42
March
2013

Graduation Eve: OPRF Award Ceremony
A crisp, clear winter’s night in Malmö and
Graduation Eve: the annual reception hosted
by the Ocean Policy Research Foundation(OPRF) to honour its graduating fellows felt
particularly auspicious for the students,
distinguished guests and University staff
gathering at the beautiful Fridhemsborg
mansion on December 1, 2012.
Amongst the distinguished guests were
WMU’s Chancellor and IMO
Secretary-General, Mr Koji Sekimizu; The
Nippon Foundation’s Executive, Director Mr
Mitsuyuki Unno; the Mayor of Malmö, Mr
Kent Andersson; the OPRF’s Executive
Director, Mr Shuhei Okazaki; and its Special
Advisor, Mr Eisuke Kudo. University staff
were led by President Björn Kjerfve and the
OPRF hosts were particularly pleased towelcome WMU alumni and Sasakawa
Fellows Admiral Ramon Liwag (retired) and
Admiral Edmund Tan, past and current
Commandants of the Philippine Coast

Guard, who were to receive the distinction of
Outstanding Alumnus at the Graduation
Ceremony the following day.
The centre of attention was, of course, the27 graduands who were to be awarded theirdegrees of Master of Science. Mr Okazaki
congratulated them warmly, noting that theiracademic success was matched by theinvaluable networking and cooperation thathallmarks each class of WMU graduates: the“heart to heart” connection. He pledged thecontinued support of the OPRF in the years
to come, noting that the OPRF would always
be there for its Fellows when help wasneeded. Certificates marking the admission
to the rank of Sasakawa Fellow were thenawarded to the graduands.
Ms Nadiya Isikova from the Ukraine
responded on behalf of the new Fellows. She
thanked the OPRF for its support
throughout their study period in Malmö andfor making it possible to see and experienceso much, so far away from home. She
thanked the OPRF in particular for theopportunity to visit Japan, which had shown
the Fellows the “best traditions of hospitality,
wisdom and hard work”. She, too, pledged
future commitment from the Fellows to the
OPRF and finished by wishing her fellow
graduands all the best in their professional
and personal development.
The Japanese-style buffet dinner that
followed was greatly enjoyed by everyone, as
was the opportunity for the graduating
Fellows to meet and chat with thedistinguished guests, their junior student
colleagues and WMU staff members.
Admirals Liwag and Tan were particularly
popular guests, providing a source ofinspiration to up-and-coming maritime
professionals and living proof once again thatWMU graduates are particularly well-placedfor professional success.
The happy evening ended with promises tomeet again the following day at theGraduation Ceremony: 27 new OPRF
Fellows to receive their degrees, and 23
aspiring junior OPRF colleagues to witness
their success and dream of their own.
Lyndell Lundahl
Student Services Officer
World Maritime University

Academic Success for the Class of 2012
On Sunday, December 2, WMU’s
Chancellor and IMO Secretary-General,
Mr. Koji Sekimizu, conferred postgraduate
degrees on the World Maritime
University’s Class of 2012. The Guest of
Honour was Carl Johan Hagman, CEO of
Stena AB Shipping, who spoke to thegraduates about the global importance ofshipping and the contribution they will
make, adding that he encounters WMU
graduates on a daily basis in his work with
Stena AB Shipping.
Speeches were delivered by WMU’s
Chancellor and by the President, Dr. Björn
Kjerfve, before the conferring of two
Honorary Doctorates, awarded inrecognition of exceptional service to theinternational maritime community. The
recipients were H.E. Binali Yıldırım,Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs
and Communication, Republic of Turkey,
and Alberto Aleman Zubieta,
Administrator/CEO (ret.) of the Panama
Canal Authority.
Th e p r o g r a m c o n t i n u e d w i t h t h eappointment of two Honorary Fellows, inrecognition of their distinguished andoutstanding service to WMU. The awards
were made to Chris Wortham, Manager ofMaritime Safety Engineering for Inmarsat,
and Chris Horrocks CBE, formerly
Secretary General, of the International
Shipping Federation and International
Chamber of Shipping.
Three awards of Outstanding Alumnus
were also presented, the first time such a
distinction has been awarded. The recipientswere H.E. Binali Yıldırım, Admiral Ramon
C. Liwag, the previous Commandant of thePhilippine Coast Guard and Admiral
Edmund C. Tan, the current
Commandant.
The first member of the Class of 2012 toreceive his degree was Woo, Jong Kyun of2South Korea who received his Ph.D. He
was followed by 101 graduates of the
Malmö-based M.Sc. in Maritime Affairs,and 24 graduates of the distance-learning
Postgraduate Diploma in Marine
Insurance.
As usual, a highlight of the ceremony
was the presentation of the annual student
awards. The Chancellor's Medal for
Academic Excellence was awarded to
Sotiris Vlastaris of Greece, while the Pierre
Léonard Prize for the Best Female Student
was awarded to Sasakawa Fellow Jenette
Tifuh Mujingni Epse Cho of Cameroon. A
second Sasakawa Fellow’s achievements
were recognised when Nadiya Isikova of
Ukraine received the Lloyd´s Maritime
Academy Dissertation Prize. The Informa
Law Dissertation Prize was awarded to
Dinson Baack Vasquez of Chile, and the C.
P. Srivastava Award for International
Fellowship was awarded to Philippa Armahof Ghana.
This graduation ceremony brings thenumber of WMU graduates to 3,477 from164 countries. The alumni are making asignificant impact on the global maritime
sector, and are taking on leadership roles
worldwide. They hold positions such as
ministers of transport, directors of shipping
companies and ports, and heads ofmaritime academies and many graduates
represent their home countries atinternational forums and organizations suchas IMO.
The WMU web site has links to photosof the occasion, a video of the Chancellor’s
speech and local TV coverage of the day:http://wmu.se/news/wmu-graduation-2012

