Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of "Friends of WMU, Japan," cordially invited the Bangladeshi WMU-Sasakawa Fellows to a lunch at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel where following eight Bangladeshi Fellows from different areas of the country were assembled on December 20, 2002.

Mr. S.M.H. Kabir (91042, PSA), Deputy Director General, Ministry of Home Coast Guard Hqs

Mr. Khondaker Md. Asaduzzaman (98079, GMAEP), Director, Power Cell, Ministry of Power, Energy & Mineral Resources

Mr. A.F.M. Sirajul Islam (96042, SM), Engineer & Ship Surveyor, Mercantile & Marine Dept, Ministry of Shipping

Mr. A.S.M. Shahjahan (00033, PM), Executive Engineer, Electrical-Mechanical Dept, Chittagong Port Authority

Mr. Abu Hena M. Mamun (00069, SM), Deputy General Manager, Ship Repair Dept, BSC

Mr. Iqbal Karim (92041, TMS), Plant Manager, Dhaka Factory, Berger Paints Bangladesh Ltd.

Mr. Ali Yusuf Muhammad Sultan Noor (01083, GMA,) PS to Honorable Deputy Minister of Ministry of Communications

Mr. Gopi Mohan Shaha (96041, MET) Assistant General Manager, Marine Workshop, BSC

Each fellow explained his current position and assignment.

Mr. Sasakawa stressed the need for increased cooperation and continued global communication in maritime affairs in order to make each other fully aware of different ideas and experiences. He opined that the fellows could make tremendous contribution in this regard and might help achieve the standards set by IMO, i.e. Cleaner Ocean and Safer Ships.

A new doctoral programme of WMU; necessity of high-speed patrol boats for combating violence and piracy in the Bangladeshi waters, and recruitment of Bangladeshi seamen on Japanese ships were discussed.

The Fellows highly appreciated Mr. Sasakawa's valuable efforts and contribution towards the development of world maritime sector and his commitment to build a better maritime community.

　

　

IMO, in cooperation with the China Maritime Safety Administration, conducted a Regional Training Course on ISM Code Auditing on 18-22 November 2002. The course, which was held at the Ramada Pearl Hotel in Guangzhou City, focused on the proper conduct of auditing of shipping companies and their ships in accordance with the provisions of the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code). Captain Andy Morris, Regional Coordinator of Lloyd's Register of Shipping for ISM, and Captain Patrick Tso of Hong Kong PSC conducted the lecturers and exercises for the participants.

A total of 32 participants attended and successfully completed the one-week course, which provided essential information on the details of auditing procedures. The course participants were from government maritime authorities of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Macau-China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Four graduates of WMU were among them, namely: Captain Muhammad Aslam Shaheen of Pakistan (MSA-N 1998), Commander Luis M. Tuason Jr. of the Philippines (MSA-N 1995), LCDR Nate Sujjavanich of Thailand (MA 2002), and Mr. Vo Duy Thang of Vietnam (PM 2001).

The participants thanked the IMO and the China Maritime Safety Administration for the excellent course, with special mention to the Guangzhou Maritime Safety Administration for its excellent arrangements and kind hospitality.

　

　

JICA is working on a master plan of domestic shipping promotion in Indonesia as part of its technical cooperation for the country. Preparatory research and the making of the master plan will be undertaken by a consortium consisting of Japanese consultant companies which will work with the Indonesian Directorate General of Sea Communication.

In December 2002, a kick-off meeting took place in Jakarta between DGSC and the Japanese partners, where the scope and method of research were discussed along with expected results.

Prior to the kick-off meeting, the Japanese partners paid a visit to a WMU Graduate at DGSC, Mr. Roy Kasiono, who is knowledgeable about legal aspects of Indonesian domestic shipping, and received from him suggestions on the foreign investment environment in Indonesia such as rules and regulations, business licenses and taxation, as well as advice on research policy and procedures. Mr. Kasiono kindly explained the Indonesian system of domestic shipping and introduced key persons from relevant government agencies and the shipping world.

