24http://www.wmu.sof.or.jp/

September

Sasakawa Students’
Gathering
Gilbert Boleche ( Philippines, 2009)
Poppy Sartika ( Indonesia, 2009 )

A

2008

t 2.20 PM, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa arrived at themeeting room, and the emcee, invited Mr. Louie De
los Santos to deliver welcoming remarks on behalfof the Sasakawa Fellows.
Then the presentation by countries began with the three
representatives of Bangladesh, delivered by Mr. Mohidul
Islam.
Mr. Leng Thun Kosal from Cambodia presented two
members from his country. Mr. Bhim Singh Kothari from
India, presented three members. Mr. Arizal Hendriawan fromIndonesia presented four members. The Japanese presented
themselves, one by one. Myanmar had 4 members, presented
by Ms. Hlaing Thiri, while Mr. Adil Rashid from Pakistan
presented 2 members. In the middle of presentations, Prof.
Nakazawa delivered his remarks. He emphasized that theseminar held by WMU on the Silver Jubilee anniversary
would be a good experience for the students. In particular,
they could gain further knowledge with regards to theclimate change impact on the shipping business, and seek
the best solutions and alternative possibilities. Furthermore,
he hoped that the Sasakawa Fellows would maintain theiraffiliations and continue to communicate in the future. Then,the presentations continued with Mr. Ronnie D. Gernato,
who presented 9 members from the Philippines. Mr.
Theerapong B. from Thailand, presented 2 members, while
Vietnam had 6 members presented by Mr. Phung Trong Hieu
Remaining members were, Ms. Ofa from Oceania Ms. Carolyn
Graham from the Caribbean, Mr. Javier Gonzalez Plata from
Colombia, Ms. Nana Quenshi and 4 members from Africa,and Mr. Ermal Xhelilaj and 3 members from Europe.
Mr. Kudo introduced Mr. Pedro de Lima from Brazil(former Sasakawa Fellow, year 2000) and Mr. Mohab AbouElkawam (Sasakawa Fellow, year 2003, continuing his PhD at
Cardiff University, UK, also under the Sasakawa Foundation).
Afterwards, Mr. Sasakawa delivered his message, saying he
was very happy to meet and greet all the Sasakawa Fellows,
considering their tight schedules at the university. He
mentioned that his life was dedicated to help people aroundthe world have a better life and better future. His activities in
the humanitarian sector have brought him to more than 107
countries over 1,990 days, and he would not rest until there
was a better world. Therefore, he apologized for being
unable to reply to letters from all the students. However, he
was very excited to hear their recent news and progress.

He also invited the students to visit Japan, at least once during
their studies at WMU. Furthermore, he emphasized the importanceof the next generation's professionalism for world development.
He assured all that the scholarships will still continue as they are
not a personal but a national matter. Mr. Sasakawa told thestudents to concentrate and pay more attention to their studies
than focus on internal problems at WMU, which would be settled
by the Board of Governors. He told them not to worry, but toinform him of any conditions which might affect their studies. He
expected to see the Sasakawa Fellows graduate with pride.
Finally, he thanked Mr. Kudo for all his support and hard work
for The Sasakawa Foundation and congratulated WMU on its Silver
Jubilee Anniversary.
The meeting was followed by a tea party until 4.30 PM.

Impacts of Climate Changeon the Maritime Industry ICCMI 2008
Sue Jackson
WMU Associate Registrar

