44
September
2013

MLIT

Field Study Trip to JapanOn Sunday, May 12, 2013, 23 Sasakawa Fellows, including the first ever Sasakawa
Fellow Students from Argentina, Eritrea,
Guatemala, Solomon Islands and Uganda,
arrived in Tokyo for the Class 2013 Field
Study Trip.
We were welcomed by OPRF. Shortly after,
we were able to check into our rooms at the
Hotel Royal Park Shiodome Tower. All of us
were amazed by the luxury and magnitude ofthis hotel in Central Tokyo. ‘This is morethan we deserve,’ was just one of the expressions heard upon arrival at this hotel!
Monday May 13th
Tokyo Gate Bridge
Our day started at the Gate Bridge, which
was opened to traffic in February 2012, andhas a total length of 2,618 meters and aheight of 88 meters. The bridge is part of theTokyo Port Seaside Road, allowing traffic theoption of bypassing central Tokyo to get
between its East and South.

Tokyo Skytree: The new landmark!
The 634-meter-high Tokyo Skytree was opened
just one year ago. It was recognized by Guinness
World Records on November 17, 2011, as thetallest tower in the world. We were able to climb
up to the Observation Decks at 350 and 450
meters. Rising 350 meters above the ground,with the observation deck covered in huge
5-meter-high glass for a 360-degree view, it
allowed us to see up to 70 kilometers away, overlooking an area where more than 30 million
people live! A glass tube brought us up to 450m
and left us convinced that we were flying in thesky! Not so good for people with a fear ofheights, however…

WMU. The buffet was preceded by an opening
speech by Director-General Mori, who told us
he was a big fan of WMU and proved it byproudly wearing the WMU pin and tie!

It was an excellent opportunity to network, meet
our sponsors, supporters and friends! Ms. Analia
Viggiano from Argentina expressed our gratitude to the attendees for enabling our studyingat WMU and the accompanying experiences
Courtesy Visit to the Maritime Bureau of and memories that will remain for our lifetime.
the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism
Tuesday May 14th
At MLIT, we were informed of the organiza- Niigata Power Systems Co., Ltd.
tional setup, policies, and action plans of Japanese - Ohta Plant
Maritime Affairs. Director-General Masato Niigata Power Systems was founded in FebruMori of the Maritime Bureau welcomed the ary 2003 and is part of the IHI Group. The
Fellow Students. In his welcome speech, the Ohta Factory produces internal combustion
Director-General commented on how he would engines, castings, gas turbines and Z-Pellers. To
like students to take a careful look at Japanese minimize the burden to the environment, theworkmanship, and also how teamwork functions company puts every effort towards creating
through communication. Mr. Takahiro Kijima products with far fewer emissions of greenhouseof the Safety Standards Division gave a guest gases and pollutants, while maintaining highlecture. Mr. Jenay Ghebremariam from Eritrea economic performance.
expressed the Students’ gratitude toward MLIT
for their support in the many arrangements they
made to enable this Field Study for us.
Welcome Reception
A Welcome Reception, held at the 35th floor of
the Kasumigaseki Building, was very wellattended by more than a hundred VIP representatives from the Japanese maritime industry, as
well as many alumni and other Friends ofCourtesy Visit to The Nippon Foundation
One of the highlights of the week was, of course,
meeting the VIP representatives of our sponsors
at The Nippon Foundation. We experienced avery warm welcome by Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno,
Executive Director of The Nippon Foundation.
The Students talked about their individual backgrounds and reasons for studying at WMU. Mr.
Hussain Wanzu from Uganda provided a speechon our behalf.
Following that, Mr. Unno gave a welcome
speech, in which he spoke of those gathered
becoming Sasakawa Fellows as destiny, andexpressed his desire for the bonds born of that
destiny to grow to transcend organizations,
nations and disciplines in the future, as well as
his hope that the day might come where tackling
the problems of the oceans can be something
undertaken together.
Wednesday May 15th
An early domestic flight brought us from metropolitan Tokyo to the more rural Oita.

Miura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

Miura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd, is active in building ships up to 10,000 GT and repairing those up
to 4000 GT. It produces all types of ships, mainly
for the domestic/short sea market and delivers
around 12 vessels annually. We were very grateful
to be able to visit a relatively small/medium sized
shipbuilding company, as this allowed us toobserve the processes from close up.

duction plants in the world and deepen our
understanding of the automobile manufacturing process. We witnessed the whole processfrom forging, stamping, casting and welding
sub-assembly parts, the assembling itself, up to
the painting and testing of the finishedvehicle. Viewing the entire production line
showed the real cooperation between men,machines and robots.

