseof privatisation is coming along. But if shipping
activity is also notorious for its wild cycles, steep
peaks and troughs and lumpy investment patterns,
surely the ports which service shipping must also
be subject to the same sort of pressures on
demand. There is a need to maintain a sense of
perspective and for investors to realise that ports
represent long-term prospects, not just short-term
gain.

from this sitution, which will only be resolved bystrengthening demand from increased world
trade, itself a slow process, or alternatively, sea
carriers more accurately matching their
enthusiasm for new building to the realities ofdemand for shipping services.
People running ports face many additional
challenges in these financially febrile times, when
any form of stability is long gone, and the future,
as everyone from the inner counsels of the IMF
to the economists of OPEC would privately
agree, is completely unpredictable.
As shipowners are squeezed by their inability togain a decent return on their investments becauseof a slump in demand, their self-inflicted overcapacity and rising operating costs, (chiefly fromthe price of bunkers and environmental regulations), ports will be similarly challenged. Ports
and terminals moreover will be asked to copewith the current enthusiasm of shipowners forbigger and bigger units, as the beguiling temptations of scale economics kicks in.

Ports as reflectors of shipping healthIf ports are barometers of economic activity, andthose who run them a bit like expert
meteorologists, able to detect an incoming storm
from the smallest pressure change, they willcertainly be aware that there are some real
challenges facing the sector today. Indeed, inalmost a blink of an eye, and just a few years, wehave gone from a situation where port customers the shipowners - have moved from a situation ofstrong demand to one of over-supply in virtually
every shipping sector. No port can be insulated Ro-ro traffic at Tilbury

Ports in an Era ofDramatic Maritime Change
Facing unprecedented scale economics
As they examine dredging schemes and expensive proposals for huge new quays to accommodate 18000 TEU containerships and 400,000
dwt bulk carriers now emerging from shipyards,
and the probable effects of new commercial
liaisons like the P3 scheme being proposed bythree of the world’s biggest containership operators, port managers might be forgiven for asking
themselves who these huge ships actually benefit,
other than their owners.
And it is not just ports at the top end of the size
register which are faced with these dilemmas.
Right up and down the size scale, the lure oflarger ships is proving compelling. Little ports,
which traditionally made a reasonable living fromlittle ships, are finding themselves forced out of
the market, because the ships they depended
upon are not being built any more, as operatorsof every sort and size of ship scale up.

Ports and the community
Not long ago, a port was considered to bewholly beneficial to the community and to thehinterland it served. Ports, many of which were
the whole raison d’être of the towns and cities inwhich they were located, were providers - often
the biggest providers - of direct and indirect
employment. Nobody would have questioned
their rationale for a second.
Today, people running ports have to be quite
circumspect and can no longer take for granted
the goodwill of the community, or that of thelocal or national government. Partly it is a factorof ignorance, with the port largely invisible, alongwith the general depopulation of the port workforce, which once could have been relied on toform a large and vocal constituency of support.
So when there is a proposal for a new terminal,
or a dredging scheme to enable bigger ships touse the port, it is more than likely that there will
be more voices against the development than areraised in its favour. In many ports around theworld, their managers will be very familiar withthe coalition of different and often hostile interests that have to be convinced, before they areable to progress.

Large containerships are regular customers
in the Thames

The costs of environmental pressure
The environmental pressures themselves arepiling up on port operators. The cost andtimescale of port expansion schemes, dredging
projects and the construction of new facilities are
greatly increased by the need to seek detailed
environmental consent, and in some parts of theworld, to “compensate” the environment for thatlost to new developments.
It is good that ports should operate in a sustainable fashion, and that the wealth of the world
should be husbanded. But before we demandthat all ships transfer to shore power when they
arrive in port, and all the cranes and straddle
carriers are electrified, and that world trade isreplaced by locally sourced goods, we should justconsider more carefully what might be the benefits and what the cost. Economic rationale
cannot be ignored, and the pace of these developments must also be reasonable.