sustainability of maritime industries. The conference attracted
experts from around the globe to discuss how climate change isaffecting maritime activities, and to evaluate current and proposed
measures to respond to the consequences of climate change.
The Conference addressed three main themes:- the scientific basis of our understanding of climate change- the foreseeable impacts on operations in maritime sectors- the legal, policy and governance frameworks needed to deal with
the impact of climate change
The conference focused on the shipping and port sectors,
including fisheries, and the framework was laid out during the firstday in a series of keynote presentations. These included the 2008
Sheldon Kinney Lecture, delivered by Admiral Robert E. Kramek,
President of the US Society of Naval Architects and Engineers,
formerly Commandant of the US Coast Guard. The second day
consisted of two parallel sessions, one related to the Baltic andNorth Sea, and the other to the Arctic Ocean.
The final day of the conference was a plenary session, with akeynote speech from Dr. Sasakawa on the theme of “Global
Environmental Issues: a Perspective from the Sea”. Mr. Mitropoulos
also delivered a keynote speech, “A Global Program needs a Global
Solution”.
Theplenary
sessionresulted in conclusions andrecommendations on how
maritime industries, globallyand regionally, can best copewith and adapt to thechallenges arising from climatechange.
For more information,
photographs and copies ofpresentations please go to
the ICCMI2008 Conference
website at www.iccmi.info

S

vante Arrhenius, eminent Swedish scientist and Nobel
Laureate, first warned in 1898 that carbon dioxide emissions
could lead to global warming. More than a century later,
again in Sweden, the consequences of climate change for maritime
and coastal activities were examined at the ICCMI2008 Conference,from June 2-4, 2008.
The impact of the conference theme and the importance of
WMU's Silver Jubilee was reflected by the eminence of the Guestsof Honour: HM Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden; Dr. Yohei
Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation; Mr. E. E.
Mitropoulos, IMO's Secretary-General; Ms. Maud Olofsson, Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Energy; and Mr.
Ilmar Reepalu, Mayor of Malmö.
HM The King addressed the conference on its second day, andlistened to presentations from Ms. Christel Wiman, of the Port ofStockholm, and Mr. David Whitehead of the British Ports
Association. The King also lunched with the Governor of theCounty of Skåne, Mr. Göran Tunhammar, with a party that included
Dr. Sasakawa, Mr. Mitropoulos, Admiral James Card, a WMU
Governor, and Dr. Karl Laubstein, President of WMU.
The conference, which attracted over 220 delegates, made aunique contribution to current knowledge by bringing together
wide-ranging experience and proposing measures to ensure the
Friends of WMU JAPAN2

Challenges of the World's Ports
Dr. Satoshi Inoue

Secretary General,
International Associationof Ports & Harbors

Uniting the World's Ports

When the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH)
formed in 1955, the world was nothing like the world we know
today. No idea about “globalization” at all. Yet, it was thought
imperative more than 50 years ago to foster close communication anddialogue among the world's ports, separated from each othergeographically, culturally and linguistically.
Since then, the IAPH has developed as the truly globalorganization of the world port community. Today, the IAPH has amembership of some 220 ports and 140 port-related organizations
from 90 countries. The member ports combined handle about 60% ofworld seaborne trade and 90% of world container traffic. Leading
port-related companies and academic institutes, national and regional
ports associations are also its active members.
The IAPH tackles a wide range of issues and challenges ofcommon interest through technical committee activities, whose
outcomes and recommendations are regarded as highly valuable
guidelines and references. The IAPH also plays a proactive role ininternational arenas to address global issues. As the uniqueorganization representing the world port industry, the IAPH is granted
NGO Consultative Status by six inter-governmental bodies such as the
IMO, UNCTAD, ILO and WCO.

Since the weakest link determines the security of the entire
logistics system, no matter how ports tighten security at theirterminals, global logistics can’t be sufficiently secured until all otherplayers in the logistics system are fully committed to security. IAPH
has therefore worked with the WCO to develop the “SAFE
Framework of Standards”, which aims at enhancing supply chain
security through the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) system,
while providing AEOs with trade facilitation incentives such as fewer
customs inspections and easier reporting.
In 2002, the U.S. put in place the CT-PAT, a precedent to the AEO
scheme, though only applied to those involved in importing goods to
the U.S. The AEO or similar schemes are now in operation for
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia andSingapore. The EU just started its AEO system January 1, 2008.