Marine Technical College

YASKAWA Electric Corporation
Yaskawa Electric Corporation operates in thefollowing four business domains: Motion Control, Robotics, System Engineering, and Information Technologies. Since Yaskawa Electricreleased the first all-electric industrial robot inJapan in 1977, this company has continued to leadthe international industrial robot industry. A wide
range of industrial robots has been released since,
especially welding robots, but also for handling,assembly, painting and cleanroom applications.

While it was our very first visit two years ago,
the Marine Technical College in Ashiya was
the very last official one this time! Here wewere welcomed by Professor Toshio Hikima,
former professor of WMU, who explained
enthusiastically (as usual!) about Japanesemaritime education, the training system ingeneral, and MTC in detail.

This visit did not only show why Japan is at theforefront of technological innovation and robotics, but also allowed us to see the discipline anddedication of Japanese employees.
In the evening we boarded the Hankyu Ferry foran overnight sea voyage from Shin-moji, Kitakyushu to Osaka. After enjoying the sunset fromthe upper deck, it was time for some good‘nomunication!’ The atmosphere was so goodthat we did not want to think about the wake-up
call at 5 a.m.

Friday May 17th

Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. - Miki Factory

On the bus tour to our hotel we could see thebeautiful nature of Oita Prefecture, with its green
mountains and ocean view. Our next destination
was Beppu, one of Japan's most famous hot
spring resorts. Upon arrival we enjoyed a traditional seafood meal. Dressed up in traditional
yukata and sitting on the floor, we all enjoyed thewarm and traditional Japanese hospitality. Also,
our rooms were typical Japanese style, meaning
sleeping on the floor, and no chairs! A majordifference with the hotels in Tokyo and Kobe,
but definitely an enjoyable experience!
Thursday May 16th
Nissan Motor Kyushu Co., Ltd.- Kyushu Plant
Here we had the opportunity to observe one of
the most productive, highly efficient car pro-At sea, in space, in cities: Furuno’s technologies
are in every part of our daily life! Based upon
sensor technologies, utilizing ultrasound andradio waves, Furuno develops and distributes
marine electronics as well as industrial electronic
products and systems. For the merchant marine,
fishing vessels, recreational boats, workboats andgovernment vessels, it produces Fishing Equipment (Fish Finder®), Radio Communication(Inmarsat, AIS) and Navigation Equipment(Radar, GPS Plotters).
Several of our Students said they used Furuno
equipment at work!

2

On the way to the beautiful ANA Crowne Plaza
Hotel in Kobe, we stopped by the Hakushika
Memorial Museum where the history, brewing
process, and more precise information on Japanese SAKE could be learned. Later, we went to
bed tired, but more than satisfied.
Saturday May 18th
On our very last day, we were able to visit the
beautiful city of Kyoto and three different highlights of the city: Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji
Temple and Kiyomizu-dera Temple. A funny
fact is that Kyoto not only was the capital ofJapan for over 1000 years, it is also home to thevideo game company Nintendo. It is well-knownby people of all ages for computer games such as
Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros!

Farewell Reception
Our last evening was celebrated with a farewellparty, where, in a cozy and informal atmosphere,
we could enjoy our last ‘nomunication’ opportunity. Several WMU Alumni attended, as well as
representatives of companies we visited during
the week, and also of previous years from within
the Greater Kobe Area. They made every effort
to be with us! Juan Francisco Santos Solorzano
from Guatemala took the opportunity to voice
our gratitude for such a wonderful trip.
This year, WMU will celebrate its 30-year anniversary. Moreover, the total number of Sasakawa
Fellowships provided to study the M.Sc.
program at WMU in Malmö, Sweden will
surpass 500! I am looking forward to celebrating
both milestones with our biggest supporters,
friends and Sasakawa Fellows on several occasions this year and next.
On behalf of the Sasakawa Fellow Students of
the Class of 2013, I would like to thank Dr.
Yohei Sasakawa, The Nippon Foundation,
OPRF, and all the host institutes for an unforgettable week, in which we were able to learn
about your country, its culture, and the Japanesemaritime industry.
Ton Smaal
Registrar, WMU

Leading Maritime Organization's Expectations of WMU Graduates

Interview with

Stephen Cotton,
Acting General Secretary,
International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)

Q1 Can you tell us about ITF's role –especially in the fields of maritime
safety and environmental protection?