Ships and nature – bird life in the Thames Estuary

Shared waters – cruise ship and commuter craftin the heart of London

Ports under threat
It is also worth remembering that local agendas
might well have very different priorities to that ofport management, which may have nothing to dowith ships, cargo handling or port related industry, and everything to do with property development schemes to free up the land for more valuable developments than that of cargo handling.
There is no shortage of examples, from Auckland to Oakland, Sydney to Southampton, where
determined action by developers and their allies
has brought port development to a standstill, andeven closed down whole useful lengths of waterfront. In today’s over-sensitive environmental
climate, it is not that difficult to object to thenoise, smell, dust, traffic and light of a working
port, and to successfully agitate for its closure.
The well-educated port manager will be whollyalert to all the contemporary issues of land use
regulations, planning guidelines and prevailinggovernment policies. It will be essential knowledge.

2

So when port managers see enterprising
schemes for privatisation or changes of ownershipor prescriptive new policy statements on nationalor regional port use and development, theyshould perhaps be instantly suspicious, asking
some very fundamental questions about who
might be benefiting from this initiative. There areimportant questions to be asked. Six model questions might be:
1. Is it necessary?
2. What is its purpose?
3. Will it make things better – or worse?
4. How much will it cost to implement?
5. Will it stifle initiative or common sense?
6. Is it supportive of best practice?
Ports and society
There is no doubt about it, ports these daysneed all the friends they can get. The wise port
management works hard, not merely to avoid
alienating its local population, but to actively
gain its support. It is important and worthwhile
to convince people outside the dock walls of thesocietal benefit of what goes on within the port,
and why they can identify strongly with theirport on their doorstep.
This is why the annual European Sea Ports
Organisation Award, which recognises thesocietal integration between ports and theirsurrounding populations, is so valuable. Thishas been an absolutely brilliant competition,
generating some clever ideas that bring all
manner of benefits. It would stand “exporting”
to other regions, as these problems are largely
universal.
All ports are different, in everything fromtheir size, geography, to their mode of management and governance, and the competition
demonstrates the tremendous variety within theport industry. But in the sheer ingenuity of
those entries in the ESPO Award competition,
there are so many brilliant ideas that people cansteal and borrow from - all of them designed tobring port and population together, and who
knows, some ideas which any port can incorporate into its societal integration plans. Ports areimportant, but it is necessary for port management to be in a position to quantify this importance in an era of profound maritime change, tothose who may not be presently convinced.

Short sea ships are important for a greener future

Photo by Port of London Authority

Global Leadership for Maritime Women - Ready for Change

Momoko Kitada

Lecturer,
World Maritime University

2014 is a special year for women in the maritime sector, signaling to everyone all over theworld that women can contribute to achieving
sustainable development in shipping. It is timely
to discuss this issue, with the approach of 2015,
which will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the
Beijing Declaration of 1995. What has been
done for gender equality since then, and how canit be assessed in terms of the progress of the integration of women in the maritime sector?
IMO’s Technical Co-Operation Committee
launched the initiative, “Strategy on the Integration of Women in the Maritime Sector”(IWMS) in 1988. In addition, the UN’s Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3: "Promote
gender equality and empower women" has been
well demonstrated through IMO as well as
WMU, supporting the capacity-building activities of IMO for 30 years.
WMU hosted the 1st International Conference
on “Empowerment of Professional Women in
the Maritime World” in 2008, and there had
been strong demands from the participants of the
1st follow-up Conference to analyze the progressof IMO’s initiative on the integration of women.
WMU, as IMO’s apex institution for maritime
learning, has been historically working on education and capacity-building in different regions of
the world. In the last 30 years, WMU has
produced 3,663 graduates from 165 countries
around the world. Of this figure, 2,835 graduated from the Malmö-based Master of Science