Clean Port Air and Climate Change

IAPH has been extensively addressing a range of environmental
issues over the years.
It is now high on the agenda for the world's ports to improve air
quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from port-related activity.
Adopting a significant resolution on “Clean Air Program for Ports”
in Houston in May 2007, IAPH urges ports, members and nonmembers alike, to take active and effective steps towards clean air
programs, while recognizing that no one-size-fits-all solution exists forPorts Transforming into Logistics Hubs
ports' large variations inMaritime trade has been increasing tremendously over the past
pollution level, emission
decades. To cope with such demands, ports are now facing serious
sources, geographical andconstraints of time and space, not to mention the huge investments
meteorological conditions.
required. Unlike building ships, it often takes 5 to 10 years to
As part of its efforts, IAPH
develop new terminals even if one is lucky enough to find sufficient
has just produced thefunds and space for such development.
Moreover, ports not only have to expand facilities, but they are “Tool Box for Port Clean
Air Programs”, a webalso required to position themselves in a completely new
based guideline on air
environment of transportation, the emergence of supply chain
emission control planning
management. This covers the entire process from production
and available measures.
through transportation to consumption, as an integrated system(http://www.iaphworldports.org/toolbox%201/toolbox%201.htm)
rather than a set of separate and fragmented sub-systems. Ports now
In July 2008, over 50 major ports and cities discussed how tohave to drastically transform from traditional transfer points between
tackle global warming and adopt the World Ports Climate
ship and land into integrated centers of global logistics systems.
Declaration in Rotterdam. IAPH President Madam OC Phang urged
To become a global logistics hub, a port needs to provide not
the world port community to take action without delay, stressing
only efficient terminal services, but also excellent connections to
the need for a worldwide and sustained approach to thehinterlands, IT support and infrastructure, and high standards ofabatement of global warming. IAPH is committed to take a lead insafety and security, on top of a range of value added logistics
the world's ports endeavors to tackle this critical global issue.
services. In and around ports, therefore, integrated logistics zones
With its motto - World Peace through World Trade, World Tradeare now being developed to accommodate activities of warehousing,through World Ports - IAPH will continue to work for theprocessing, assembling, distributing, etc.
betterment of the world port community and promote free tradeacross the globe, ultimately contributing to the realization of world
Port Security & Supply Chain Security
peace.
Since July 1, 2004, port terminals for international trade have strictly
Should you require any assistance or information, please feelcomplied with requirements of the ISPS Code throughout the world.
free to contact us any time. In the meantime, we look forward to
IAPH has been helping the world's ports implement the code
welcoming you all at the 26th IAPH World Ports Conference to beproperly and effectively. Our worldwide surveys revealed thatheld in Genoa, Italy, from May 25-29, 2009.
terminals were generally in good compliance with the code, andawareness of port security has been significantly enhanced among
port personnel.
Friends of WMU JAPAN3

Unexpected Happend!!
Mohab Abou-Elkawam (Egypt, 2003)
Jabeth Dacanay (Philippines, 2003)
Conghua Xue (China, 2003)