Susan Jackson

Associate Registrar
WMU

Maritime Affairs and CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility

All life originated from the ocean, and in our everyday life we rely heavily on the ocean. We in the maritime industry and companies
involved in the maritime industry must ensure that we pass on the blessings of the ocean to the next generation through our own dedicatedefforts. Such efforts on our part will not only enhance the status of our industry but will also attract young, talented personnel. In the next
few newsletters, We would like to focus on maritime affairs and CSR. We welcome contributions from our readers.
Secretariat

Expectations for Corporate Activities in an IT Age
Chieko Gemma
ARTISTA Ltd.

Introduction
A company is generally an entity that strives tobe an ongoing enterprise by generating profit.
Customers enable a company to generate profit.
Therefore, companies value their customers.
In today’s world where IT has developed at a
rapid pace, ordinary citizens have come to thefore as a dominant influence through their useof social networking services (SNS) as a
powerful tool. Although these citizens may not
be direct customers of the maritime industry,
they stay abreast of worldwide events throughtelevision and the internet and they talk about
world issues with the same familiarity as if they
were talking about their next door neighbors.
For example, when images of sea birds coveredin black petroleum from an oil spill arebroadcast following a shipping accident, people
around the world are sure to know the name ofthe ship that was the culprit overnight. Or, if
they hear about ballast water, essential for aship’s operation, causing destruction to a habitat
endemic to certain living creatures, they will beinterested in knowing whether or not measures
are being taken to address the matter. Even
though these citizens may not be the direct
customers of a business, business reacts
sensitively to how these people react.
This is because these ordinary citizens mayvery well be shareholders in the maritime
industry and, as a presence with the potential toinfluence share prices through SNS, they arelikely to have the power to change corporate
value very quickly. Companies have learned thatearning a good reputation by responding
diligently to values embraced by theirstakeholders and others they come into contact
with in the course of their business activities
enables their ongoing existence. Therefore, it
makes sense for companies to actively engage in
CSR as their social obligation.
In its basic form, however, it is difficult forcompanies to see the merit in implementing
CSR in the context of profit-based businessactivities. Therefore, establishing motivation topromote CSR activities is essential. In
psychology, two kinds of drive are said to beeffective for impelling action: extrinsic
motivation and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic
motivation is the type of drive where theadvantage in implementing an action isrecognizable, while intrinsic motivation is thetype where some further initiative or motivationis added to an action. In the following
proposals, the author suggests examples (1) and(2) as extrinsic motivation, and example (3) as
intrinsic motivation.