program, of which 421 were females from 78
countries. Furthermore, there are currently six
women out of the 19 doctoral candidates enrolled
at WMU, and in 2011 the first woman wasawarded a doctoral degree by WMU.
The 2nd International Conference on Maritime
Women: Global Leadership (MWGL) was
hosted by WMU, in co-operation with IMO as aprincipal donor, and held in Malmö, Sweden,
from March 31 - April 1, 2014. Thanks to generous sponsors, including The Nippon Foundation
as well as shipowners, the MWGL conference
brought together 265 participants from 74 countries to strengthen women’s position in the maritime sector. Including invited speakers, a total of
59 session speakers, chairs and keynote speakers,
as well as 17 poster presenters, made presentations
at the Conference. Most of the papers wereresearch-based and selected from the call for
papers, which attracted 53 abstracts from all over
the world; all were reviewed by the ScientificCommittee, which consisted of 8 external and 5internal members.
Although the Conference showcased the global
link between international organizations, such as
IMO, ILO, ITF, WISTA and WMU, it also
highlighted individual women and men who havebeen working in the maritime sector, with excellent knowledge of the challenges and achievements of maritime women at local levels. This
includes quite a few WMU alumni, including
Sasakawa Fellows. Dr. Victoria Radchenko, who
studied at WMU in 2001, presented her paper,“Is there a helm for women in the maritime
sector? Case study from Ukraine,” which analyzed
the situation of professional maritime women in
Ukraine. The MWGL Conference highlighted
women’s leadership by showcasing the success andachievement of women leaders across different
maritime sectors (e.g. government, port, seafaring,education), as well as different regions.

3

At the conclusion of the MWGL Conference,a declaration (http://wmu.se/docs/maritimewomen-global-leadership-declaration) was
adopted. It states that education and research arekeys to enhancing opportunities for women andachieving sustainable development in shipping.
Another outcome of the MWGL Conference isa selection of papers which will be published as abook, the project being fully sponsored by IMO.
This Conference-based book will be available by
the graduation of the current WMU MSc
students.
This 2-day Conference was successfullyreceived, promising that WMU will host the 3rdInternational Conference on Maritime Womenin the future. It was evident from the evaluation
online survey from participants that almost all
the respondents (99%) felt that the MWGL
Conference provided information about the
progress of the Integration of Women in the
Maritime Sector (IWMS) across different sectors
as well as in different regions. The Conference
provided an effective platform for networking
among the participants, and everyone realized
the importance of education and research, as wellas other key issues such as policy and employment, leadership, and sustainability in shipping.
As a member of the MWGL Organizing
Committee, it was amazing to meet all theinspiring women leaders from around the world
through this Conference. I was also one of thesession speakers and presented part of my study
on context-based leadership in the case of
women seafarers. During the Conference, I wasproud to acknowledge Ms. Nancy Karigithu(Kenya Maritime Authority) as my role model,
and I gained new knowledge from the participants, which will definitely help me to develop
my future career as a professional maritime
woman.

FPSO
Photo by NYK LineThe Development and Use of Marine Resources,
and Japanese Efforts
Keisuke Sakamoto

Director of Ocean Development Strategy Office,Ocean Development and Environment Policy Division
Maritime Bureau, MLIT

(1) New Global Developments
In the future, the world's demand for energy is
expected to expand, accompanying increases inworld population and the economic growth of
emerging nations and developing countries.
Meanwhile, in recent years, the price of a barrelof crude oil has continued to be high at around$100. As a result, in regions where development
did not take place because conditions were badwhen the price of crude oil was low and the costs
for drilling and exploiting and purifying viscous
oil were high, it has now become profitable to doso. Development has also been taking place due
to advances in technology, with the proportion of
exploitation of offshore oil & natural gas increasing yearly.
In Brazil especially, at great offshore depths
called "pre-salt", many oil & natural gas projects
are currently progressing. The vast undersea oil &gas layers 100-300km off the southeastern coastof Brazil are in areas excavated below 1500m, at a
depth of 5000-7000m. "Pre-salt" refers to thefact that they are older than the rock salt layer
above them, which shuts them in, acting as a lid.
Currently, development is proceeding in therelevant regions, with much investment in drillships and FPSO (Floating Production, Storage
and Offloading) taking place.
In addition to this, Nigeria and Libya are wellknown as the oil producing countries of Africa,
but in recent years, Western African nations suchas Ghana and Angola, and Eastern African
nations such as Mozambique are becoming

Offshore Support Vessel
Photo by Japan Marine United Corporation

potential oil producers.
With respect to natural gas, investment in
FLNG (Floating Liquefied Natural Gas), which
is FPSO for liquefied natural gas, has beenplanned for the oceans off southeastern Asia andAustralia.
Furthermore, increasing activity in Europe
aims to introduce offshore wind turbines in various countries around the world, with theoffshore wind turbine introduction target forprincipal countries expected to reach around
80GW by the year 2020.