T

eary eyes were a common feature among the 2003 WMU
class on their graduation day back on October 12, 2003
while they congratulated each other and prepared to say
their final farewells before leaving Malmö for good. Everyone had
this sad feeling inside that they wouldn’t see their classmates everagain and that this was the end of a happy and yet a challenging
part of their lives. However, four years passed and the unexpected
happened in the Welsh capital Cardiff when three of former WMU
Sasakawa Fellows re-united in October 2007 as Nippon Fellows
studying for their PhD at Cardiff University. Jabeth Dacanay fromthe Philippines, Conghua Xue from China, and Mohab AbouElkawam from Egypt, all from the WMU 2003 'Powerful' classhappily were together studying under the auspices of the Seafarers
International Research Center to earn their higher degrees in an
established and globally renowned research center.
But how did the success story start for each of the three Fellows
and what was the role of the Sasakawa Foundation and The
Nippon Foundation in the promotion of their successful and highly
specialised maritime careers? In the following paragraphs a brief
biography of the three Fellows shows how their personal, professional
and academic lives were drastically changed by being granted such
prestigious fellowships.
Jabeth Sena Jepath A. Dacanay is one of the few female maritime
lawyers in the Philippines. Graduating cum laude with a Bachelorof Laws degree from the Far Eastern University in Manila, she later
obtained her Master of Science in Maritime Affairs specialising inMaritime Administration in 2003 at the World Maritime University(WMU) in Malmö, Sweden. She headed the Maritime Legal Affairs
Office of the Philippine Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
before joining the PhD program of The Nippon Foundation and the
Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC) at Cardiff University,
Wales, United Kingdom.
In her ten years with MARINA, Jabeth has dealt with various
issues affecting Filipino seafarers, a significant sector which now
makes up almost a quarter of the world's seafarers. She recognizes
that Filipino seafarers belong to a vulnerable industry as they leave
their families and risk their lives on perilous seas to enable themovement of people and goods for the benefit of the rest of theworld.
In July 2007, Jabeth was part of a team that began drafting thePhilippine Merchant Shipping Act, a proposed law that seeks toincorporate both international and local laws into a single maritime
shipping legislation. Their goal was to come up with a comprehensive
law that addresses the diverse issues affecting the shipping industry
and the Filipino seafarers. Apart from researching and synthesizing
the inputs of the private sector in the draft law, Jabeth also served
as a legal adviser to the maritime manpower sector during theconsultation meetings with stakeholders prior to the drafting of the
proposed law.

Friends of WMU JAPAN

Cardiff, Thursday, April 10, 2008

After finishing her MSc at WMU through the generosity of Mr.
Yohei Sasakawa and the Sasakawa Foundation, Jabeth realised she
wanted to undertake research and hopefully make a difference in
the Philippine maritime industry. She is deeply committed tofinding ways to alleviate the plight of seafarers whose health, safety
and welfare are often relegated to the sidelines due to competitive
pressures in the highly globalised shipping industry.
When she learned from Associate Professor Max Mejia of WMU
about the PhD program being offered by SIRC and The Nippon
Foundation for those interested in undertaking academic research
about seafarers and the human element of shipping, she knew in
her heart that joining the program would make her lifelong dreamof contributing knowledge and making a difference in the lives ofthe seafarers become a reality. And here she is now in theoccasionally vibrant city of Cardiff reading, writing and researching
the Maritime world.
Following graduation from Nantong Shipping College (NSC) witha diploma in Navigation, Conghua Xue had worked on different
types of ocean-going ships flying flags of different nations as an OS(Ordinary Seaman), AB (Able Seaman) and eventually second deck
officer for the unlimited ocean regions.
Following his seagoing career, Conghua worked ashore for the
NSC as a maritime instructor in 1996. Conghua obtained a Bachelor's
degree in English Education from the Peking Normal University in
China in 2001. Then he was nominated by the Ministry ofCommunications of China and sponsored by The Nippon Foundation
Sasakawa Fellowship to further study at WMU. He completed his
Masters degree in Maritime Affairs specialising in MET(N) in 2003.
As a lecturer at the NSC, he mainly taught nautical students STCW
related professional courses including maritime communications
and maritime English. He was also the deputy director of theforeign affairs office and the head of maritime English section forthe college since 2004.
4

