Welcome Speech
by the Chairman of the IMLA 9 Organization Committee
Mercantile Marine Institute of Japan
Incorporated Foundation
President Inazo Ara
Your Excellency IMLA President Mr. Toda, Honorable IMLA Chairman
Professor Zade, Distinguished Guests and Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much for
your attending of the IMLA 9 to be held at the Port of Kobe which has made a remarkable
recovery from the last year's devastating disaster.
It is my great honor to welcome more than 200 participants from 42
countries here in this conference center and address a welcome speech as the Chairman of
the Organizing Committee of IMLA 9.
Since the 1st Conference held in Netherlands in 1980, IMLA has
continued to hold its biannual conference on MET to date and this IMLA 9 is its memorable
Conference to be held in Asia region for the first time.
IMLA is an International Association comprising presidents, rectors,
heads and lecturers in marine education fields all over the world. It has been playing a
vital role to recommend, on the basis of IMO's consultative status, its conclusions about
international maritime education, certification and so forth in close collaboration with
World Maritime University.
I, therefore, would like to pay my sincere tribute to the activities of
this global organization of maritime lecturers, aimed at the exchange of information and
opinions necessary to attain effective maritime education and training methods including
those for the innovatory shipboard technology.
The new STCW'95 with codified new requirements such as introduction of
innovated simulator training and mandatory obtaining of GMDSS certificates, will be
effective in February, 1997. IMO is now trying to do the best with all its might toward
its successful coming into force.
However, it is an essential condition for the successful result that
each flag state should observe and respect this new international convention with much
integrity, I suppose.
