75
June
2021

The Voice of Transport Workers
Across the World:

An Introduction
to the ITF

Mr. Paddy Crumlin
ITF President

Who We Are(Introduction/Overview)
The International Transport Workers’
Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led
federation of nearly 670 trade unions in 154
countries. We are the voice for 18 million men
and women in the road, rail, maritime, andaviation sectors, and we fight passionately to
improve their working lives.
Our headquarters is located in London, with
regional offices in Amman, Brussels, Nairobi,
New Delhi, Ouagadougou, Rio de Janeiro,
Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo.

What We Do(Influencing Global Policy; Organising Workers;
Practical Solidarity)
The ITF is widely recognised as the world’s
leading voice for transport workers. We wield
substantial bargaining and lobbying powers
internationally, enabling us to coordinate
campaigns against multinationals andgovernments that have real impact. Everything
we do, from policies to protests, is driven by
our firm belief that trade union rights are
human rights, and these should be respected
universally. We provide our affiliates with theresources they need to organise and protect
workers, and we connect unions that would
otherwise be isolated, helping their members
to secure rights, equality, and access to justice.
International, practical solidarity is at theheart of what we do and is what gives the ITF seafarers working in dangerous conditions foroutrageously low wages. A vital component of
its strength as a campaigning organisation.
the campaign has been to strengthen the link
between the flag country and the ship owner,
ITF Maritime
The ITF plays a major role in the wider but this has been challenging because of themaritime industry, representing transport fragmented structure of international shipping.
workers on ships and in ports, from fisheries to This political campaign operates alongside aninland navigation. Our “Flags of Convenience industrial campaign designed to ensure that
Campaign” has been one of the ITF’s most seafarers who serve on FOC ships, whateversignificant and effective campaigns, achieving their nationality, have enforceable wages anddecent wages and conditions on board nearly working and living conditions and are protected
12,988 Flag of Convenience (FOC) ships since from exploitation by ship owners. Over theit was launched in 1948. The shipping industry years, the ITF’s maritime affiliates haveis well known for using the FOC loophole to developed a set of policies that seeks to establish
exploit the sparsely regulated labour markets minimum acceptable standards for seafarersof certain countries and the light taxation working on FOC vessels. These standards form
policies of others; combined, these create a very the basis of the ITF’s Collective Bargaining
unhappy situation for the many thousands of Agreement (CBA), which sets the wages and

ITF Maritime

working conditions for crews on FOC vessels
irrespective of nationality. Compliance with
ITF agreements is monitored by a network ofover 140 ITF inspectors and contacts in morethan 125 ports throughout the world.

COVID-19(Impact and Response—Crew Change Crisis)
The COVID-19 pandemic has had adevastating impact on industries and individual
lives across the world. Transport workers havebeen on the front lines, risking their lives tokeep supply chains and other key workers
moving. The ITF’s immediate response was toset out the major, urgent priorities for transport
workers in every sector, in every corner of theworld, in the form of five global demands.
We made occupational health and safety thecornerstone of this initiative and we lobbied
governments to grant transport workers the“key worker” status they deserve. Seafarers
were especially hard hit by the pandemic, withthe crew change crisis leaving many seafarers
stranded aboard ship for months on end and, insome cases, for more than a year beyond theirinitial contracts. Seafarers have also seen theirrights under threat from restrictions impacting
shore leave and access to medical treatment,
and pressure on their long-held rights andconditions on board vessels. Late last year the
ITF’s Maritime Safety Committee authored areport, Beyond the Limit, showing how there
is a risk of COVID-era exemptions becoming
permanent, to the detriment of seafarers’ healthand safety. This report drew on the links WMU
research has found between fatigue, mental andphysical health, and adequate manning levels.
The fight for seafarers continues as we
expand our efforts to ensure that seafarers
and other transport workers are prioritised for
vaccination. Transport workers are critical tothe distribution of such vaccines.