Conghua has been actively involved in the foreign affairs of the
NSC, and his understanding of global MET has been enhanced byhis visit to some maritime colleges/universities for the purpose ofacademic exchanges and cooperations in Singapore, Australia,
Canada and the U.S. in recent years. He has maintained his
membership in the IMLA (International Maritime Lecturers
Association) since 2003. In 2006, he was appointed an Internal andExternal Auditor for Quality Assurance Standards of Maritime
Education and Training in China, which is authorized by the China
Maritime Safety Administration.
With the rapid development of the world shipping industry,safety, security and efficiency at sea have become major concerns.
The call for the creation of a safety culture at sea has been themain focus in recent years, particularly by IMO. It is this initiativethat inspired Conghua's research interests in investigation andanalysis of the factors that shape a positive maritime safety culture.
Once again and luckily enough, he is able to conduct his researchat the SIRC under the auspices of The Nippon Foundation, and be
one of the countless people who share Mr. Yohei Sasakawa's
vision, 'The World Is One Family: All Mankind Are Brothers And
Sisters'. This vision deeply affects people around the world. As astudent, he clearly understands his role - to study hard and live up
to Mr. Sasakawa's expectations.
Mohab Abou-Elkawam had quite a long seagoing career (from1983 to 2000), working mostly on board Very Large Tankers
roaming the world's oceans. When he decided that it was time forhim to pursue an academic career, he joined the teaching staff at
the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport(AASTMT) in his home country Egypt. Merely two years later he
was at WMU among distinguished Sasakawa Fellows studying for
his MSc. He had the privilege during his time at Malmö to meet
personally with the Honourable Mr. Yohei Sasakawa who impressed
him with his vision for the maritime world. This vision has inspired
his thinking since then and helpd him decide to research the vitallink between seafarers and their global work place, the marine
environment. Again, The Nippon Foundation under the commandof Yohei Sasakawa agreed to fund his research project at Cardiff
University proving the continued vision of the imminent need fortackling this link, especially among maritime educators andeducational policy makers.
After two and half years as one of the distinguished Nippon Fellows
at the Cardiff based Seafarers International Research Center (SIRC), hecan see more clearly his way ahead, not only through research, butalso through his future career, a career in Maritime Education sharing
the vision of Mr. Sasakawa, benefiting from the network of global
maritime experts at SIRC and the WMU alumni, towards a truly better,more modern, and comprehensive education for seafarers, leading
inevitably to a safer shipping industry and cleaner seas.
The above accounts show the path of these Sasakawa Fellows, their
dreams that have come true and their vision for a future maritime
industry and healthy clean oceans, as all three of them carry themessage of a great man - Yohei Sasakawa - in their heart and mind.

The 2nd International Maritime Conference (IMC2008)
on Maritime Threats & Opportunities in 21st Century

The National Centre for Maritime Policy Research (NCMPR), Bahria
University organised the 2nd International Maritime Conference(IMC2008) on Maritime Threats & Opportunities in the 21st Century
from March 25-27, 2008 in Karachi, Pakistan. The theme for thisannual 3-day conference was: Sustainable Economic Exploitation of
Ocean Resources: Technological and Educational Needs and Solutions
A major portion of the surface of the earth is covered by oceans.
One of the major uses of the oceans in last few centuries has been
the transportation of goods. Shipping flourished exponentially during
the last two centuries and the seafaring profession became international,
stream-lined and acknowledged.
Now the 21st century is witnessing an enormous shift in our
approach to how we visualize the oceans and the seafaring profession.
With new and advanced technologies at the disposal of humanbeings, ships are hi-tech machines with reduced needs for manpower. Highly qualified seafarers are required to run advanced
ships. Use of the oceans has expanded beyond of shipping, andnew areas of study have evolved like the environment, sea-bed
resources, fisheries, marine biology, coastal zone management, etc.
Friends of WMU JAPANAsghar Ali(Pakistan, 2006)

Associated professions like port management, shipping management
and international law require dedicated experts and scholars. A
new world order demands new emphasis on issues like marine
security, terrorism, piracy and maritime fraud to ensure world
peace in the 21st century. Keeping this in mind, there is a direneed to study and discuss recent trends in Maritime Education andTraining (MET) worldwide and evaluate a strategy whereby Pakistan
can cope with these new developments in the maritime sector.
Only then will we be able to remain abreast with the world ingeneral and the region in particular and use our marine resources
for the betterment of our people.
Pakistan has to realize the importance of new emerging study
areas linked with the seafaring profession. We need to educate ouryoung generation in professions like the environment, insurance,
law, security and financial management linked with the maritime
sector. Only through these measures, will we be able to maintain ourpace of progress and expand our operations in the maritime industry.
If you would like to have more information on the conference,
please go visit at: http://www.wmu.sof.or.jp/IMC2008_ali.pdf
5