Three proposals for promoting
CSR activities(1) Establishment of an investment index
Currently the US stock index DJSI (the Dow
Jones Sustainability Index) prepares an index
known as the SRI (socially responsible investing)and makes it public as an investment reference
index for investors in regard to the position ofindividual companies on CSR activities.
In the same manner, the maritime industries
should establish indices (specifications andstandards/maneuvering and operational
techniques, etc., that all ships should complywith) and evaluate and rate the activities ofenterprises involved in the maritime industry in
IMO member countries (ship owners/transport
operators/companies dispatching ship crews,etc.). These indices should not only be developed
for direct economic merits such as port charges,
flag state inspections or insurance premiums but
also to share indices.
(2) Introduction of existing management
systems (ISO14000 or ISO26000)
The maritime industry should promote theintroduction of existing management systems
such as ISO14000 and ISO26000 among
maritime business operators to make companies
publish their CSR missions as a means ofautomatically disseminating management
resources.
This initiative does not require preparation ofa new system such as in (1) above, and is simple
and easy because the existing framework forstandards can be used as is.
(3) From Win-Win to Win-Win + 1(Examples in Japan)
For a business to continue to exist in the future,
it is vital for it not only to earn profit in the shortterm but also to secure ongoing profit in the
future. However, it is surprisingly difficult for
many companies to imagine profit beyond thatwhich is short term. Therefore, to facilitate thislong-term view, the Japanese concept of “three
approaches are good” should be introduced as
intrinsic motivation.
Under ordinary circumstances, a business is
said to be a “win-win relationship” between abuyer and seller. In this case, we make theassumption that stakeholders common to bothparties exist, and this gives rise to the logic of the
majority rules. Therefore, despite a business3

being based on a relationship between two
parties, the vested interests of three parties comeinto play.
In many cases, the interests of the buyer andthe stakeholder are the same, and the buyer
naturally tends to inhibit immediate profit. On
the other hand, paying attention to theseinterests will give the business a good reputationand encourage forward thinking that will lead tosubsequent profit. This will naturally make theseller focus on the buyer’s needs, and facilitate
engaging in needs-oriented business activities.
The development of a hull that is less apt tocause oil spillage during an accident and thedevelopment of equipment to treat ballast water
merely mean further costs for the maritime
business. However, a company’s “goodreputation” spreads to cargo owners involved in
the maritime industry and paves the way for thecompany to become a public organ of society
without compulsion. The use of something like
“reputation” as external psychological pressure
and the organization’s ability to imagine
activities that will lead to subsequent profit are
the key to automatic activation of CSR.
In Japan, this way of thinking wasconsidered to be the foundation of businesssuccess from around the 12th century. The ideaof securing subsequent profit by becoming anorgan of society and, in so doing, supporting
continuation of the company is somewhat
unique in a business society preoccupied withshort-term gains.
Conclusion
It is clear that the earth’s resources are finite andthat their use must be regulated. Nevertheless,people long for material wealth. To resolvethese conflicting issues, companies must
become public organs that assume social
responsibilities.
The image of our earth today with limited
resources and made smaller by IT is not unlikethat of Japan, a country with almost no
resources and a small land area. From thisperspective, I believe that traditional wisdom
nurtured in Japan may serve as a reference inpromoting self-regulated economic
development based on market economy
functions and at the same time lead the world
to further prosperity.

A Significant Step towards the Enhancementof the Safety of Fishing Vessels~ New agreement adopted after 35 years ~Kunihiko KITABAYASHIJapan Ship Technology Research Association(as of writing this article)

Introduction
A diplomatic conference on the safety of fishingvessels was held in Cape Town, the Republic ofSouth Africa, last October. At the conference, “theagreement on implementation of the Torremolinos
Protocol of 1993 relating to the 1977 Torremolinos
International Convention for the Safety of Fishing
Vessels” was adopted after extensive discussion. It
was my great honor to participate as a member of
the Japanese delegation, and I would like to offer asummary of the conference.

International framework for the safety offishing vessels
As you may know, internationally uniform
requirements for the safety of merchant ships, suchas ship structure, machinery, life-saving appliances,
etc, are established as the SOLAS (Safety of Life atSea) Convention. Although some parts of therequirements, for example, on navigational
equipment, are also applied to fishing vessels, there
is no comprehensive international rule for thesafety of fishing vessels, since their operation issignificantly different from that of merchant ships,
which makes it difficult to develop unified
regulations. Therefore, it is left to each flag State toestablish regulations on their safety.
On the other hand, it is also well recognizedthat fishing vessel accidents have been occurring
frequently because of their severe operating
conditions. Consequently, the necessity of
establishing international regulations has long been
pointed out.
In view of this, the first international
convention, called “1977 Torremolinos
International Convention for the Safety of Fishing
Vessels” was adopted in 1977, in Torremolinos,
Spain, with a structure quite similar to that of the
SOLAS Convention. However, due to a lack ofcontracting States, it was never entered into force.