　

　

In response to a request from IMG, the Tokyo MOU implemented the first joint training program for PSC officers from the Asia-Pacific region. From September 24 through October 11, 2002, eighteen people from the region gathered at the Overseas Shipbuilding Cooperation Center in Yokosuka to participate in the training program. Among the participants were two Sasakawa Fellows of the Class of 1996: Capt. Kyaw Zeya from Myanmar and Mr. A. F. M. Sirajul Islam from Bangladesh. The program included classroom lectures as well as practical training on PSC inspections.

　

　

Designated as Director, IOI-Ukraine, I am supporting the activities of the International Ocean Institute (IOI), which was founded by Prof. Elisabeth Mann Borgese in 1972. It is a global network of 21 operational centers around the world coordinated by the Headquarters in Malta. IOI focuses on meeting global human needs linking scientific results in the field of ocean exploration and their users. One of its main activities is organizing the Pacem in Maribus (PIM) conferences. The last 29th PIM conference took place in December, 2002 in Cape Town, South Africa, and addressed issues of ocean governance and sustainable development in the era of globalization. The 30th PIM entitled "A Year after Johannesburg: Trends in Ocean and Coastal Sustainable Development - a Glimpse into the Future" will be held October 27-31, 2003 in Kiev (Ukraine) and will discuss the challenges and trends of sustainable development of the oceans and coasts in the light of the decisions and recommendations of WSSD 2002 and World Water Forum 2003. The conference topics will include: ocean and human health, coastal and ocean integrated management, living and non-living resources, safety and security of human activities at sea, and problems of semi-closed and closed seas.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I would like to invite "Friends of WMU, Japan" and Sasakawa Fellows to participate in PIM 2003.

　

　

The 5th meeting of the SOLAS diplomatic conference was held from 9th to 13th December 2002 at the IMO headquarters in London. Both the SOLAS amendments and the international code for the security of ships and of port facilities (ISPS code) were agreed upon, which will introduce new measures on maritime security. Such measures will enter into force on 1st July 2004 and include:

　

i) Provision of ships' identification

Ships are required to mark their own IMO numbers on the hull permanently and to retain the continuous synopsis record onboard, which contains historical data of its name(s), port of registry(s), name of owner(s), etc. Early implementation of AIS installation was also agreed upon.

ii) Development and implementation of a ship security plan

A ship security plan approved by the Administration must be retained onboard. In the plan, restricted areas, onboard patrols, monitoring outsiders coming on and going off ship, etc. shall be determined adequately in accordance with each of three security levels. According to the plan, a ship is required to respond to the security levels set by the Administration and contracting government of the port it intends to enter.

iii) Installation of a ship security alert

It was decided that a ship shall install a ship security alert for reporting to coastal states when a security incident is imminent or has happened.

　

A contracting government is required to secure development and implementation of a port facility security plan in its territory. The plan shall describe restricted areas, monitoring of entry to and exit from a port facility, etc.

　

The Administration is required to set security levels for ships entitled to fly its flag and to provide such information to them. A contracting government is required to set security levels and to provide such information to port facilities in its territory. A contracting government is also required to set security levels for ships intending to enter a port in its territory and to provide such information as well as risk of attack.

　

Provisions on controls and compliance measures are agreed upon, which will verify that a ship complies with requirements on security measures. Security measure controls may apply not only to ships in a port but also to those intending to enter a port. The controls include expulsion from a port and denial to enter a port, but such measures can be imposed only where duly authorized personnel have clear grounds to believe that the ship poses an immediate threat to the security or safety of persons, or of ships or other property and that there are no other appropriate means for removing that threat.

　

　

WMU, established in 1983 as a centre of excellence for maritime education and training, seems to have played a crucial role in human resource development. In fact, some graduates play crucial roles in the technical discussions at the IMO meetings. One of them is Chairman of the Technical Co-operation Committee, the highest IMO body relating to technical co-operation, and others have been appointed to lead the working groups of Sub-Committees or the Committee to sort out contentious issues. Some graduates, working for Permanent Representatives to IMO, or even for IMO, have contributed to legislation of IMO requirements through their participation in debates. Others, in leading positions in their maritime Administrations, have endeavoured to further enhance their expertise through participation in training courses organized by IMO, with an expectation that they will promote the highest practicable standards in the maritime field in their respective countries.

I believe that roles played by the graduates of WMU will be increasingly important, possibly even Chairman of some technical IMO bodies in the near future.