(2) Japanese Efforts
Japanese shipbuilding companies began
making mobile offshore drilling units and thelike for offshore oil production in the 1970s andinto the 1980s. They then started to specialize inbuilding merchant vessels, and discontinued
producing mobile offshore production units.
However, after entering the 2000s, the construction of offshore support vessels and mobile
offshore production units gradually started totake place. From 2012, Japanese shipyard
groups have successively been advancing theirentry into Brazilian shipyards through the capital and human resources. Japanese shipbuilding
companies have also been receiving orders foroffshore structures from various countries.
Machinery and equipment from many Japanese companies are also used in offshore structures, including the famous "HAMANAKA"
mooring chains, boilers, burners, electric generators, steam turbines, compressors, pumps, heatexchangers, sensors, control systems, marine
hoses, fenders, valves, winches, thrusters, LNG
tanks, fresh-water generators, air-conditioning
plants, provision refrigeration plants, etc.
Japanese maritime companies are also taking
part in planning the leasing of drillships andFPSO units, as well as the operation of offshore
support vessels and shuttle tankers.
In order to assist these Japanese enterprises in

4

Floating Offshore Wind Farm Project
Photo by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

enhancing their various businesses, the Japanese government is also providing financial
assistance to their technological development,
bilateral meetings between governments, anddialogue operated by public and private sectors.
People with advanced technical skills need to
be developed to design these offshore support
vessels, drillships and mobile offshore production units. In addition, even more sailors need
to be trained in order to cope with the increasein demand for transport for LNG carriers,
which have undergone the shale revolution.
Given that engineering skills, operation skills
and work experience on tankers, etc., are a
prerequisite, analysis is underway concerning
policies for their development.
Furthermore, as Japan has little shallow wateraround its coast, the potential for t h e
introduction of floating offshore wind turbines
is extremely good compared to bottom-fixedoffshore wind turbines. Preliminary calculations
indicate that the potential for floating offshore
wind turbines is roughly double that ofland-based wind turbines and bottom-fixedoffshore wind turbines combined.
Accordingly, the Japanese government iscarrying out demonstrations of floating offshore
wind turbines, with Japanese shipbuilding companies participating in the planning. Furthermore, it is developing specific guidelines for thesafety of floating offshore wind turbines concerning issues unique to floating structures suchas drift, turnover and sinking, in order to beable to operate offshore wind farms safely inthe harsh environments that these farms faceon the ocean.

A Brighter Future for Tema Port
Côte d'Ivoire● Port of Tema

Nana Esi Quansah-Söderberg(Ghana, 2008)

a fish preparation shed and a gear storage
facility.
Services provided around the fishing harbour
include a fish market, fuel dispensing stations
to cater for the fishers’ outboard motors,
several private cold store facilities, a private
fish processing company and banks.

OUTLINE

The Port of Tema has been my workplace since
2002, when I ended my national service andbegan to work as a permanent employee. Thanks
to Mr. Yohei Sasakawa and The Nippon Foundation, I was able to enhance my contribution to
the port through further training in Maritime
Affairs and Port Management at the World
Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden.
It has been a pleasure to see Tema Port evolvein so many ways to become the hub of the subregion and continuously facilitate the safe movement of cargo to and from all areas of Ghana, thelandlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and
Niger.
Tema Port, the larger of the two seaports in
Ghana, is located 28km east of Accra, the capitalcity. The port spans an enclosed water area of 1.7
million sq. metres and a total land area of 3.9
million sq. metres. It comprises fourteen berths,
with draughts ranging from 8.0–11.5 metres.
The two deepest berths of 11.5 metres are part ofour dedicated container terminal, operated by the
Meridian Port Services (MPS). The other berths
include multi-purpose berths, liquid and dry bulk
berths, an oil jetty and a private berth operated by
the Volta Aluminium Company.
The port was opened in 1962 and continues to
upgrade its infrastructure and services. Today
services comprise vessel handling, stevedoring,
shore handling – receipt, storage and delivery.
Ancillary services include bunkering, waste
reception, security and safety. With the growthof the Ghanaian economy, cargo traffic isincreasing. From 2011 to 2012, container trafficin TEUs increased by 8.9% from 756,899 to824,238 TEUs. Subsequently, in 2013, total
cargo traffic increased by 6.4%.
Port Performance