In the maritime area, ITF is very active in theprotection of seafarers, fishers and dockers.
We attend IMO meetings to ensure that theneeds and the interests of seafarers are taken
into account and to articulate their concerns.
All too often the human element is forgotten,
and little regard is given to how regulatorychanges will impact those who do the work.
We attach great significance to the entry into
force of the ILO Maritime Labour Convention later this year. We believe that it will
become the 4th pillar of the global regulatory
regime, and, if strictly implemented, it canhave a real and positive impact on improving
seafarers’ social and labor conditions and in
addressing the decent work deficit which isprevalent in the sector.

Q2 How do you see the current maritime

society, which is becoming more
complicated, and how would you depict
the probable future maritime society inthe next generation - in 30 years?

industry by ensuring that flag States meet all
their duties and responsibilities. That is not
the case now. It is also time that the shipping
industry adopted some of the positive aspectsof regulation found in the civil aviation and inother sectors. A good example is casualty
investigation and the need for a “no blame”
What
kind
of
responsibilities
anddutiesQ3
might seafarers/marine workers have in culture, so that the causes of maritime
such a situation? At the same time, what accidents and incidents can be learnt and usedkind of knowledge and skills will be to prevent further cases. We also expect that
required in order to achieve this?
seafarers will be respected, which is not thecase today, and the problems they face in
It is clear that technological developments have a securing shore leave and in facilitating theirconsiderable impact on those who crew the travel to and from the vessel will be eased.
world’s fleet. It is also clear that greater attention
is being given to environmental issues andconcerns. Many of these developments do not Q6 What are your expectations for WMU
pay due regard to the human element issues. The
as well as WMU graduates?
environmental aspects give rise to concerns about
the further criminalization of seafarers in We expect WMU to continue to progresssituations where there is knowledge, intent or and further improve. It will soon move to a
recklessness.
new building, which will enable it to provide
better facilities and outreach. We expect
IMO to take greater financial responsibility
Q4 Since ITF has made a big contribution to a n d m a k e a s i g n i fi c a n t i n p u t i n t o i t s
the University’s management, what made operational costs through its core budget.
ITF decide to support WMU in the first We expect WMU graduates to continue toplace?
use the knowledge and understanding theygain by attending WMU to help improve the
ITF has been supportive of WMU since its shipping industry in their home country, be it
inception and believes that developing maritime in the National Administration, the ports,
expertise in all countries, given the global nature their national shipping industry or otherof the industry, benefits all seafarers and ancillary areas.
facilitates the development of important services
like search and rescue and the extension of port
State control. ITF made a significant Q7 What first attracted you to the maritime
contribution to WMU at a time when thefield and to ITF? Please share yoursudden removal of development funds caused a
fondest memories if you don’t mind.
financial crisis that threatened the future of the
University. We are pleased in the way WMU My first experience was an exercise to ensure
has progressed in recent years, and that its global that a number of seafarers who hadn't been
status continues to rise.
paid by their employer were paid, and ITF
acted to ensure payment in accordance with
their contract. I was impressed and touched
What are your expectations for the by the humanity shown by unions to assist
Q5 International Maritime Community, seafarers from another country and region to
including IMO?
help their fellow transport workers.
scrapped. This will require an adequate numberof suitably sized cabins and the provision of social
communication facilities that are equal to thoseavailable on land.

We would hope that the governance of theshipping industry is improved, and that the flagof convenience system is eliminated so that all
flag States meet their duties and obligations,especially to the seafarers who serve on vessels
which fly their flag. The inaction of many flag
States in actively combating piracy and theirfailure to protect the rights and interests ofseafarers who serve on vessels flying their flagshows the bankruptcy of the current system.
The Iceberg 1 is perhaps the clearest case ofcomplete failure of the flag State to meet its
obligations to the seafarers serving on the vessel.
We hope that the culture of compliance will be
replaced by a move to promote quality shipping,where best practice, which is built on continuous
improvement, becomes the norm. There needs
to be a fundamental change, which will ensurethat ship design takes into account theaspirations of seafarers, and to ensure that the As I said in question 2, the principle issue is tosecure better governance of the shipping
ship will be fit for purpose until the vessel is3