Since then, in order to facilitate the entry into
force of the original 1977 Convention, it was partly
modified and re-established as the “1993 Protocol”,
but this has not been entered into force, either.
However, the necessity of an international
convention was even more evident, as accidents on
fishing vessels continued to occur. In order toresolve the situation, IMO started a review of the1993 Protocol to facilitate its entry into force. Afterextensive discussion for several years, the draft
revision of the 1993 Protocol was almost agreed
upon, and it was decided to hold a diplomaticconference to adopt the revision of the 1993
Protocol as a new agreement in October, 2012. The
Republic of South Africa offered to host theconference in Cape Town.
One of the technical problems concerning theProtocol is that ship length is employed as thethreshold for the application of technicalregulations. As you may know, gross tonnage iscommonly used as the threshold in the SOLAS
Convention. This may result in significant
differences in the applied requirements. For
example, if we consider two fishing vessels whichhave the same gross tonnage, the length of “slender”
shaped vessels is larger than those of normal size,
therefore more stringent requirements may be
applied. To solve this problem, the requirement of“equivalence between length and gross tonnage(GT)” was introduced in the new agreement, as
follows:
24 meters = 300 GT
45 meters = 950 GT
60 meters = 2,000 GT
75 meters = 3,000 GT
This requirement gave significant momentum
towards the development of a new agreement.
Discussion at the diplomatic conference
The diplomatic conference was held with 58
participating States and many internationalorganizations. There were two major issues whichwere extensively discussed at the diplomaticconference: application range and conditions ofentry into force of this agreement.
Regarding the former, it was decided that theagreement applies to all fishing vessels of 24 meters
or longer, but also that vessels operating within the
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or Common
Fishing Zone established by treaties among thecontracting States may be exempted.

4Concerning the latter, it consists of the numberof contracting States and their fishing vessels,
which should be considered as a package.
If the minimum number of contracting
States/fishing vessels is small, the agreement may
enter into force sooner, but it may not cover a wide
range of global fishing vessels. After extensive
discussion lasting until midnight, the conference
finally agreed to the conditions of 22 contracting
States and 3,600 vessels of the contracting States
which operate on the high seas.
The content of this agreement is as follows. It isquite similar to that of the SOLAS Convention.
● table1

Chapter

Application

1 General requirements
24 meters (300GT) or over
2 Structure
24 meters (300GT) or over3 Stability
24 meters (300GT) or over
4 Machinery and electricity 45 meters (950GT) or over
60 meters (2,000 GT) or over
5 Fire protection – Part B
5 Fire protection – Part C
45 meters (950GT) or over andless than 60 meters (2,000GT)
6 Protection of seafarers
24 meters (300GT) or over
7 Life saving appliances
45 meters (950GT) or over
8 Training
24 meters (300GT) or over
9 Radio communication
45 meters (950GT) or over
10 Navigation
24 meters (300GT) or overAs shown above, the diplomatic conference
was successfully adjourned with great results,
that is, the adoption of a new agreement. To
thank the host country, the agreement wasnamed “The Cape Town Agreement of 2012 on
the Implementation of the Provisions of theTorremolinos Protocol of 1993 Relating to theTorremolinos International Convention for the
Safety of Fishing Vessels, 1977”.
I cannot express how grateful I am for thegreat hospitality provided by the host
Government of the Republic of South Africa, interms of the impressive reception,transportation arrangements, etc.
WMU grads at the conference
Many WMU grads participated in the conference.
Among them was Ms. Yasuko Suzuki (Japan,
2003), who is currently working at the Fisheries
Agency and was also a member of the Japanesedelegation and greatly contributed to the results.

Current Situation ofMongolia Maritime Administration

Damba BAIGALMAA(Mongolia, 2012)