6,8

500,000
400,000

89

61
42
5,4
08
48
9,1
47
55
5,0
09
52
5,6
94
59
0,1
47

600,000

39
2,7

700,00075

800,000

1,9

900,000

84

99
82
4,2

38

CONTAINER TRAFFIC (TEU)

300,000
200,000
100,000
0

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Togo

Ghana

BUSINESS UNITS

Inland Clearance Depot

Dry-dock
With a 100,000 dwt capacity, a privately run
dry-dock facility is available at Tema Port. It is277.4 metres long with an average draught of 8
metres, depending on the tide. The facility
provides dry-docking, ship repair, general engineering, metal locking and steel fabrication
services.

OUTLOOK

Golden Jubilee Terminal (GJT) is an inland
clearance depot (ICD) located on the western endof the Port of Tema. The facility covers an area of
97,412 square metres and comprises a container
freight station, state warehouse, carpark, an open
area for stripping/un-stuffing and storage of containers, banking services and offices for customs.
This facility is flanked by four privately operated
ICD’s.
Fishing Harbour

Attached to Tema port is a fishing harbour withdraughts up to 7 metres, capable of receiving bothindustrial trawlers and other, more artisanal
vessels. It comprises an inner harbour, an outerharbour and a canoe basin. The inner fishingharbour begins with a 63-metre wide entrance. It
has a total quay length of 467 metres, comprisingjetties and wharfs with draughts ranging between
3.5 and 4.0 metres. The outer fishing harbour also
comprises a 122-metre entrance with 486 metresof quay length, and draughts ranging between 5.0
to 7.0 metres. The canoe basin is shielded byapproximately 5.2 hectares of protected waters
and equipped with a wooden jetty for motorboats,

5

The immediate outlook is to expand thecapacity of the port through improved
equipment position and automated operationaland management processes. Hinterland
accessibility is being improved through therestructuring and expansion of the current road
network and the establishment of efficient rail
linkage between the port and the hinterland. A
modern training facility will be developed to train
the operational staff and employees of terminal
operators in the port.
Processes have already begun for the expansionof the infrastructural facilities of the port. These
include:New Container Terminals
New Food & Fruit Terminals
New Ro-Ro Terminal
New Trans-shipment Terminals
New Break/Dry/Liquid Bulk Terminals