Restructuring of the IMO Sub-Committees
Yasuhiro Urano (Japan, 2012)

At the IMO Council’s 109th session (C 109) in
November 2012, the Secretary-General of the
IMO, Mr. Koji Sekimizu, proposed the restructuring of the IMO Sub-Committees for the
purpose of “improving IMO’s delivery mechanism to handle the ever-increasing workload”(the opening remarks by the Secretary-General at
MSC 92) and trying to address newly emerging
priorities, with a concern for the Organization’s
long-term financial sustainability. This initial
proposal consists of alternative arrangements,
including increasing the duration between
meetings;
reducingthenumberof
sub-committees, with the efficient and effective
reallocation of their tasks; or, a combination of
both. As a result of extensive discussions on this
proposal at MSC 92 and the subsequent C 110
this year, the current nine Sub-Committees are to
be reorganized as seven new Sub-Committees
based on the following restructuring plan (see also
the outline figure of the restructuring).
In considering the substantial workload of the
MEPC, and its deferral of important agenda
items and documents due to a lack of available
time, it is timely for a sub-committee to be established to deal exclusively with environmentrelated matters, to allow the MEPC to delegate
preliminary technical/scientific discussions to a
sub-committee. In this context, the BLG SubCommittee will be renamed the Sub-Committee
on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR).
Consequently, the DSC Sub-Committee is to berenamed the Sub-Committee on Carriage ofCargoes and Containers (CCC), to address
issues on all cargoes and containers.
Recently, there has tended to be a similarity inmuch of the work related to the operation of
IT-based equipment, its use and its integrationin the NAV and COMSAR Sub-Committees.
Therefore, these two Sub-Committees are going

to be combined together and renamed the SubCommittee on Navigation, Communications
and Search and Rescue (NCSR).
The DE, FP and SLF Sub-Committees will berearranged into two sub-committees so that one
sub-committee covers design, stability, codes, etc.
(SOLAS chapter II-1), while the other one
addresses equipment issues such as fire and lifesaving (SOLAS chapter II-2 and III), in order toreduce the current heavy workload of the DE
and reallocate it to the other two SubCommittees (FP and SLF), which generally havea lighter agenda. The former will be named the
Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC), and the latter, the Sub-Committee
on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE).
The FSI Sub-Committee is to be renamed the
Sub-Committee on Implementation of the IMO
Instruments (III), considering the fact that its

current tasks are related not only to flag state
implementation but also to port and coastal
states. Furthermore, the STW Sub-Committee
is going to be renamed the Sub-Committee on
Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping(HTW), in order to better reflect its existing
work, which has been increasingly dealing withissues beyond its original remits and to take into
account the increased importance placed on matters relating to the role of the human element.
The above restructuring plan will be consideredby the 28th Session of the Assembly (A 28) from25 November to 4 December this year for theendorsement regarding any budgetary implications of the plan toward implementation at thestart of 2014.
(All the information in this column is based on
relevant IMO meeting documents.)

What should the shipowners do? - Maritime Labour Convention, 2006
countries to be certified in compliance with therequirements of the MLC by qualified independent organizations.

Naoki Saito (Japan, 2004)

Background
The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006
(MLC) came into force from August 20, 2013,
adopted by the ILO, as the "fourth pillar" of
the international regulatory regime for quality
shipping. Although the MLC has three social
partners - shipowners, seafarers, and maritime
administrations - the shipowners play animportant role in the implementation of the
MLC. In this article, I will explain what the
shipowners should do in the following three
key topics.
Hours of Work and Rest
The MLC introduces hours of work and rest for
seafarers on board. The important thing is that“seafarers” means not only officers and ratings,
but also the Master of the ship. In addition, the
STCW convention regulated the rest hours for
all persons who are assigned duty as an officer ora rating in charge of a watch. For shipowners, itwill be important to manage the working hours
on board for seafarers, including the Master, tosatisfy the requirements of not only the MLC
but also the STCW convention.
Use of Seafarers Recruit and Placement
Services (SRPS)The MLC requires shipowners who make use of
the SRPS in countries that have not adopted
the MLC to ensure those services meet the
MLC standards. As a result of this regulation,
the demand for certifications by independent
organizations is growing rapidly in the global
manning industry. For shipowners, it will be
important to ask your SRPS in non-ratified

4

Port State Control (PSC)
According to the resolution in February 2006,
the ILO requested that port states give due
consideration to allowing ships to continue tooperate without the certificate, for a period of
one year following the MLC coming into
force. This means we expect PSC to be given
due consideration for one year. However, theMOU of Tokyo and Paris have alreadyadopted PSC guidelines for the MLC. For
shipowners, it will be important to provide atleast training in the MLC for seafarers torecognize its requirements for PSC inspections.
Conclusion
The MLC is expected to contribute to safe shipping, by improving working and living conditions for seafarers. In order to achieve the aims of
the MLC, shipowners are expected to take theinitiative in its implementation.