Mongolia is a land-locked, North-east
Asian country bordering Russia and China.
The United Nations Development Programin Geneva, with the support andcooperation of UNCTAD, has analyzed
economic development issues and given adefinition of land- locking. Due to theirterritorial position, Land-locked Developing
Countries, not having direct access to theoceans, are isolated from world markets.
Transit costs, which are added to all
products, impose serious constraints on theiroverall social and economical development.
In addition, this influences their tradecompetitiveness, which is very dependent oninternational transportation costs, especiallywhen it comes to developing countries.
When transportation costs are added to the
manufacturing costs, products lose theirlower price competitiveness. Higher transit
costs make imports expensive and exports
uncompetitive, thereby limiting economic
growth and undermining a country’s welfare.
(Government of Mongolia, UNCTAD,
2007).
Although the status of Mongolia’s
geographic strategy has changed
dramatically since the 1990s, as it has
become an open country connected to therest of the world, it is still very dependent on
Russia for energy resources, gasoline andfuel, and on China for consumer goods andfood items such as rice, fruit and somevarieties of vegetables. In order to export
national goods and import from othercountries, Mongolia needs to develop
maritime-related businesses.
Mongolia has been a member of theInternational Maritime Organization since1996. However, the Mongolia Maritime
Administration (MMA) was only launchedin 2003 officially, within the structure of theGovernment Implementing Agency of theAuto Transportation Department, whichfunctioned under the Ministry of
Infrastructure. The main objective of its
establishment was to develop the maritime
sector, and steps were initiated into 3
divisions: shipping, fishing, and ship
registration. However, the country’s
geographical position is not convenient foreither fishing or shipping activities, as it is
not easy to maintain fishing quotas fromanother country’s territorial waters.
Secondly, starting a business in the shipping
industry without direct access to the sea or
national shipping and crew is extremelycomplicated.
Thus, the Ministry of Infrastructure
established the MMA in the capital,
Ulaanbaatar, and set up an operations officein Singapore. The first vessels, which sailunder Mongolia’s flag, were registered in
March of 2003. Since then around 1600
ships have been navigated under the nationalflag, and today around 250 ships are actively
registered.
It is no secret that some internationalorganizations are suspicious in regards toour registration.
"We know of fishing vessels that carry up
to 12 different flags on board, and they
re-flag their ship at sea," Dr. Claude Martin,
Director-General of WWF, told the BBC.
" I f l a n d l o c k e d c o u n t r i e s s e l l fl a g s o fconvenience, they couldn't care less what's
going on at sea. It is one of the mostunregulated, uncontrolled businesses that isgoing on." (BBC, 2005)
Under the Mongolia ship registration
rule, Mongolia cannot register warships,
passenger or fishing ships. Only merchantships are entitled to navigate under the flagof the country. Developing a marine sector
in a land-locked country is the hardest task
laid on the MMA. A lack of experience,well-trained human resources, and little
support from local and international

5communities aren’t helping the situation.
Nonetheless, the MMA is working onstrengthening the maritime sector in
Mongolia. In order to decrease detentions
by Port State Control the Administration isendeavoring to cooperate closely with IACS
members.
For port operation procedures,
negotiations are under way in some ports in
Far-East Russia and Tianjin Port in China.
After official agreements are established
Mongolia will have access to the ocean.
However, it is still early to see the results, ase a c h c o u n t r y h a s t o t a l l y d i ff e r e n t
approaches to the subject and different legal
frameworks concerning the issue.
According to a UNESCAP report:
The period of 2011-2013 will be peakyears for the construction of new railroads
and roads that will improve the quality ofexisting roads to match the minimum
requirements for the Network of Asian
Highways and Trans-Asian Railways. In
addition they will open new export gateways
to access the sea at new ports in China andRussia. (UNESCAP, 2011.)
The Prime Minister of Mongolia, during
his official visit to Russia in December 2010,
came to an agreement to establish a newtransit tariff for the railway, which is no lessfavorable as tariffs applied in China for
Mongolian exports. This will provide
additional power to gain access to the seasthrough Far-East Russia’s Seaports.
A new Government is now ruling thecountry, as a result of the 2012 election, andthe MMA is now functioning under the
Ministry of Road and Transport. However,the policy which has been formulated for thelast decade will still be in force, and I, as a
fresh student from WMU, will do my best
to contribute to the development of marine
issues in my land-locked country.

Feature Issues on JICA Training
1 ) Port Management
We, Thi Anh Tuyet MAI (Vietnam, 2008) and Edward
Sylvester MABULA (Tanzania, 2003) were invited by JICA
(Japan International Cooperation Agency) for a training
course entitled “Strategic Port Management”, which ran
from October 8 to November 17, 2012, in Yokohama. There
were 17 participants from 17 countries in this program. It
was fortunate for us to meet other participants from different
nations, and moreover, two other WMU graduates: Mr.
Rogerio Pinto (Cape Verde, 2002) and Capt. Mohamed
Moustafa Abbas Elkolla (Egypt, 2008). We rekindled flaring
memories of studying at Malmö.
During this golden opportunity, we got a warm andfriendly welcome from the OPRF staff and a few Japanese
Sasakawa Fellows, Yutaka Emi (2007) and Yasuko Suzuki(2003), with wonderful Japanese hospitality: “Powderedgreen tea”, “Shabu Shabu cusine”, “Tokyo Tower” and more.