The ITF also commissioned research that
resulted in the landmark study “Transport 2040:
Automation, Technology, Employment—The
Future of Work”, which was published in 2019.
This report provides important overarchinginsights on automation in global transport andimpacts on workers. The ITF and WMU are
currently working together on a follow up to
the report with the aim to identify skills andeducation that seafarers will need in the short,medium, and long term.
At the Seafarers’ Section Conference
conducted during the ITF 2018 Congress heldin Singapore, Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry andJens-Uwe Schröder-Hinrichs from WMU gavea presentation on the findings of the above-

The ITF & WMU(Sustainable Transport & Future of Work)
The ITF has a relationship with WMU
spanning more than 30 years, beginning in
1987 when the ITF provided three fellowships
to support students from developing countries
to attend WMU’s Master of Science (MSc.)
degree programme.

Since 1994, the ITF has provided fellowships
for 123 students, 118 graduates, and five current
students through the ITF Seafarers Trust. It
has also funded an ITF Professorial Chair forover a decade—a contribution that has playeda key role in enabling WMU to develop its
current expertise on the legal framework for the
maritime and ocean industry, including labour
rights.
As part of the partnership, the ITF has
made financial contributions to the WMUEndowment Fund, which was establishedto provide the university with long-termsustainability and increased capacity to provide
education in the maritime sector.
2

mentioned report. Their excellent presentation
was both reassuring and realistic in its analysis:
while an imminent, wholesale takeover byautomation is highly unlikely, shipping is oneof the sectors most exposed to innovation andtechnology; however, these developments could
open up more opportunities for seafarers—
especially women—but for that to be the case,early engagement with governments and higher
levels of education and training are crucial. The
conclusions of WMU’s research supported atheme that ran throughout our Congress: a wellorganised, well-resourced labour force stands tobenefit from the so-called “digital revolution”;
it is not inevitable that workers only become
victims of technological progress. The ITF
has always been involved in the evolution oftransport and will continue to be so.
Throughout the years, the ITF Seafarers’
Section Coordinator has been a member ofthe WMU Board of Governors, and in 2021
the IMO Secretary-General, Kitack Lim,appointed the ITF Maritime Coordinator
as a member of the WMU Executive Board.
WMU is an important partner to the ITF,
not only because of their contributions toimproving the maritime industry, but also
because many WMU students return to theirrespective countries and take on crucial roles
within their national maritime and transport
administration, which helps the ITF and ouraffiliates expand our networks.

Offshore Wind Energy:
A Key to Global Decarbonisation

Mr. Arne Eik and Mr. Tomoya Ogino
EquinorGlobal greenhouse gas emissions must comedown rapidly, and offshore wind energy could
play a key part in this.
The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean
Economy (Ocean Panel) has found that oceanbased solutions could contribute to around 21%of the total emission reductions needed by 2050
in order to reach the 1.5°C global warming target
set by the Paris Agreement.
The ocean can provide us with energy in various
forms, such as the waves or tide, but the mosteconomical of these as of today is the wind, whichblows over seas at a much faster and stable rate
than over land.
The Ocean Panel states that offshore windenergy can deliver nearly half of the identified
decarbonisation potential. It also calculated
that investment in offshore wind energy yields
an average benefit-cost ratio of 12:1,1 providing
increased economic, environmental, and healthbenefits as technology and integration costs
continue to fall.
In response to the Ocean Panel, the Ocean
Renewable Energy Action Coalition has
announced its vision to have 1,400 GW of
offshore wind energy generating capacity installedworldwide by 2050, up from the approx. 30 GW
generating capacity available today. Oceans
would then supply around 10% of the world’s
electricity and by doing so, countries would
replace fossil-fuel generation and enable widescale electrification of heating, cooling, industry,hydrogen production, and transport.
A significant number of offshore wind farms
has already been built in Europe, and offshore
wind has successfully evolved into a large industry
there. European countries such as the UK and
Germany have implemented several subsidyfree offshore wind projects recently, proving that
offshore wind can be highly cost-competitive
with conventional power plants.
However, it is important to note that the current
success of offshore wind in Europe has in partbeen supported by favorable natural conditions.
In addition to high wind speeds, the North Sea
has large shallow water areas which are suitable
for mass-installation of what are called “bottomfixed” offshore wind turbines, for which theturbine foundation is fixed to the seabed.