Lessons to Learn from Oil Spill on Koh Samet, Thailand
Surachet Dejkajornrittha (Thailand, 2007)

Koh Samet

On Saturday, July 27, 2013, an oil spill hit
Ao Phrao Beach, on the western side of Koh
Samet Island in Rayong province.
The oil slick was caused by a leak in a PTT
Global Chemical pipeline (PTTCG), carrying crude oil being unloaded by an offshore
tanker to its refinery. About 50,000 liters of
crude oil spilled into the sea. The leak location is about 12 miles Southeast of the Map
Ta Phut Industrial Estate, Rayong province.
The leak occurred in the pipeline at a mooring that is an offshore-anchored buoy used asa device to transfer oil from the sea to atanker. It is attached to the tanker to prevent
it from drifting during the transfer process.

Four ships and aircraft were deployed tospray about 37,500 liters of chemical dispersants to clean up the oil slick on the sea
surface. This quantity of dispersants wasabove average. With an oil spill of 50,000
liters, the amount of chemicals should be
5,000 liters, or a 1:10 ratio.
Marine biologists and divers who inspected
the reefs near Ao Phrao beach report that over
70% of the corals are blackened, covered withthe remains of crude oil after the use of dispersants. The oil spill has affected coral reefs inshallow waters, and it could take more thanjust a few years to rehabilitate the affectedareas. The oil slick has also affected small fishliving among the coral. These species cannot
swim far from their habitats and are among
several marine animals in danger.
The investigation of this disaster is being
undertaken by the organizations involved in
the accident. There should be new regulations to avoid these problems, including
lessons to learn from the disaster. Who is
responsible for combating oil spills at sea,
and how can it best be done? Furthermore,
do local teams have enough professional
people, knowledge and training to deal withthe problem? And finally, are facilities andequipment advanced enough for this type ofsituation in Thailand?

PSC Annual Seminar of Tokyo MOU

From the left:
Masashi Sugomori, Somchai Rodthongterm, Seiji Tomokuni

Port State Control (PSC) activities in eachstate are recognized as sufficient tools forenhancing maritime safety and protectingt h e m ar in e en v iro nme nt t hro ugh t heregional PSC regimes, such as Tokyo MOU
and Paris MOU.
The 21st Seminar for Port State Control
Officers in the Asia-Pacific Region (Tokyo
MOU) was held in Busan, Republic ofKorea, from July 22-26, 2013, sponsored by
IMO and The Nippon Foundation.
The topics of the seminar were:
1. Guidelines for PSC officers on the
Maritime Labour Convention 2006
2. Concentrated Inspection Campaign on
Propulsion and Auxiliary Machinery, being
held September-November 2013 in conjunction with Paris MOU.
3. Guidelines for the inspection of lifeboat
launching, which has caused many severe

accidents, and which is being discussed andhandled by IMO.
4. New Inspection Regime (NIR) in
Tokyo MOU.
5. Case studies regarding PSC inspections.
We participated as Japanese representatives and delivered sessions on the New
Inspection Regime regarding ship targetingsystems and Guidelines for PSC officers on
MLC, 2006.
MLC, 2006 was the newest convention toenter into force on August 20, 2013, andattracted keen interest from participants.
Ratified countries will be able to start PSC
inspections on MLC, 2006. The New
Inspection Regime is a new targeting system
which gives more frequent inspection intervals for high risk ships and wider intervals
for low risk ships as a reward. NIR will be
implemented from January 1, 2014, in the5

Asia Pacific region.
We were also very lucky to meet Mr. Somchai Rodthongterm (Thailand, 1994), who
was also attending the seminar, and we had
a wonderful time expressing our views andopinions together. We were impressed at
how many graduates of WMU and
Sasakawa Fellows are represented in themaritime field.
The case study sessions allowed us to share
our experiences and realize how opinions
vary from country to country, just like our
discussions way back at WMU. We left
even more convinced of the importance ofsharing knowledge and experience like a big
family. Cooperation is much more precious
than gold.
Masashi Sugomori (Japan, 2010)
Seiji Tomokuni (Japan, 2008)