Preparing Ports for
ChangeEdward Sylvester MABULA(Tanzania, 2003)

Sea trade is becoming increasingly competitive
with ports strategizing to win more markets
and cargo in order to stay in business. The
ongoing dramatic increase in size of container
ships in sea trade is one of the challenges
which force ports to adjust in order toaccommodate bigger ships and enjoy theentailing economies of scale. In this respect,
therefore, it is imperative for ports to change
the way they operate, the way they are
managed, as well as to equip them withmodern and state-of-the-art container
handling equipment to cope with this rapidlychanging technology in the shipping industry.
The topics in the training course were all
relevant. From history of development in Japan
to infrastructure development and economic
growth, from institutional arrangement for
port operation and management to trade
forecasting and policy simulation, frominvestment strategies for ports to social
environment assessment and IT application,from port finance to port security, the training
course was surely more than what I expected.

H o w e v e r , g i v e n t h e d i ff e r e n c e s i neconomies, cultures and traditions between
Japan and our developing countries, it is noteasy to apply ALL that we learned andacquired, but the concept and ideas are verymuch relevant and can be benchmarked.
We also visited a number of ports tophysically see for ourselves how they operate,
and were given presentations regarding theiractivities. Among the ports we visited were
Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Oita, Hakata,Sendai, Shiogama, Ishinomaki, andTobishima Container Berth Co., Ltd. We
learned a lot from the ports and saw the first
Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) terminal
in Japan. The port visits were extremely
fruitful.
Then, training met adventure. Just to cool
down our nerves with the tight training
schedules, we also visited a number of tourist
attractions such as Sankei en Garden, the three
UNESCO World Heritage temples at Kyoto,
Osaka’s Aquarium Kaiyukan, the observatory
deck at Cosmo Towers’ 56th floor, and the
Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry
and Technology in Nagoya. We also visited
Nissan Motor Kyushu Co., Ltd, Nippon Steeland Sumitomo Metal Corporation and Mitsui
Engineering and Ship building in Oita. At allthese places, we were able to see how Japan

had so quickly achieved their industrial
revolution and development from the Edo era
through Meiji to reach this far. All the tours
were very informative and interesting indeed.
Concluding the training, we realized that a
port’s success should not be measured by cargohandling volume or profitability alone, butmore importantly, ports should be engines ofregional development, should be secure andenvironmentally sustainable and financiallyself-sustaining. If ports are to remaincompetitive on a global scale, sustainability
needs to become a cornerstone of businessmodels. Thus, port development is a process
which takes a long time to be realized; hence
ports should continue to plan to create capacity
ahead of demand. Ports need to strive to use
equipment and technologies which can sustain
the environment and need to cooperate (PPP)
to achieve efficiency and to be able to service
the economies better.
From traveling on bullet trains and ‘horse’and ‘donkey’ trains to flying high in planes,from traveling on ‘group’ tickets to eating with‘meal cards’, the training was full of fun andsurprises. This is due to the fact that training inJapan entails meeting the best people in thebusiness, people who have maintained thehighest level of discipline to take their country
this far.

From the Hub of
HUB port. However, after experiencing the development, gender mainstreaming andKnowledge to the Port Hub Strategic Port Management program, we environmental protection. Mutual benefits
Thi Anh Tuyet MAI(Vietnam, 2008)

In Sea Port Management, all around theworld, people are using mountains of paper
and words to talk about HUBS andSPOKES. It is true that HUB ports play avery important role in the national economic
development and international integration ofcountries which have the ability to develop a

realize that a HUB of knowledge issomething that should concern us evenmore.
If we look at the statistics of the numberof programs and participants from the time
JICA started the training programs, we canunderstand why JICA has made Japan the
HUB of knowledge, not only for “Port”
issues, but also other subjects ranging fromeducation, health, infrastructure, energy,
t r a d e a n d fi n a n c e , a g r i c u l t u r e , r u r a l

6

are the keystone of JICA. The participantsfrom different countries or economies sent
to Japan to absorb knowledge have a deep
understanding of current, crucial problems
in seaport management and operations intheir country. Therefore, each program islike a United Nations where we are provided
the real stories, information, and views ofwhat is really happening in each nation or
economy.
The world is developing so fast, andpeople around the globe can move from one
area to another easily for work, studies or to
live. Japan now has become one of the big
Hubs of Knowledge of the world forparticipants from developing countries. The
important things that we have learned fromthe program are not only knowledge about“Strategic Port Management” but also
“Mutual Understanding” and “Respect for
the Differences between Cultures”. I, myself,
still hope in my mind that, through the Hubof Knowledge in Japan, a Port Hub in Viet
Nam, Van Phong Port, may come true inthe near future.