Figure 1: Picture of Hywind Scotland, the first commercial floating offshore wind farm in the world

This is currently the dominant form of offshore
wind energy generation, but it is said thatbottom-fixed turbine can only be economicallyinstalled in water up to 50–60 m deep, while it isestimated that 80% of the world’s wind resources
are in deeper waters.
That is where “floating” offshore wind turbinescome in handy. The foundation floats on thesea instead of being fixed to the seabed, and so
floating turbines can be placed almost anywhere,
even if the water is deeper than 60 meters.
Wind is usually stronger and more consistent
the farther you move from shore, and so floating
wind turbines have the potential to deliver
higher energy production than bottom-fixedturbines with fewer restrictions on site selection.
Moreover, removing the constraints related towater depth allows the geographical spread of theoffshore wind installations to be widened, thus
decreasing exposure to local weather patterns andachieving more stable generation profiles, whichhelps stabilize electrical grids.
From a socio-economic point of view, floating
projects might generate higher value for local
societies than bottom-fixed ones as the magnitudeof the floaters may call for a more localized
fabrication and assembly of components.
Even though the cost of floating offshore windturbines is still higher than that of bottom-fixedoffshore wind projects, the increasing number oflarge-scale floating projects being planned andimplemented is a clear signal that the industry
is gaining momentum and moving closer to

1 High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy | The Ocean as a Solution to Climate Change

3commercialization. Equinor’s 88 MW Hywind
Tampen project in Norway, which will come inproduction in 2022, is proving that significant
cost reductions can be achieved through scaleand experience. The CAPEX per MW for thisproject is 40% lower than that for the batch ofpre-commercial projects which are slated to becommissioned in the coming year(s). Anotherstrong sign of the bright future for floating
offshore wind energy is policy makers’ increased
appetite for floating wind technology, with theUK, France, Japan, California, Norway, and South
Korea all currently making preparations forleasing rounds or establishing bespoke regulatory
frameworks for the development of commercialscale floating offshore wind farms.
If we take Japan for example, due to thecountry’s narrow continental shelf the potential
for bottom-fixed turbines is limited and mostof its wind resources lie outside of the 60 m
depth range. The Japanese government recently
announced its target of hosting up to 45 GW of
offshore wind projects by 2040 and implied thata significant amount of floating offshore windenergy generation will be necessary for Japan tomeet this target.
The technology is proven; now it is time to build
large-scale (500 MW+) projects.
We believe that offshore wind energy generationis one of the most cost-competitive ways ofgenerating clean energy on an industrial scale, andfloating technology is the key to unlocking its fullpotential all over the world.

2 Ocean Renewable Energy Action Coalition | Global Wind Energy Council (gwec.net)

A Dialogue with Professor Mejia:
On Maritime Issues, Treaties,
and Career
Kentaro Furuya(Japan, 2003)

Prof.Max Mejia
WMU

Ken: Not only does ReCAAP have a foundation in terms of sharing
information and capacity-building programs, it also reflects an international
commitment to deal with piracy. Meanwhile, the Codes you mentioned
earlier are not legally binding over all party states.

Secretariat: We will now like to commence our first ever talk featuring
WMU faculty. We highly look forward to learning more about them andtheir perspectives on the future of our oceans.
Background
Mr. Kentaro Furuya: You were one of my professors when I was a student
in the Class of 2002 at WMU. My first question to you is about yourmotivation for choosing this career. Will you please tell us how you decided
on your field of work?
Dr. Max Mejia: My father had a career as an officer in the Philippine
military, and growing up, I wanted to be like him, so I joined the Philippine
Military Academy. As luck would have it, I was soon given the opportunity
to represent my country at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis,
where I studied for four years. At the time of my graduation from Annapolis,
the Philippine Coast Guard was part of the Philippine Navy. I had no idea
what Coast Guard work was all about originally. However, I eventuallycame to realize that it was all about preserving life at sea, which was a major
contrast to my training of engaging in battle at sea. I very quickly warmed up
to the idea of dedicating my life to keep ships afloat rather than sink ships.