Bridging Relations Between Fellows
and Japanese Friends in Singapore
Teotimo Borja Jr.
(Philippines, 2005)

The meeting of the Singapore Chapter of the
Friends of WMU, Japan, was held at the Lei
Garden Restaurant in Chijmes, Singapore on
June 17, 2013. Mr. Hiroyuki Nishida of Japan
Marine Science Inc., Dr. Nobuyuki Hirata of
the National Maritime Research Institute and
Mr. Akihiko Ikeda of the Japan External
Trade Organization (JETRO Singapore)joined the meeting.
Mr. Nishida and Mr. Ikeda are both originally from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), but
had been transferred to OPRF for a few
years, working on a wide variety of projects, taking and self-introductions by the group.
including the one related to the "WMU While dining, the group shared information
Sasakawa Fellowship Program." They are also and ideas on a variety of topics ranging frommembers of the Friends of WMU, Japan and family affairs, jobs, maritime safety andare very supportive of WMU Sasakawa security-related topics. The discussion was
Fellows. In a way, the dinner with the Singa- very fruitful and further established the newly
pore Chapter was a reunion with them.
created friendship between the Fellows and
The meeting started with some picture- their Japanese friends.

The friends of WMU, Japan (Singapore
Chapter), who joined the occasion were Capt.
Ahamad Irfan (Indonesia, 2006), Mr. Abu
Hena M. Mamun (Bangladesh, 2000), Mr.
Pham Hoang Duong (Vietnam, 2005), Mr.
Kyaw Htut (Myanmar, 1998), and Capt.
Teotimo Borja Jr.

Interlinking with WMU Fellows
and Other Funded Fellows in Bangkok, Thailand
Thanatip Jantarapakde(Thailand, 1998)

From July 24-26, 2013, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa,
Chairman of The Nippon Foundation and
WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy
Elimination, attended the International Leprosy Summit in Bangkok. He called on allparties involved to make political commitments and contribute resources and expertiseto the fight against leprosy. To this end The
Nippon Foundation will be committing
US$20 million over the next five years.
Before the meeting, the WMU Sasakawa
Fellows in Thailand were very happy to havea chance to meet Mr. Sasakawa at a reception
at the Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok, on July
22. For me, this was my first time to meet
him in Thailand. Seven Fellows (Mr. Thanatip Jantarapakde, MSA 1998; Mr. Pitak
Wattanapongpisal, PM 1999; Mr. Narinsak
Sattaprasit, MSEP 2003; Mrs. Wanna Waiwingrob, SM 2003; Mr. Chanachai Lertsuchatavanich, MSEP 2004; Mr. Surachet
Dejkajornrittha, MSA 2007; and Mr. Sopun

Maneechot, SPM 2012) attended the reception with other fellowship students andresearchers funded by The Nippon Foundation. We hadn’t realized that the Foundation
supported so many other students andresearchers in Thailand. During the reception, Mr. Sasakawa expressed how strong theWMU Sasakawa Fellows are getting, andhow much they can contribute to the development of the maritime industry in their6

home countries and globally. We felt his
warmth, as if we were all the same family,
even though we were only together a shorttime. The reception ended with us presenting
Mr. Sasakawa with a traditional token of ourappreciation, and the hope that Mr.
Sasakawa will continue to support the development of the maritime industry and otherissues. We look forward to meeting him
again in the near future.

Not Only at Sea, but Also on Rivers…

Jesús A. Menacho Piérola
(Perú, 2010)

When I entered WMU in 2010, I was a Lieutenant Commander. Then I came back to Peru
to work in the Navy, as the Commander of acoastguard ship for two years, in 2011 and2012.
After just getting promoted to Commander,
the Naval High Command communicated tome that I was going to be moved to the Captaincy of Port of Puerto Maldonado, a port on
the River “Madre de Dios” (Mother of God),in the Peruvian Jungle, close to the borderwith Bolivia and Brazil, and really far awayfrom Callao, the main port of Peru.
Since January 2013, I have been the Harbour
Master of Puerto Maldonado, and my duties
are, among others, performing Authority and
Law enforcement in the fluvial scope, withcompetence and jurisdictional areas in three
regions of Peru: Madre de Dios, Cuzco, andApurimac, an area greater than 178,000 km2,
and more than 3,000 km of navigable rivers.
We also have as our mission controlling andmonitoring seafarers, ships, and activities
carried out on the river; fluvial safety andhealth and other related activities; protection

