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WMU Update #24

Wed, 04/18/2012 - 14:09

Professor Nakazawa Assumes IAMU Secretary Post

Professor Takeshi Nakazawa has accepted the position of Secretary of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) in Tokyo, Japan, effective 1 November 2012. IAMU is fully sponsored by the Nippon Foundation and consists of 55 maritime universities, represented by each institution’s president or rector. The Secretary of IAMU is the executive officer of the Secretariat. The announcement will be made public in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada at the IAMU International Executive Board meeting later today, which both Professor Nakazawa and I will attend.

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WMU Update #23

Mon, 02/13/2012 - 18:10

Graduation 2011
On Sunday, 4 December, WMU’s Chancellor and IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Efthimios E Mitropoulos, conferred postgraduate degrees on the World Maritime University’s Class of 2011. The Guests of Honor were Admiral Oscar Adolfo Arce, Commandant, Prefectura Naval Argentina, and Vice-Admiral Brian Salerno, Deputy Commandant for Operations, US Coast Guard. Four WMU graduates, Li Ying of China, Kofi Mbiah of Ghana, Rajendra Prasad of India, and Azfar Mohamad Mustafar of Malaysia, received their Ph.D. degrees, along with 104 students graduating from the Malmö-based M.Sc. program in Maritime Affairs, and 23 from the distance-learning Postgraduate Diploma program in Marine Insurance. This was the first graduation ceremony for students following the newly structured, streamlined 14-month Malmö-based M.Sc. program in Maritime Affairs. 

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WMU Update #22

Tue, 11/29/2011 - 12:36

IMO Council and Assembly Meetings

The 26th Extraordinary Session of IMO Council was held at IMO in London 17‐18 November, followed by the on‐going 27th session of IMO Assembly 21‐30 November, and will conclude with the 107th session of IMO Council on 1 December. Of relevance to WMU, the decision by IMO Council (cf. document C/ES/26/D) was approved by IMO Assembly last Friday as a part of the “Results‐based Budget for 2012‐ 2013”.

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WMU Update #21

Fri, 09/09/2011 - 13:12

Sasakawa Fellows Travel to Japan
The current WMU Sasakawa Fellows, representing 14 different countries, together with WMU Registrar Ton Smaal arrived in Osaka on 24 August for the Class 2011 field study trip after invitation by the Nippon Foundation and organization by Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF). Given the disastrous earthquake and tsunami event of 11 March and the subsequent cancellation of the field study trip in May, it was remarkable that only five months later, the Fellows were given the opportunity to visit and learn about the culture and maritime industry of Japan. The field study trip was made possible by the wishes of Chairman Dr. Yohei Sasakawa and the support of the Nippon Foundation and OPRF. The Fellows visited several Japanese maritime organizations, including shipyards, a VTS center, MET institutes, a survival training center, and marine equipment producers. A courtesy visit was paid to The Nippon Foundation, where the students were welcomed by Nippon Foundation President Takeju Ogataand OPRF Director Shuhei Okazaki. At the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, thestudents were informed of the organizational setup, policies, and action plans of Japanese maritime affairs. Director-General Norifumi Ide of the Maritime Bureau and Director of Maritime Safety Standards Division Hideo Kubota welcomed the Fellows, and Director for International Regulations, Safety Standards Division, Mr. Shini-Chiro Otsubo, gave an informative lecture on ship recycling and the Hong Kong convention. The Nippon Foundation has been a continuous supporter of WMU for the past 22 years.

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WMU Update #20

Thu, 08/18/2011 - 17:11

Outcome of IMO Council and TC 61
The 61st Session of IMO Technical Cooperation Committee met in London 21-23 June followed by the 106th Session of IMO Council from 26 June to 1 July. The main event at Council was the election of Koji Sekimizu as the next Secretary-General of IMO, beginning on 1 January 2012. Of particular interest to WMU was the issue of financial sustainability in response to A.1031(26), which requested the S-G to find the ways and means to ensure the financial sustainability of the WMU. The Council noted the information set out in document C 106/13(c), as well as that provided orally by the Chairman of the Correspondence Group (CG) on the outcome of the work of the CG. Although the CG failed to support the various proposed options for financial support of the University, both TC 61 and Council supported a new proposal by the S-G of “ring-fencing 5% of the ‘not less than 75%’ of the Trading Fund in-year surplus allocated to the TC Fund under resolution A.1014(26), to support WMU as an interim measure.” This should provide approximately £180,000 (€205,000) in IMO support to WMU in 2012 and maybe beyond. The Council instructed WMU “to continue seeking ways to become self-financing, including through research and consultancies.”

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WMU Update #19

Tue, 05/31/2011 - 00:00

Board of Governors Meets this Week 

The WMU Board of Governors will meet in Malmö this week, attended by Secretary-General E. E. Mitropoulos and no less than 21 of the total 30 governors. The event begins with a formal dinner in the Town Hall (Rådhuset) on Wednesday night (1 June), hosted by the City of Malmö. The board meeting is scheduled to begin at 0930 on Thursday (2 June) in Rådhuset. 

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WMU Update #18

Mon, 04/04/2011 - 00:00

Bellefontaine and Ma Named Vice-Presidents

With the approval of the Executive Board, Professor Neil Bellefontaine has been appointed Interim Vice President (Academic), and Professor Shuo Ma has assumed the newly created position of Vice President (International) with major responsibilities for WMU Outreach programs. Both appointments were effective on 1 April. In the near future, WMU will start the search for a permanent Vice President (Academic) with an anticipated starting date of 1 January 2012.

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WMU Update #17

Mon, 02/14/2011 - 01:00

Skaanild Named Chair of Executive Board

Torben Skaanild, Secretary General of BIMCO and Chairman of the Board of BIMCO Informatique A/S, has been named Chair of the WMU Executive Board. He replaces Jan Kopernicki, who had announced that he would step down as Chair of the EB to coincide with his retirement from Shell Shipping and the UK Chamber of Shipping after a 40-year stellar career. The appointment was made by IMO Secretary-General E. E. Mitropoulos and is effective immediately.

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WMU Update #16

Mon, 12/20/2010 - 01:00

United Nations General Assembly Acknowledges WMU

Twenty-eight member states discussed resolutions on the United Nations (UN) Convention on Law of the Sea and the Oceans during the 65th UN General Assembly. At the Assembly, WMU was recognized as a center for maritime education and research. The assembly also confirmed WMU’s effective capacity-building role in maritime transportation, policy, administration, management, safety, security, and environmental protection, as well as its role in the international exchange and transfer of knowledge, and urged states, intergovernmental organizations, and other bodies to make voluntary financial contributions to the University.

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WMU Update #15

Mon, 11/15/2010 - 01:00

105th IMO Council Meeting

During the 105th IMO Council meeting last week in London, the matter of sustainable financing for WMU was discussed. The Correspondence Group, led by Sweden, presented its report which considered different sustainable funding mechanisms for WMU from IMO. Very few countries and very few NGO’s had participated in the discussions of the Correspondence Group, which did not yet arrive at an acceptable solution with respect to the securing a steady income stream from IMO. There were some 30 interventions, which almost unanimously expressed the importance of WMU in terms of global maritime education and capacity building. Thus, there was significant emotional and moral support although no money has yet been offered. The Correspondence Group requested a new mandate to continue the consideration of sustainable financing mechanisms. The Council decided that the Correspondence Group, still under Swedish leadership, would continue its deliberations and deliver a new report at the next Council meeting in June 2011.

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