Max: Building trust indeed becomes very important when we’re talking
about sharing sensitive information between member states. A significant
factor in ReCAAP’s success is ensuring that the exchange of information
is both regular and reliable. Also, when cooperation is optional, there is abigger risk that other important policies will take priority, thus pushingcounter-piracy issues to the back burner. The ReCAAP experience shows
us an example of how institutionalizing national commitment in a regional
agreement can deliver strong results in controlling piracy and armed robbery
against ships.

Now how did I end up here at the WMU? Well, as a Coast Guard officer,
they sent me here, just like you, Ken, to pursue the program to obtain an MSc.
I also ended up being engaged to a local lass from Malmö after finishing the
program. When I brought her back to the Philippines to resume my Coast
Guard career, I didn’t at all imagine that WMU would invite me back to
Malmö to fill a teaching position. I was looking forward to this opportunity
to give back to the world maritime community by teaching, so I said, “Yes.”
It’s now been 23 years since I joined.

I’d also like to mention MASS, autonomous vessels, around which we haveseen a lot of activity especially in the two or three years before COVID.
We always thought ships would have humans, which is why we haveregulations such as STCW, COLREG, and the ISM Code. All of a sudden,
we’re upending the assumption that all ships have humans on board. Any
related international maritime law needs to be solid on this, or as clear as
we possibly can have it. MASS has been put in the back burner at IMO
because of the COVID pandemic, but it will be interesting to see whatcomes out of the big meetings regarding this.

Thoughts on Current Issues with Maritime Law
Ken: Now, seeing how we both share a background in international
maritime law, I would like to ask you about that. What are some current
issues in international maritime society, and what are your thoughts on
overcoming them?
Max: Of course, there are dozens of issues out there like piracy, illegal
migration, and the environment, but the most pressing ones that come tomind at the moment relate to COVID-19. For example, COVID-19 has
exacerbated problems relating to the health and wellbeing of seafarers, who
are our most important assets on board ships.
Ken: While I do think the pressure of piracy has significantly decreased, it
still exists in the Gulf of Guinea, and armed robbery in Southeast Asia still
persists. How do you see the situation?
Max: In addressing piracy and armed robbery against ships, we haveregional cooperation frameworks such as ReCAAP, the Djibouti Codeof Conduct, and the Yaoundé Code of Conduct. While I am pleased toobserve that ReCAAP has been able demonstrate significant gains, theworking arrangements in the other two Codes seem to be in need of further
adjustments in order to prove their effectiveness.

Image provided by The Nippon Foundation

4

Ken: It could have great impact on the question of who is responsible forwhat exactly, and also on criminal investigation and cyber security at sea.
It may be necessary once more to reevaluate maritime issues and look into
international legal reform.
Effectiveness of Treaties
Ken: As you know, we have a number of international treaties that haveemerged in the maritime field alone. How do you assess the effectivenessof those treaties?
Max: Obviously, nothing is 100% effective, but IMO treaties have played avery vital and beneficial role. Having global and universal standards is mostimportant for predictability in carrying out international trade, and without
those, the maritime industry will become extremely inefficient and muchless safe.
Ken: I think one of the unique features of IMO conventions is adoption
by tacit acceptance. That is a good way to catch up with newly developed
technologies.
In addition, resolutions are not legally binding like treaties, but using aninternational standard gives them binding power, essentially. For example,
when we adopted the guidelines related to PCASP (privately contracted
armed security personnel): unless you comply, you cannot start global
businesses and companies cannot be run. In other words, though it is notlegally binding, I think it is an agreement that effectively has binding power.
Max: They may not have the explicit binding power of treaties, but soft law
has a subdued way of promoting uniformity in implementation of standards
internationally when adopted and put into practice.
National Legislations and Capacity Building
Ken: Even if treaties are entered into force, if countries can’t adapt national
regulations to those treaties, then they may not be able to implement
international standards. It becomes a problem of whether countries cansecure the human resources to cope with this.
Max: Capacity-building in this context is an important issue that
IMO addresses through the Technical Cooperation Committee andmany different programs. It’s also one of the reasons leading to WMU’sestablishment. Thankfully, we have many developed countries, like Japan,
and grant-giving organizations such as the Nippon Foundation that are
making important contributions to promote capacity building.
Memories with the Maritime Industry Authority
Ken: You used to work as the Administrator of the Maritime Industry
Authority (MARINA) in your home country, the Philippines. What aresome memories from your time there?