Madre de Dios Riverof the river environment, its resources andwealth; safety of human life; as well as the
suppression of smuggling and other illegal
activities. We are also responsible for Searchand Rescue missions, and since this is a hugearea, our tasks are really difficult.
Combating illegal mining is the hardest mission, because even though this activity is
forbidden, there are many people doing it, due
to the easy money they can get.
Another important mission is to help remotevillages and native communities alongside the

Perú

Madre de Dios River, by offering medical anddental care, haircuts, supplies of food and groceries, and the visit of some agencies of thegovernment.
Currently my crew consists of 4 officers and74 sailors, with the support of 10 Fluvial
Interdiction Patrols and other land vehicles.
The knowledge I learnt at WMU was great
preparation for this job, full of decisionmaking, where I am 100% in charge. I am
always working towards contributing as muchas possible to the development of Peru.

Madre de Dios River

Training of Maritime Instructors
Pervez Iqbal Mughal(Pakistan, 2010)

The role of an instructor in the learning process has always been considered a key ingredient in achieving learning objectives. In
fact, the instructor is the one who not onlytransfers knowledge, but also helps todevelop a positive attitude through organizedpractices. Maritime instructors need to beproperly trained to be able to better groom
seafarers. Besides professional qualifications
and work experience, they must be trained tohandle classroom activities and behavior
management, in order to produce emotionally happy seafarers, which helps reduce
maritime accidents due to human error.
Realizing the importance of instructors,
Pakistan Marine Academy (PMA) always
strives to train its instructors accordingly.
Most of its senior instructors are qualified at

WMU and well equipped to fulfill therequirements of STCW. As an instructor at
PMA, I also took advantage of this opportunity in 2009-2010 and completed my specialization in MET at WMU. I am reallygrateful to Mr. Sasakawa for his generous
support towards my higher education. My
exposure to various international facilities,
the diverse faculty of WMU, andseminars/workshops has considerably
improved my level of confidence and knowledge about maritime affairs. Now I am
utilizing it effectively in grooming young
seafarers in my country, to produce welltrained human resources for the maritime
industry.
PMA also seeks guidance from the IMO
Model Course 6.09, Training Course for7

Instructors, to provide elementary instructional techniques to its newly inducted
instructors. Besides this, consistent efforts
are also made to train them at WMU
through the support of international donors.
Recently, the ITF Seafarers Trustannounced that its hundredth fellowship to
study at the World Maritime University has
been awarded to a female education officer at
PMA. The Trust Acting Administrator,
John McLeod, commented, “We aredelighted to support this young woman inher endeavors on behalf of her nation and its
seafarers.” Thus, we can say that training of
the trainers is indispensable for quality education and production of emotionally happy
seafarers, through the positive developmentof their attitudes.

New Member of the Family
Nguyen Dang Ben (Vietnam, 2007)
I’m Nguyen Dang Ben – SM 2007, and my wife is Tran Thi
Thuong – MET 2007. I want to talk about the newest memberof my family and share with you my feelings about bringing herup.
Last time I mentioned that our first child, a boy, was born on
November 30, 2008. Three years later, on November 17, 2011,
my wife gave birth to our second child, our daughter. We
named her Nguyen Tran Truc Linh, or, as we call her, Puppy.
With her arrival, I felt more responsibility towards my family,
and above all, happiness. Twenty months have passed since she
was born, and I have experienced many interesting feelings. It
started with anxiety and extreme joy at her birth. Then I felt
eager to see her growing day by day. I was worried when she got
ill as her teeth came in. Waiting for her first steps made me

impatient, but when it happened, I was so glad. For her
brother, this only took ten months, but for her, it was fourteenmonths. And I still remember how I felt when she first calledme “Father.” Although it’s the second time I’ve experienced
these feelings, they’re still new and exciting.
My little daughter at 20 months copies all the actions of her
brother. When he exercises, she exercises. When he jumps, shejumps like him… And my wife and I laugh.
I’m a lucky man to have received a Sasakawa scholarship, andeven luckier to have met my wife at WMU. Now we have a son
and daughter. These two angels are my motivation to do mybest. I want to take good care of them and try hard to give them
the best life I can. Thank you, Mr. Sasakawa, for helping me
have such a wonderful life.