WMU Sasakawa Fellows
meet in Japan What a Small World!
Joseph B. Badajos (Philippines, 1999)

A Working Level Meeting of the Heads of Asia Coast Guard Agencies
was held in Tokyo, Japan on June 25-26, 2008. The Japan Coast
Guard hosted the meeting under the auspices of The Nippon
Foundation and with the cooperation of the Japan Association of
Maritime Safety. The participating countries and areas were: Bangladesh,
Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore,
Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Working Level Meeting is an interim forum prior to the stagingof the 4th Heads of Coast Guard Agencies Meeting, which will behosted by the Philippine Coast Guard from October 8-10, 2008 in
Manila, Philippines.
The Meeting discussed issues of capacity building and informationexchange. Through the discussions, the participants shared the view that:a. Recognizing that the capabilities and systems of Coast Guard
Agencies are varied, in order to promote the fundamental capacityof the Asian Coast Guards as a whole, it is important that thecapability of each Agency attain a certain level.
b. In developing efforts of capacity building, it is important to explore
measures to enable each Coast Guard Agency to raise their capacity
under their own initiatives and in a sustainable manner.
c. Recognizing the importance of capacity building, it is necessary for
all Coast Guard Agencies to cooperate and coordinate their efforts
in order to promote sufficient and effective capacity building.

In a not so surprising sidelight to the meeting, four WMU graduates,
CDR Joseph B Badajos PCG (Philippines, 1999), Sukhin Ratanasathien(Thailand, 1991), Thet Htay (Myanmar, 2002), and Norhasliza Mat
Salleh (Malaysia 2006) found themselves face-to-face during thediscussions. Not so surprising in the sense that WMU graduates areindeed increasingly playing significant roles in their own governments
towards advocating the IMO-WMU goal of promoting better cooperation
and understanding in the maritime community by providing a common
framework of understanding among student participants in the academic
field. Of course, this would not have become possible without the
benevolence of The Nippon Foundation headed by no less than theman himself, Mr. Sasakawa.
As ever, the ebullient, jolly, and ever-hospitable Mr. Eisuke Kudo,
ably assisted by the indefatigable Shinichi Ichikawa, both from the
Ocean Policy Research Foundation, treated the four WMU graduates
to a night of simple, yet enjoyable fun over a few rounds of Japanesebeer after the meeting. Truly, the chance meeting among the Fellows
proved true to the adage: “What a small world it is for WMU
Sasakawa Fellows!” KAMPAI!
(Note: The author is presently the Station Commander of Coast
Guard Station Dumaguete in the central part of the Philippines. He
graduated from WMU in 1999 with the degree of MSC in MSEP. He also
served as the Vice President of the Student Council.)

Sharing the excitement of the WMU Silver Jubilee Championship
Nelli Norit (Estonia, 2008)

As we all know it is the Silver Jubilee of the World Maritime
University and to celebrate it we have already had two important
conferences, “Empowering Professional Women in the Maritime
World” and “Impact of Climate Change on the Maritime Industry”.
These conferences were very important not only for the university,
Students, and graduates, but also for the whole international maritime
community.
On a more unofficial level the WMU Student Council Sport
Committee decided to organize WMU Silver Jubilee Championshipgames between the class of 2008 and class of 2009. The mainorganizer of the games is the chairman of the sport committee, Mr.
Phung Trong Hieu (Vietnam, 2008). These Championship games
consist of five different sport activities: volleyball, billiards, basketball,Friends of WMU JAPAN

football and badminton. At the end of the games the winner will get
the cup of the WMU Silver Jubilee Championship games, sponsoredby the Vietnamese students.
Organizing the games will offer a great opportunity for WMU
students to relax and enjoy the excitement of sports. While being
away from home and work, students do not have many things to dohere besides concentrating on their studies. Therefore, having thesegames is a very good way to take a break from books and dosomething different. It is a great pleasure to see everyone coming toplay and others coming to cheer for the players.
Although at the end of the games only one team will be thewinner, we can say that every one of us is winner by sharing
moments of excitement and joy!