Aerial inspection of the disaster-struck area1

times, which were all enjoyable memories. In fact, I had on two occasions
the privilege of a private audience with Dr. Yohei Sasakawa in his office.
And, of course, I was welcomed by old friends like yourself, other WMU
graduates, and Mr. Kudo.
Challenges as an Educator
Ken: You came back to WMU as a professor after your assignment at
MARINA. Are there still any challenges as an educator? I’m interested
because I am in a similar position.
Max: It will always be a challenge to bridge theory and practice toeffectively teach a set of students from different countries with diverse
learning needs. As a teacher, you need to be many steps ahead, and though
it’s not an easy thing to do, it’s very fulfilling work. I am particularly gratified
that my experience in MARINA has enabled me to connect concepts andprinciples in the classroom to my real-life experience.
A Message for WMU Graduates
Ken: Lastly, do you have any messages for all the WMU graduates?
Max: Yes. My message is to always cherish and nurture the fact that weare part of a unique community. I’m thankful for the role of the Nippon
Foundation and Chairman Sasakawa for issuing this Newsletter, which
performs a very important function in keeping this network together. Also,
to keep in mind that when you’re stuck, don’t be afraid to reach out. You
have a whole world of friends out there who share the same passion for the
maritime industry. Our problems are not necessarily unique; there is always
somebody out there who might have encountered a similar challenge who
can lend a hand and offer advice. That is what it means to be from WMU.
Ken: That is a very, very special message for our graduates, including myself.
Thank you very much.

Max: I had many, many challenges! Many good memories, as well. One
unexpected challenge that I will always remember was one that was assigned
to me when Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines. I was given thetask of disentangling the paralyzing gridlock in a critical port area that waspreventing relief goods from reaching about 4 million people on the mostdevastated islands. It demanded a lot of interpersonal communication skills,
getting different actors to move in the same direction, but I’m happy to saythat within three or four days, in a relatively short time, we were able to get
the operations moving once more. This was because everybody joined hands
to make things happen. I’m talking about not only colleagues in different
government agencies, but even the private sector. So that’s one of my best
memories. On the other hand, I also faced challenges such as the country’s
STCW compliance, related to the education, training, and certification ofseafarers.
My time in MARINA also allowed me to visit Japan about half a dozen
1 Dr. Mejia conducting an aerial inspection of the Port of Matnog where a maritime transport gridlock was impeding the delivery of essential relief goods to more than 4 million victimes of Super
Typhoon Haiyan. The right-hand side of the photo shows the kilometers-long queue of lorries and personal vehicles waiting to be accomodated on the extremely overstretched ferry services.

5

The Junior Professional Officer ( JPO)
Programme and the Pandemic
Mohd Nazwan Hafeez Bin Hashim(Malaysia, 2010)
I joined the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) in November 2019 as a
Junior Professional Officer ( JPO) with the SubDivision for Operational Safety and Human
Element, Maritime Safety Division. The JPO
Programme is a notable programme within the
United Nations (UN) system. Its main objective
is to provide maritime professionals with theopportunity to gain real “UN world” experience
as secretariat staff in the field of multilateralinternational cooperation.
At IMO, my field of activity encompasses
matters related to meetings of the SubCommittee on Navigation, Communications
and Search and Rescue (NCSR), the Joint
IMO/ITU Experts Group on Maritime
Radiocommunication Matters, and the ICAO/IMO Joint Working Group on Harmonizationof Aeronautical and Maritime Search andRescue. I have also provided support for activities
associated with ships’ routeing measures, LRIT,