Current Port Layout

Proposed Port Layout

Authority and Jurisdiction at Sea
Kenya

Tanzania

Congo● Dar es Salaam

Indian Ocean
ZambiaMalawiMozambiquecrimes such as engaging in the slave trade, the inherent right of self-defense.
illegal trafficking, piracy, and unauthorized It was a great challenge to a country like
Tanzania, which has a long maritime
broadcasts.
Hassan Mrisho Kheri
After considering all available safety mea- history, to not be able to prosecute pirates(Tanzania, 2008)
sures, the following three matters should be due to flaws in its legal system. Proper measures have been taken to rectify this, andestablished while performing jurisdiction:
First, the location of the vessels should be according to the Minister of Justice andwithin the territorial boundaries of the Constitutional Affairs, offenses relating topiracy will now be prosecuted in local
A navy is the organized maritime military country.
of a nation. It includes not only ships and Second, there should be a substantive law courts, following a recent settlement of legal
personnel, but also air and missile forces, that applies to jurisdictional waters, which frameworks that will facilitate fair prosecution. Before that, prosecution was only
ship yards and shore-based buildings, along requires or prohibits specific actions, andwith fleet maintenance. The Tanzania Navy Third, the action should be taken against administered in Kenya and the Seychelles,
is a fighting service designated to defend the either foreign vessels or persons, or against which have already ratified international
state against aggression at sea and was domestic vessels and persons, or stateless ves- conventions covering a bilateral agreement
established on Dec 6, 1971, with the assis- sels. (Stateless and assimilated to stateless that Tanzania has yet to enter.
vessels are universally recognized as falling Sea borders are measured from the averagetance of the People’s Republic of China.
The aim of this article is to highlight some under the complete and total jurisdiction of low-tide mark (baseline). The further out
you go, the more rights ships have and theof the fundamentals undergone by the Tan- the warship’s nation.)zania Naval Force or by any other naval As a general rule, entering another state’s fewer rights the coastal state has. Within
force worldwide. In doing so, two terms territory without permission is a violation of the contiguous zone, a coastal state has(authority and jurisdiction) should be that state’s sovereignty. The sovereign nation some jurisdiction; less than in its territorial
explained clearly, so that the readers can all has exclusive jurisdiction over everything seas, but still adequate. The coastal state
within its borders (including lakes and may exercise necessary control to prevent
be on the same track.
the infringement of its fiscal, migration,“Authority” is the government’s legal rivers), as per UNCLOS 82.
power to act. The Tanzania Naval Force has In preserving their national jurisdiction, sanitation, or customs laws within its
a specific statutory basis of authority before naval forces act as the “Arresting Officer” in territory/territorial seas, and may impose
taking law enforcement action. The funda- hot pursuit of any foreign flagged vessel that punishment upon the infringement of thosemental source of navy enforcement author- flees beyond normal jurisdiction limits after a laws.
ity for the Boarding Officer includes mari- violation of the coastal state’s law has been Within the exclusive economic zone,
time law enforcement, customs, as well as committed. However, there is immunity that coastal states have the right to explore,
protection and security of vessels and har- is recognized globally, where international exploit, conserve and manage fishing andmaritime law is concerned. This includes other resources below the surface.
bors.
“Jurisdiction” is the government’s legal warships, military aircraft and other govern- The exclusive economic zone can extend allright to exercise authority over its persons, mental vessels or aircraft on non-commercial the way out to 350 nautical miles for contivessels, and territory. Due diligence should service. The only permissible action toward nental shelf resources. The high seas are
be taken to avoid embarrassment while these sovereign immune vessels that are open to all states, whether coastal or landexercising jurisdiction, especially during engaged in activities that would otherwise be locked. On the high seas, ships can do justboarding, search, seizure and arrest on any punishable violations of national or interna- about anything, but are still subject to theforeign ship. Maritime intelligence should tional law is requiring those vessels to leave jurisdiction of the flag state of that vessel.
be used while enforcing the right of a war- the nation’s borders or territorial seas as soon
ship to board a vessel suspected of universal as possible. This guidance does not restrict

6

A Delightful Evening with a Great Man
Hettiarachchige Don Prasad Manjula Hettiarachchie(Sri Lanka, 2012)

Most of the Sasakawa Fellows in Sri Lanka
were stunned in the early morning of April 30,
2014, when they received an email from OPRF,
announcing Mr. Sasakawa’s visit to Sri Lanka on
May 3! We hardly had any time to reschedule
our work plans, but somehow we managed tocontact most of the Sasakawa Fellows to attend
this grand occasion.
During his short stay in Sri Lanka, Mr.
Sasakawa met the Head of State H.E. President
Mahinda Rajapaksa, along with several ministers
and senior members of the government. After

their discussions, Mr. Sasakawa went to the Cedar
Room at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo,
for a cocktail party with other officials from The
Nippon Foundation. The reception was full ofinvitees from various organizations and communities connected with Mr. Sasakawa and his Foundation. Among them were representatives fromthe Nippon Skilled Volunteers Association, theJapan Sri Lanka Technical & Cultural Association, the Sasakawa Trust – Sri Lanka, and theJapanese Language Educational Association of Sri
Lanka (Sasakawa Center).

Immediately after his arrival, Mr. Sasakawa waskind enough to spend some of his precious timewith Sasakawa Fellows, and his greetings andaddresses were very sincere. During the discussion, he wanted to make sure that we received the
Friends of WMU Newsletter in time. He was
happy to note our career advancements after
graduation and gave his blessings for our futureendeavors. While addressing the gathering, Mr.
Sasakawa highly praised current developments inthe country, after a war which lasted for three
decades, and was impressed with the tidiness ofthe capital of Sri Lanka.
This photo was taken after the gathering. Fromleft to right are Samantha Gunawardhane(2013), Prasad Manjula (2012), Sarath Kumara(2007), G.A.Talagala (1995), Mr. Sasakawa,
Hashim Fahim (2012), Gamini Wijenayake(2012), Ranil Jayantha (2015), Ajith Rathnayake(2013), Yamuna Wettasinghe (1999), and
M.H.S. Rusniya (2010).
It was a memorable day for all Sri Lankan
WMU Fellows as we were able to spend sometime with Mr. Sasakawa, an event that will lastforever in our memories. We are eagerly awaiting
another occasion to see Mr. Sasakawa, as well as
any of our dear Sasakawa Fellows, or representatives of The Nippon Foundation, whenever youcome for a visit, no matter how short.