6

祝FutureNguyen Dang Ben (Vietnam, 2007)

I went to Malmö for a Master course in SM, and I got more than a degree. I found my wife at beloved WMU. She wasa MET student of 2007.
She was the first WMU student that I met at Copenhagen airport on my first day, and I also was the first student that
she met. We are both from Vietnam, but it was fate that let us meet because in Vietnam, we lived 2000km away fromeach other; I lived in the South, and she lived in the North. We did not know that we would belong to each other.
We studied different courses at WMU but we had a chance to help each other because we came from the same
country. From friendship, our feelings developed into love. We overcame difficulties in studies and in life together,and our love has blossomed. Now I'm very happy to say that after 2 years, 1 month and 2 days since we met eachother, we got married on February 17, 2008. We are building a happy family and hoping to have our love last forever.
Now we live in Hochiminh City, Vietnam. I work at Saigon Premier Container Terminal (SPCT) which is a joint
venture between DP World (80%) and Tan Thuan Industrial Promotion Company (20%). My wife, Thuong,changed from the headquarters of Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) in Hanoi to a branch of Vinalines
in Hochiminh City.
WMU gave us more than what we expected when we came to study at this beloved university. We would like tosend our special thanks to all Professors and staff who always supported us while we studied there. We hope to havea chance to come back to WMU in the future.

Do Cong Bien (Vietnam, 2009) & Mai Thi Anh Tuyet (Vietnam, 2008)
Last Christmas was a special day for both of us. It was the day that we became husband and wife officially. We
had been in love with each other for a long time and planned to marry in 2008 because she was studying at
WMU while I was still working in my home country; therefore we intended to get married after her
graduation.
However, in November 2007, thanks to Mr. Sasakawa and The Nippon Foundation, I had the golden chance
to become a WMU student. This brought our happiest day to us earlier than expected. On December 25, 2007,
our wedding was held at our home town in a warm, traditional ceremony with our parents, relatives, friends,
and especially friends from WMU. 20 days after our wedding ceremony, we flew together to WMU and as of
now we are the only married student couple here.

Tomonori Okamura (Japan, 2002)
It is my great pleasure to inform you that I got married on March 8th at Yokohama, one of the biggest ports inJapan. I was still living on the Training Ship SEIUN MARU of the National Institute for Sea Training as First
officer for Japanese and Asian cadets. The day of my arrival at the Port of Tokyo I left the ship and rushed to
my wedding ceremony.
At the wedding reception, Mr. Eisuke KUDO (Ocean Policy Research Foundation) and Professor Toshio
HIKIMA (Marine Technical Education Agency, my professor at WMU) kindly congratulated us. We also
received a congratulatory message from Friends of WMU, Japan with a large toy balloon. I would like toexpress my sincere gratitude to all of you.
After the reception, I immediately went back to the ship for the next training voyage.
That’s Sea Life!

Norhasliza Mat Salleh (Malaysia, 2006)
Things in my life have been moving favorably after graduating from WMU in October 2006. Right aftercoming back from Malmö I was promoted to Head of Unit of my department. After that, I was given more
and more responsibilities (and scolded a lot by my boss) and a getting busier. But apart from those ups anddowns, I found the greatest happiness. I met Hafiz Mukhtar. He is a wonderful person, and a great life
companion. So I finally said yes to his marriage proposal. The 22nd of March 2008 was the most amazing dayof my life when Hafiz and I became husband and wife in front of our parents, relatives and friends.