revision of SOLAS Chapter IV, amendments to
the IAMSAR Manual, and revisions of manyother IMO resolutions and circulars.
Everything was smooth sailing before themerciless waves of COVID-19 crashed into
IMO Headquarters in mid-March 2020. Since
then, IMO’s business-as-usual operating style
has turned into an uncommon way of operatingthat nobody had anticipated, i.e. IMO remotemeetings. Not long before the pandemic
struck, I read numerous times that people weremulling over the idea of banking without banks,
universities without lecture halls, and workwithout offices.
This pandemic has really sped up theadvancement of virtual and remote technologies.
Although masses of people are being affected
severely by this pandemic, on a positive note,
I suppose what is transpiring now could bea turning point where we are being forced toadopt a different mentality—a mentality that

accepts that these virtual methods are our new
lifestyle, or the “new normal”. It is undeniably
a steep learning curve, not only for the IMO
secretariat, but also for all member states’
representatives. Everyone across multiple timezones is compelled to adopt and adapt to virtual
skills, abide by the new procedures of remotemeetings, and most importantly, keep theirfingers crossed for an uninterrupted internet
connection!
I truly hope that this pandemic will be oversoon and IMO can go back to its normal
business practice of holding face-to-facemeetings in London. Nevertheless, while
we are looking forward to meeting with realhuman interaction, this pandemic has taught
everyone at IMO and all maritime stakeholders
that we should incorporate such unforeseen
circumstances into our future work planning: a
combination of involvement and detachment ofphysical attributes.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Sasakawa Fellows
in the Philippines

Roldolfo R. Diawa(Philippines, 2006)

As I am writing this article, thinking about
what the best topic would be to discuss, I am
trying to avoid writing about the COVID-19
global pandemic as this is a broad subject.
However, it needs to be mentioned, even just in
passing.
During the first wave of the COVID-19
pandemic last year, the seafaring industry was
directly affected, particularly Filipino seafarers.
Embarkation and disembarkation were
temporarily suspended by the government toprevent contact with the virus.
To ensure the safety and protect the health andwelfare of our seafarers, Atty. Arthur P. Tugade,
Secretary of the Department of Transportation(DOTr) launched two programs:
1. Malasakit Help Desk (Concern/Assistance
Help Desk)

2. Oplan Byaheng Ayos (Management ofGood Travel)
Through Vice Admiral Robert A. Empedrad
AFP (Ret), the Maritime Industry Authority(MARINA) Administrator, and other agenciesof the department, the said programs wereimmediately implemented.
The Malasakit Help Desk is the key point
to guiding seafarers, local manning agencies,
shipping companies, and other stakeholders
regarding what to do with respect to theirconcerns. In coordination with non-governmentand government agencies, it addresses the needsof seafarers who have been stranded in different
ports/places, particularly in Metro Manila.
Also, seafarers are provided with basic needs
such as food, water, and other essential personalrequirements.
6

The concept of the Oplan Byaheng Ayos
program is to provide seafarers with different
modes of transportation—land, sea, or air—for
free, without any expense on their part, when theywish to return to their respective hometowns/
provinces. In addition to this free transportation,
they are given priority by the department toundergo PCR swab tests upon their arrival at an
airport/seaport.
These programs are ways to ensure that our
seafarers are comfortable once they arrive in or
leave the Philippines, even those in domestic
trade, recognizing their role and uplifting their
spiritual, moral, and physical health.
Sasakawa Fellows are involved in the craftingof these programs and directly participate in theirimplementation.
May all of us see the beauty of nature evenduring this global pandemic.

Working Towards the New Normal at WMU
Sue Jackson
Registrar, WMU

It is now almost a year since I reported to
the Friends of WMU, Japan Newsletter about
the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on
the WMU community in Malmö. If we had
known then that we would still be living with
COVID-19 a full year later, it would have beenvery discouraging for us all.
From 16 March, 2020, the faculty delivered theclasses taught in the Specialisation Term remotely,with students remaining safely in the Residence.
The University was very much open for business,and the faculty and staff worked as normal,
whether from home or from the office. The mainbuilding, including the library, has been open to
any student who wants to use the facilities, andstudents are welcome to come in for dissertation
supervision.

