My Dream to Standardize Textbooks, Educational Philosophy for Cultivating Maritime Professionals Worldwide
About 90% of goods traded internationally are transported by ship. Container ships and other freighters have grown bigger and bigger as the economic rationale for them increases. In particular, trade in LNG (liquefied natural gas) and other hazardous materials is rising rapidly, so we need to keep in mind the statistic that human errors account for about 70% of marine accidents.
The education of maritime professionals－including the curriculum and methods used－has largely developed independently in each country. However, the shared work domain of seafarers is the ocean, a common heritage of humankind.
For years, my dream has been to establish an environment where they can study using standardized textbooks based on a uniform philosophy.
That is why The Nippon Foundation founded the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) in November 1999. At the time, it consisted of seven universities, representing the five continents of the world, with a shared recognition of the significance of maritime education and training amid the rapid globalization of the international shipping.
Since then, IAMU, headquartered in Japan, has significantly expanded its membership. Including The Nippon Foundation, it now boasts 69 members.
Thanks to enthusiastic efforts by Mr. Takeshi Nakazawa, executive director of the secretariat, who used to be a professor at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Sweden, IAMU has now gained a voice in the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of maritime and atmospheric pollution by ships.
On October 26, 2021, I sent a video message to IAMU’s 21st annual assembly in my capacity as its honorary chair. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was held in Alexandria, Egypt, in a hybrid format, combining in-person encounters meeting with online participation. This enabled experts and scholars from around the globe to meet and for the assembly to disseminate the latest advances in the field of maritime education, training, research, and development. (In 2020, an annual conference was canceled for the first time in 20 years because of the pandemic.)
I told the 2021 session that I made a proposal at the general meeting held two years ago in Tokyo for the establishment of programs for students and faculty of member universities to nurturing maritime human resources who embody the basic concept of the Global Maritime Professionals (GMP).
“I am pleased to see that the pilot program for undergraduate students has started in September this year, and that the program for faculty members is well on its way to becoming a reality,” I added.
I strongly hope that IAMU will continue to exercise leadership in enhancing the educational programs of maritime professionals around the world.
My vide message to IAMU’s 21st annual meeting is available at The Nippon Foundation YouTube.