Friends of WMU JAPAN

7

Sarit Sritip (Thailand, 2005)
In March 2008, my wife gave birth to our first child after ten years of marriage. We are very glad and ourfamilies are so happy, too. Although our boy has a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), we positively believethat the doctor can help us eliminate this serious problem. At the previous examination, the doctor said
that he is in very good condition (relatively tall and strong, weighing 6.9 kilograms and measuring 64
centimeters). In other words, there are no negative signs that call for a medical operation.

Kentaro Furuya (Japan, 2003)
Well, it was an absolutely amazing moment when I first met my son. It was on February 14th, right after mybirthday and 10 years into our marriage.
Around midnight, my wife started to have pains and we went to the hospital where she stayed for a week. A
nurse said it would take time because it was our first baby, and it really did take long.
Finally, the time had come. It was 08.37 when our baby was born. To tell the truth, my wife had several
examinations before the delivery, and, the doctor told us it would be a girl. However, the baby turned out
to be a BOY, and we named him “Kohto” from the French pronunciation of “coast”.
I am so glad that I can share my happiness with all of you and my special thanks to the OPRF staff, who
encouraged me to send in my news.

Ahmad Faizal (Malaysia, 2008)
On October 17, 2007 my wife Zura gave birth to our second child, a son, while I was in WMU's hostel.
The good news came from my mother, and when I was told that both were in good condition, it was a big
relief. We named him 'Firdaus'.
The first time I met my son was during the break in December 2007, and he is a mixture between me
and my wife. Anyway, it is too early to tell. Now, we are a family of four. My eldest child Nurin, washappy to have a little brother. I hope she will be a good sister and willing to share some of her things. I
hope to finish successfully my studies at WMU and rejoin my family in Malaysia in October 2008.

Mohd Rosli Bin Abdullah (Malaysia, 2008)
March 4th, 2008 is a very special day for me and my wife. At around 10:50am my wife gave birth to our firstbaby. The new member of our family is a boy and was named Ikhmal Arfizan. As we have been waiting forthis moment for nearly 5 years, there are almost no words to explain how happy and grateful we are. The
birth of Ikhmal Arfizan has brought more light and joy to our life. The most important thing is, it also started
a new episode in our life as both of us are parents now. Hopefully we can carry out the responsibilities offather and mother with dedication and wisdom. This wonderful event has marked this year as one of thegreat years of our life. But even better things are still to come, especially the graduation ceremony in October
2008. So far I can say that the opportunity to study at WMU through the Sasakawa Fellowship program has
provided me with very precious and memorable experiences, knowledge and much more.

Editor’s Postscript

Dr. Karl Laubstein visited the OPRF office on July 23, and enjoyed abrief talk with Mr. Yoshio Kon, President of OPRF. Dr. Laubstein isgoing to leave his post as president of WMU at the end of July and will
be bestowed “President Emeritus”. Mr. Kon expressed his deep
appreciation to Dr. Laubstein for his twelve and a half years of devoted
service to WMU. Both exchanged their opinions about human resource
development in the maritime field, and agreed that the role of maritime
education and training should be much greater than ever to cope withthe demands for capable human resources toward the sustainable
development of the maritime industry.

Mr. Mitsuhiko Ida,
Friends of WMU, Japan Secretariat

The revision of SOLAS chapter II-1 adopted at MSC 80 in May
2006 enters into force on January 1, 2009, and the revised
provisions in parts A, B, and B-1 become applicable to newships built after this date. This revision brought amendments
to the national rules, and I had an opportunity to attend theseminar for Japanese flag surveyors to understand theamendments and the probabilistic method of determining
damage stability. Compared with the traditional deterministic
method, the probabilistic method is considered more realistic- it is based on statistical evidence of what actually happens incollisions and related accidents, which was recorded by IMO
through detailed research and scientific assessment. The
provisions under the probabilistic method seem more
complicated and harder to understand, but I deeply
appreciate the concept and the decade-long effort. Scienceand technology continue to explore all the possibilities forsafety at sea.

Ms.YAKABE Fumi (Japan, 2004)