2 ) Hydrography
Survey of Japanese Technology and Culture
MOHD NAZWAN HAFEEZ Bin Hashim(Malaysia, 2010)“If the river flows into the ocean, my sincere
gratitude flows into the hearts of the Japanesepeople.”This avowal instantaneously came to mymind soon after I received an offer letter fromJapan to partake in the Group Training Course
on Hydrography for Charting, Disaster
Prevention and Environmental Protection(Internationally Accredited Category B for
Hydrographic Survey). After the Sasakawa
Fellows’ Japan Field Study Trip in September
2009, the generosity of the Japanese
Government continued when I was selected toundergo the aforementioned program here, but
this time around it was relatively longer, for aperiod of six months.
This training course was jointly hosted by
the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) and Japan Hydrographic andOceanographic Department, Japan Coast
Guard (JCG). The program began on June 5,2012 and wrapped up on December 1, 2012.
Altogether there were ten participants fromseven different countries engaged in thistraining, from Malaysia, Indonesia, thePhilippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar
and the Seychelles.

On board survey boat for
multibeam survey off Miyajima Island waters

Setting up a temporary tide pole at Naoetsu Port

Throughout the course, participants were
given in-depth knowledge of hydrographic
surveying and techniques required for preparing
nautical charts. In addition to sustaining thesafe and efficient navigation of vessels,hydrography supports almost every otheractivity associated with the ocean, including
maritime boundary delimitation, resources
exploitation, environmental protection, national
marine spatial data infrastructures, maritime
defense and security, tourism, coastal zone
management and of course, marine disasterprevention, such as tsunami preparedness.
Aside from thorough lectures in theclassroom, this course also entailed aone-month field training in hydrographic
surveying of harbors and coastal areas at
Naoetsu Port, followed by training on board
survey ships at Suruga Bay and the Seto Inland
Sea. During these practical exercises, intensive
hands-on practical duties covering thenitty-gritty procedure of hydrographic
surveying were carried out, and cutting-edge
techniques in this field were introduced.
Throughout the course, there were a number of
instructors that played a very significant role inguiding and assisting the participants tocomprehend all the technicalities. Those
instructors were mainly officers from the Japan
Coast Guard and Japan Hydrographic
Association, specialists from private companies
and academicians from local universities.
During my six-month-stay in Japan, I was

77

fortunate to get the opportunity to reunite withWorld Maritime University’s affiliates. Mr.
Eisuke Kudo and Mr. Shinichi Ichikawa fromOPRF were very generous in hosting awelcome party for me near Shimbashi Station one of Japan's oldest railway stations. On thatparticular occasion, I had a chance to meet up
with my former classmate, Mr. Masashi
Sugomori; my WMU 2010 batchmate Mr.
Shinji Usui; Mr. Sakai and Ms. Shimada from
OPRF; and Mr. Hidemasa Tagami from
IAMU. Moreover, our Maritime Education
and Training Guru, Professor Takeshi
Nakazawa was on a business trip in Tokyo andunexpectedly showed up at the party. It was amomentous get-together, and I felt like I was
surrounded by my family members.
Spending six months in Japan has taught mea lot of wonderful, valuable things about Japan.
State of the art technology, udon and soba,
rush-hour trains, courteous citizens, Bon
Odori, a long and rich history, okonomiyaki,
earthquake-proof buildings, stunninglandscapes, the arts, the list goes on and on.
Moreover, I started to have a high regard for
haiku, a very short form of Japanese poetry.
During the early period of seasonal change
from summer to autumn, I sat in my room andlooked out the window, scribbling my firsthaiku:
Cicadas, begone!
Falling leaves mark the forlorn;
autumn, at the dawn.

Mr. Sasakawa’s Official Visit to Vietnam

Nguyen Hai Nam (Vietnam, 2002)