The Ship Machinery & Equipment Seminar in Yangon

Yoshiharu Shigeiri

General Manger, Business Affairs Department
Japan Ship Machinery & Equipment Association (JSMEA)

Th e J a p a n e s e g o v e r n m e n t a n d N o n Government Organizations have actively focusedon cooperation with regards to infrastructure
projects since a few years ago, such as the development of water transportation and shipbuilding
facilities in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
As a part of these activities, the Japan Ship Machinery ＆ Equipment Association (JSMEA)
held the Ship Machinery ＆ Equipment Seminarin Myanmar on February 14, 2014.
JSMEA was established in June 1966 to help
develop the ship machinery and equipment
industry and others concerned with ships, and tocontribute to Japan’s economic growth. Today,
JSMEA is made up of 240 regular and 62

supporting members. There are various shipmachinery and equipment makers in Japan that
manufacture a wide range of products, from large
engines to small parts and components. Almost all
Japanese major players are affiliated with JSMEA.
This year marked the 2nd Ship Machinery ＆Equipment Seminar, after the inaugural one washeld last March. Many people concerned in maritime affairs in Myanmar participated in the event,along with the press. I attended the seminar as anemcee from JSMEA’s staff.
Eight JSMEA member companies gave presentations on their excellent products and high-leveltechnology to about 80 Myanmarese participantsfrom the Ministry of Transport of Myanmar, theInland Water Transport Public Corporation, the7

Myanmar Maritime University, the Myanmar
Mercantile Marine College, ship owners(including fishing boat owners), shipyards, and soon. This was followed by a frank exchange ofviews between Japan and Myanmar, during
which I noticed my good friend, Mr. Myat Moe(1997), in the large audience.
As soon as the last presentation ended, I ran up
to Moe and embraced him, full of nostalgia. It
was 18 years ago when we first met at the Henrik
Smith Hostel in Malmö. After that, I met him
only once in 2001 at the “World Maritime University - The Conference of Japanese Sasakawa
Fellowship Students in Tokyo”. We couldn’t
believe that so much time had passed, and it
seemed as if we’d never parted.
Following the seminar, a reception was held,
and Moe kindly introduced me to the other
Sasakawa scholarship students, Mr. Htay Win(1998), Mr. Myo Nyein Aye (2007), Mr. Aung
Thein Win (2009), Ms. Nang Arm Seng (2007),and Ms. Nyein Ei Phyu (2011). We had a goodtime chatting while enjoying our meal with all
the participants. They all seemed to be playing anactive role in their country’s further development.
I hope to meet them again some time in the
future.

Tha Zin Aye Linn (Myanmar, 2012)
My first baby, who was born on December 23, 2013, is a
Christmas treasure and the most beautiful gift from God.
We named him Gabriel, which means “Strength from
God,” and in Myanmar his name means “Dignity andLongevity.” We are so lucky because there are only a few
sons born to those people we know in my generation. Our
lives revolve around him, and our love is so strong that I
don’t know how we got on without him. It’s completely
overwhelming. When he gives me his sweet smile withthose two little dimples, I forget about everything else.
He’s such a perfect baby in every way (little cheeks, lips,
lovely eyes), and I am truly blessed!
We believe that parents are the first teachers of children,
and we will try to be great role models to guide him on
the right path.
I would like to share my joy with all WMU Sasakawa
Fellows and Friends and wish for them the same happiness and love with their families.

Jabeth Sena Jepath Aleman Dacanay (Philippines, 2003)
Babies most likely get annoyed when too many ‘strangers’
take turns cuddling them -- but not our Rome. I was so
proud of how our son behaved during his christening on
February 2, 2014, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of
Lourdes in Quezon City. It was an intimate gathering offamily members and friends. Rome must have felt our deep
love for him on that day.
Severo Romulo “Rome” Dacanay Bacorro, our second
son, was born on October 30, 2013. He is not only a

blessing and a bundle of joy to my husband, Edward A.
Bacorro, the Group Insurance and Claims Manager of
Magsaysay Corporation’s Transport Logistics Group, andour eight-year old, Edward Justice, a third grader at the
Ateneo de Manila Grade School, but also a lucky charmto the family. I was recently appointed by Philippine
President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III as the Deputy
Executive Director of the STCW Office of MARINA a
few months after his birth.