A Hopeful Shift to Summer and Early FallAs I think was the case in many places, thesummer of 2020 saw a real improvement in
the situation. WMU was able to open up forclassroom teaching again, though on a small
scale and with full precautions. Gradually, theprogramme of visits to the Residence by the
President and senior faculty members drew to anend, as did the need for the Zumba classes heldin the Residence courtyard. The summer months
saw a surge in optimism among the WMU familyin Malmö.
New students who were starting their firstterm in September 2020 arrived slowly, as travel
restrictions in their country were lifted, andalmost all were here by the end of the year. To start
with, classes were delivered in a hybrid format,
with the students in Sweden able to attend classin person while observing social distancing, andothers following the classes online from home.

This worked well, and even the students unable totravel were able to make friends and create bonds
with their classmates.
New Restrictions, New Complications
However, as autumn came and the weather
grew colder, the infection rate in Sweden climbed
again, and to new heights. WMU reverted toteaching online and staff were asked to workfrom home whenever possible. From 27 October,
the Swedish Government introduced new
restrictions, limiting the number of people who
could be together and imposing new restrictions
on public transport, playing sports, and shopping.
The limit on the number of people who could
attend an event was 50, and the University
therefore held the graduation ceremony in adifferent format. This was a blow to the students
who had looked forward to a normal, splendid
WMU graduation ceremony, but the four small
ceremonies held on 31 October and 1 November
were intimate, warm, and meaningful. We wereable to arrange for a group of five members of
the Royal Fire Brigade Band to perform a musicprogramme from the balcony above the Sasakawa
Auditorium. The national guidelines also madeimpossible the usual student festivities aroundgraduation, and the University management
was deeply impressed by the determination andresolution of the students, led by the Student
Council, to adhere to the guidelines and avoid
infections.
This was particularly important, as the nextchallenge was to arrange the journeys home of
the Class of 2020, all of whom needed negative
COVID tests to be able to travel. Some destination
countries were still closed to all travellers, and inother cases restrictions made the standard travel
routes impossible. Nevertheless, by the end of theyear, only one member of the Class of 2020 was
still marooned in Malmö—though I am delighted
to report that she has now been able to start her
long journey home.
Recent Developments and the Future
The first peak of the winter wave of thepandemic in Sweden occurred at the end of
December, but was followed rapidly by a second
peak in March. The Government restricted all7meetings to a maximum of eight participants,
and so teaching in the Specialisation Term has
been online since the New Year. Recently, WMU
has been able to introduce a new form of hybrid
teaching: up to seven students at one time havebeen able to register to come into the University
to follow an online class in person. The students
attending in person have been rotated so thateach student is given the chance to attend. Laura
Sanchez (Sasakawa Fellow) organised a surveyof the MSEA students’ reactions to the hybridclasses, and found a very high level of satisfaction
regarding the improved interaction with faculty,
students’ mental health, and class enjoyment.
These benefits were shared by the students who
had attended in person and those who had
attended online. It was also possible to organisea field study visit for the OSGM students to
the Kullaberg Marine Reserve. Again, this wasa tremendous boost to morale for the whole
student body. We will continue to endeavour to do
everything we can to improve students’ university
experience.
The WMU Senior Crisis Management
Team continues to meet regularly, and while
maintaining the safety and well-being of thestudents as the first priority, will continue to do
everything possible to enhance students’ university
experience. We are aware of the task before us:
WMU graduates will play an essential role inefforts to “build back better” across the maritime
and oceans industry. It is now time to look at thebenefits of making a new start and adopting a new
way of thinking about an ancient and essential
field of activity.

Life with the Pandemic and Welcoming a New Member of the Family
Sophal Laska (Cambodia, 2006)

Greetings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia! It has
been 15 years since I graduated from World Maritime
University. I would like to take this opportunity
to once again thank the Nippon Foundation forproviding scholarships for me and my colleagues who
studied at WMU ahead of me.
This has been a challenging year for everyone
and we have been very fortunate until recently in
Cambodia with a very low number of COVID-19
infections. The government vaccination programme
has been rolled out well, and we recently received two
doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Life has been relatively
normal except for several school closures over the
past two years. We are now in our first lockdown, so
I am alternating working from home and travelling

across a very quiet city to my office. The pandemic
has prevented me from travelling abroad to meetingsand conferences, but I have been able to spend moretime with my wife and sons and I have even learned
to cook some traditional Cambodian dishes in myspare time. Having our oldest son at home, too, while
schools are closed here has been difficult at times,
and we hope that schools will open again this year
as he misses his friends. The biggest change this year
for our family has been the birth of our younger son,Alexander Khemara, on 18 February. He’s brought a
lot of smiles and laughter to our home, and we lookforward to taking him to England to meet the rest of
his family when we can travel again.