Masashi Sugomori (Japan, 2010)
We have a new baby girl! On June 23, 2013, my second
daughter, Mao, was born. The kanji that we chose for her
name means “True Center” and is the same name as Mao
Asada, the famous Japanese professional figure skater. My
classmates from WMU who remember my first daughter,
Kao, will probably have no problem remembering bothnames (Kao and Mao) easily. Actually, Kao was much more
excited than my wife and me when we had the baby. As you
can see in the photo, Kao is now 9 years old and enjoys her
school life here. She also helps take care of Mao like asecond mother, which is very much appreciated by mywifeand me (chuckle). I hope Kao and Mao will grow up
healthy.
My current position is Section Chief of the Port State
Control office at MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism), Japan, although I will come backto the Seafarers Training Institute (NIST). So I am
working here only for a short period. I’d be delighted toshare with anyone views on PSC matters, as well as
maritime education and training.

Happy Wedding
Toru Eguchi (Japan, 2009)
Could you ever imagine that this quiet computer guy would
get married? I certainly didn’t - until the day I met Rika.
We first met last August, when I was introduced to her bya friend of my mother as I returned to my hometown,
Fukuoka, on summer holiday. We went out together acouple of times during the holiday, and I began to feel that
she and I were really compatible. After I got back to Tokyo,
over 1,000km away, we stayed in touch via telephone ande-mail, meeting offline only once a month or two. Despite(or thanks to?) the long-distance relationship, we decided
to get together as husband and wife half a year later.

We had our wedding at a Shinto shrine in Fukuoka on
June 15, followed by a reception at a traditional Japaneserestaurant attended by our families and relatives. I’d also
like to thank you all of you who sent us heart-warming
messages of congratulations.
We’ve started our new life in Tokyo, and I have no doubt
she is my perfect partner for life. She is a very cheerful,
kind, and considerate lady. Moreover, what makes her evenmore special is that, believe it or not, she says it’s fun being
with me. She is indeed the apple of my eye.

Bich Ngoc Thi To (Vietnam, 2011)
July marked a big day for WMU graduates all over the world:
WMU’s 30th birthday. In celebration, viewing WMU videos
probably brought back memories of our days in Henrik Smith
Residence (HSR), remembering all the stress, pressures andjoy we had in our postgraduate life. I am not an exception.
Like other graduates, seeing me and my room in the video as
the music started, I couldn’t stop myself dreaming of thosedays, wishing to go back and visit all the magnificent people,
to wake up in the morning without any concerns about life’spressures except studying.
After my graduation in 2011, I thought I would just be
bringing home with me my wonderful memories of my timeat Malmö, but now, I have a part of WMU smiling at me

Editor’s note

It is my great pleasure to join this precious community as amember of the Editorial Board for the newsletter, fortunately,
just after graduating from WMU as a Sasakawa Fellowshipstudent.
I took over the position of Mr. Kunihiko Kitabayashi (nowworking for MLIT, Japan) on 1st January 2013, and accordingly
joined the Board. My tasks in Japan Ship Technology Research
Association (JSTRA) are to run various research projects related
to maritime technologies and IMO regulations as well as toeveryday, taking care of me every minute, and mostimportant of all, sharing my life. Yes, may I introduce toyou my dear husband, Nguyen Hung Cuong, a WMU 2011
graduate.
So, thank you, WMU, for bringing us together, for giving us
the chance to fall in love, for being the string binding our lives.
On our big day in May 2013, apart from the presence at ourwedding ceremony of our WMU friends from Thailand andChina, we received so many blessings from WMU staff, ourprofessors, and my host family in Sweden; our WMU friends
from all over the world; from Kudo-san, Shin, and a very nicecard from Dr. Sasakawa. These treasured blessings will always
be with us.

follow and contribute to international discussions on maritime
safety and environmental issues based on the research results.
Along with editorial work for the newsletter, I would like tointroduce hot and useful topics obtained through my work
experiences that you will probably be interested in as maritime
specialists or students. Thank you all for your continuing
support!
Yasuhiro Urano
Chief Researcher/Manager of Regulations Unit
Japan Ship Technology Research Association (JSTRA)

Mr. Masashi Sugomori

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/