Rusniya Sowme Fathima Mohamed Haris (Sri Lanka, 2010)

I am so delighted to be able to share my wonderful news
with Sasakawa Friends all over the world. My second baby,
Muhammed Raaid, was born on January 2, 2014, one of themost memorable days of our life. We were especially grateful
because we lost our first baby two years ago, which made us
depressed for so long.
This baby’s arrival means so much to me, even with all the
responsibilities I now have towards my family and as amother. Now he is almost 5 months old and he is growing
day by day, which gives us such joy. Each step excites us, andhe is so cute. Our main goal is to look after him as best we

can and help make him a good citizen in society.
This photo was taken at his naming ceremony 40 days after
his birth, which is according to our tradition. Unfortunately,
my husband could not attend, because he is working in
Dubai and only had 10 days’ leave for the delivery.
I am still on maternity leave and will go back to work next
week. It will make me a little sad, as I am now spending thewhole day with him. We met Mr. Sasakawa and his staff in
Colombo on May 3, and we had a nice time with him andsome Sasakawa Friends. Thank you very much, Mr.
Sasakawa, for arranging that gathering for us.

Former WMU Board of Governors Dr. Hara to be decorated

Dr. Kiyoshi Hara, former university president of the Kobe
Merchant Marine University (currently the Kobe University
Faculty of Maritime Sciences), received The Order of the
Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star this spring. The order isconferred upon persons who have rendered great service overmany years working in public education research. Dr. Hara wasalso one of the advocates of the founding of the International
Association of Maritime Universities, the second IAMU president and first honorary Fellow, and also was active as a memberof the WMU Board of Governors during the period April 2005
- April 2010. He also assists in the WMU Japan Field Study
Trip every year.

Directory of the WMU Sasakawa Fellows

On two previous occasions we updated and published the Directory personal information in the Fellows’ Directory at the WMU Japanof the WMU Sasakawa Fellows. Around October this year we again website at (http://www.wmu.sof.or.jp) as soon as possible.
intend to publish a new directory that will include all WMU Sasakawa If you have any questions, please contact the Secretariat by email at:
Fellows from the class of 1989 to the class of 2015.
wmujapan@sof.or.jp
We therefore ask all Sasakawa Fellows to promptly update their
Friends of WMU, Japan Secretariat OPRF

Editor’s note

Almost one and a half years have passed since I started towork for the Japan Ship Technology Research Association(JSTRA) and serve as an editor of this newsletter. Soon after
the start of my career at JSTRA, a number of issues came overto me like a big wave, such as bio-fouling, NOx/SOx emission
control, ship recycling, e-Navigation, review and modernization of GMDSS, and life-saving appliances. Although theworkload is a bit heavy, I feel really privileged to build up a
great deal of international experience at a high pace by working
through these issues.
Taking this opportunity, I will briefly introduce my company
and its close relevance to The Nippon Foundation. Thanks to
the Foundation’s substantial support, JSTRA can address awide range of research topics relevant to the discussions at

IMO (my tasks are still “partial” ones) and take an importantrole in coordinating national decisions through collaboration
between industry, academia and government. It would not be
an exaggeration to say that most of the Japanese proposals andcontributions to the IMO Committees/Sub-Committees are
partly or sometimes fully based on JSTRA’s research results(for further information about JSTRA, please see its official
website: http://www.jstra.jp/english/).
So please let me emphasize that you can (sometimes
discreetly) see remarkable contributions by The Nippon Foundation to maritime safety, security and environmental issues,
while the Foundation’s Sasakawa Fellowship is building andexpanding strong relationships among maritime specialists
across borders.

Yasuhiro Urano
Chief Researcher/Manager of Regulations Unit
Japan Ship Technology Research Association (JSTRA)

Toranomon 35 Mori Building, 3-4-10 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 JAPAN
Tel: +81-(0)3-5404-6843 Fax: +81-(0)3-5404-6800 URL: http://www.sof.or.jp/