On January 28, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of
The Nippon Foundation, made an official visit andwas presented with Vietnam’s Friendship Medal by
the country’s Vice President in recognition of his
contributions since 1992, with nearly USD 28
million donated to Vietnam, including USD 11
million to support the disabled. At the Award
Ceremony, the Vice President said that the visit of the Chairman of The (SYLFF), Asia Pacific Intellectual (API) and Building A Better Asia
Nippon Foundation is vivid evidence of the friendly relationship (BABA) Fellows, and especially, members of the Hanoi Disabled People’s
between Vietnam and Japan.
Association. Mr. Sasakawa expressed his thanks and joy in meeting us. On
behalf of the WMU Sasakawa Fellows, Mr. Vu The Quang - Director of
On the second day of Mr. Sasakawa’s visit, the WMU Sasakawa Fellows the Legal Department of the Vietnam Maritime Administration, MA 2000
in Vietnam were very happy to have a chance to meet with him. This is the - expressed his gratitude to Mr. Sasakawa as well as The Nippon Foundation
third time Vietnamese Fellows have met Mr. Sasakawa in our country since for their scholarship program and explained how we are using the2003. But for myself, this is only my second time, as I missed the knowledge gained at WMU to contribute to our organizations as well as toopportunity to meet with him in 2010 due to a private matter. Twelve the development of our country. Mr. Quang also expressed our desire to see
Fellows attended the meeting in the two hours before he departed Vietnam. Mr. Sasakawa annually at least for the next 26 years. The meeting ended
Even though our time together was limited, it was such a special occasion, with Mr. Sasakawa presenting a special Japanese ball-point pen to everyone.
since we were also with other Fellowship students funded by The Nippon I went back to Ho Chi Minh City with the hopes that I will someday go toFoundation, such as the Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund Japan to visit Mr. Sasakawa and The Nippon Foundation.

Maritime English Instructors'
Training Program (MEITP)

Sarinee Tongbai (Thailand, 2009)

Being granted an opportunity from the Ocean Policy Research Foundation(OPRF) to attend the Maritime English Instructors' Training Program in
Bataan, the Philippines, at the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific(MAAP) on November 11-23, 2012, has tremendously helped me to improve
my English skills, which I can directly pass on to my students and organization
for their improvement at our MMTC. The training program provided thelearners with new teaching techniques and classroom management. The
theoretical knowledge and the range of exercises will definitely guide myteaching and classroom management efficiently and effectively.
At the training, I was pleased to be with Mr. Yutaka EMI (Japan,2007) who was practically leading the seminar. I last met him 3 years ago
during the Japan Field Study of the WMU 2009 Sasakawa Fellows. He
invited all the former Philippine Fellows to join the Reception. We had agreat, memorable time together.

The experience I received from the field trip and from MEITP has
been extremely rewarding and truly useful toward my contributions to myinstitution. Now that I have renewed my connection with Mr. Emi, I willdefinitely keep him posted on my current activities, particularly with theEnglish program at MMTC.
Thank you OPRF for keeping us updated through the Friends of
WMU, Japan Newsletter and website at:
http://www.wmu.sof.or.jp/

My Little Daughter Says “Hello” to the Friends of WMU

Dao Tien Thanh (Vietnam, 2013)

Editor’s note

The early part of 2013 has been a true blessing and joy
for us, as our first daughter was born on January 22 in
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. This is a greathappiness that I have desired for a long time, and I
would like to share it with all of you, Friends of
WMU. My wife and I named her Nhi, which in
Vietnamese means “baby”, as in our eyes she will
always be our baby, even when she becomes an adult.
At the moment, I am very busy studying at WMU

IMO, along with its safety and environmental concerns, is now involved in
discussions on “Review and Reform”, which focus on the financial
sustainability of the organization and plans to reform sub-committees. Under
this plan, three sub-committees, DE, SFL and FP will be integrated anddivided into two new sub-committees, and NAV and COMSAR will beamalgamated into one. These reforms will make these sub-committees evenbusier, which has some members expressing concern about the difficulty ofmaintaining sufficient quality for these specialized meetings. However, it isalso expected that the discussions will have deeper and wider viewpoints dueto the participation of various experts. The NAV and COMSAR
sub-committees will be amalgamated in 2014, hence the COMSAR17
meeting, held in January 2013 was the last COMSAR meeting.

in the second semester, so unfortunately, I was not able
to be next to my wife when she delivered the baby, andI still have not had a chance to hold my daughter andkiss her on the cheek. I hope that I will be able to do so
as soon as possible. My little family has become bigger
with the appearance of our new member, my beloved
daughter, and our lives have become happier and moremeaningful. She means the world to us, and I am reallylooking forward to seeing my little angel.

I joined these IMO meetings 3 years ago, and COMSAR17 was mylast as manager of the International Office of the Japan Association ofMarine Safety.
Staring this April, I will be transferred to JCG HQ, as special assistant to
the Director, Info-Communication Division. And one of our Editorial
members, Mr. Kunihiko Kitabayashi has been also back to the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
It has been an amazing experience for me to participate in the safety of
global sea transportation, and also meeting with WMU graduates.

Tomoya Shimizu
General Manager of International Office
The Japan Association of Marine Safety (JAMS)

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/