Capt. Sartoto Receives a Most Admired Leaders Award
Friends of WMU, Japan Secretariat

Capt. Mugen S. Sartoto (2007, Indonesia) was Held on 9 April, 2021, the awards ceremony
awarded a Most Admired Leaders Award 2021. was hosted by 7Sky Media and IM Magazine
This award is given to those who are recognized as Indonesia, both of which are nationally well-known
the most admired innovative and visionary leader in Indonesia as organizations specializing in news
in categories such as institutional governance, and broadcasting.
parliament, business, education, and tourism.
Capt. Mugen says, “The awards themselves are notCapt. Mugen has been presented with 3 awards the target. The reason I work so hard is to encouragethus far: for education in 2017 and for institutional my staff to perform at their best, and instill change
governance in 2019 and this year. The award for in the organizational culture of the institution. This
education was presented to him while he was Head award serves as my motivation to always improve andof West Sumatra Merchant Marine Polytechnic, and inspire young leaders, especially young Indonesian
the awards for institutional governance during his maritime leaders, to do their best and serve better,appointment to the Banjarmasin Port Authority and for a better maritime world.”
Batam Port Authority.

A New Face Joins the Secretariat

Kana Matsuda

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Hello! My name is Kana Matsuda, and I am the newest
member to join the Secretariat. Some of you might findme familiar, having already “met” me through our various
email exchanges.
I was born and raised in the US, earning my B.S. inneuroscience at the College of William and Mary.
Moving to Japan almost 5 years ago, I started off working
in the field of English education in Shizuoka City, where
I enjoyed stunning views of Mt. Fuji on a daily basis.

The Japan Field Study Trip, Orientation, and many otherevents have been canceled or simplified one after another because of the pandemic. Consequently, we have been facing ahardship never experienced before: finding new topics for theNewsletter. Despite the circumstances, however, we were able
to resolve this issue successfully thanks to the tremendous support of WMU and the capabilities of Facebook. I am grateful
beyond words.
Speaking of support, the young workers at the office havebeen helping me keep up with internet society. Even so, I
am probably lagging a couple laps behind the average world
standard! It was about 6 years ago that the former head of the

Now I find myself in the heart of Tokyo, and gazing at
the iconic Tokyo Tower from the rooftop of the Sasakawa
Peace Foundation building.
I am looking forward to working with the Sasakawa
Fellows and supporting this vast and respected network
together with Mr. Mizunari, Mr. Kudo, and all theamazing WMU staff. Here’s hoping that our e-mailcommunications become face-to-face some day!

WMU affairs division at the Foundation, Shin (Mr. Ichikawa), played a prank by installing Facebook on my smartphone
and friending as many Fellows’ names as we knew. I hadn’t
used it much at all, but now that I have more time on myhands, I am trying to remember to “like” posts here and there.
I even managed to use Facebook to reach out to Mr. Nazwan,
Mr. Laska and Mr. Mugen and ask them for articles for thisissue of the Newsletter.
In this way, I hope that all Fellows can continue sharing
through the Newsletter how they are leading fulfilling andactive lives, both at work and home, no matter how chaotic
the circumstances.

This newsletter is published under a grant from The Nippon Foundation

to promote communication among the Sasakawa Fellows of WMU (World Maritime University)and edited by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in cooperation with Dr. Yoshiaki Kunieda
Ms. Maki Tominaga, Ms. Marika Nishimuro, Mr. Eisuke Kudo and Ms. Sue Jackson.
Friends of WMU, Japan Secretariat, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation
The Sasakawa Peace Foudation Bldg., 1-15-16 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8524 Japan
Tel: +81-(0)3-5157-5263 Fax: +81-(0)3-5157-5230 URL: http://www.spf.org/en/

Eisuke Kudo
(Advisor, SPF)