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My farewell to the World Maritime University

This has been a great weekend. In conjunction with the annual graduation ceremony, the second session of the Board of Governors was held at the new premises of the World Maritime University in Malmö.

I was particularly pleased with the adoption, by the Board of Governors, of the Interim Statute for the Endowment Fund of the World Maritime University (WMU). With this historic action, we can now start our truly ambitious project of raising US$100 million to provide the sustainable resource base for the future of the University.

Improvement of the financial basis for further, sustainable progress towards achieving the noble objectives of the World Maritime University was one of the most pressing issues during my tenure as Secretary-General and, on arriving at this milestone action by the Board of Governors after the intensive discussions of the last three years, I would like to express my sincerest appreciation for everyone involved in the preparation for the endowment fund.

We have clearly opened a new chapter at the WMU with the new strategic directions for the University, the state-of-the-art and award-winning new campus, the enthusiastic new President and the endowment fund. This weekend gave me the happiest moment in my tenure as the Chancellor of the University. I cannot find sufficient words to express my appreciation for all who have supported the sustainability study and our attempt to establish an endowment fund.

The graduation ceremony was my last opportunity as Chancellor and Secretary-General to express my appreciation of all the supporters of the University over the years, and to address graduates of the University. I was pleased to see Secretary General emeritus Mr O'Neil and the Secretary-General elect, Mr Lim, who kindly attended the graduation ceremony. I could not imagine any stronger encouragement than their presence and participation in the ceremony for the graduates from this University of IMO to explore their future in the maritime community.

I wish all graduates all the best for their future.

Koji

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29 September 2015

Sharing information to counter piracy

Yesterday, I visited the new premises of the Information Sharing Centre (ISC) of ReCAAP (the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia), which recently opened in Singapore's information technology compound.

Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of ReCAAP and its centre. The centre has made a significant contribution to the efforts of Asian counties to counter piracy and armed robbery in the region and has established a good model for other regions to establish similar mechanisms to share vital information on piracy incidents. During my visit,  I was accompanied by Mr Andrew Tan, CEO of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), and took the occasion to congratulate Mr Yasuhisa Endo, Executive Director of ReCAAP-ISC, and his staff for the their excellent efforts to promote maritime security and the safety of international shipping in this region.

With the strong support of the host country, Singapore, ReCAAP-ISC is exploring its future possibilities in the field of maritime security, not only in the region but also in a global context. By transforming itself into a centre of excellence for the world, it could continuously provide shipping with the vital real-time security information that will be essential for sustainable maritime activities in the coming decades.

I wish Mr Endo and his team all the best for their endeavours in preparing for the tenth anniversary year in 2016 and exploring the future of ReCAAP-ISC.

Koji

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28 September 2015

IMO, shipping and the climate change debate

I am now in Singapore attending the Future-Ready Shipping Conference, 2015. At the opening of the conference today, I expressed my appreciation to Singapore for its initiative in successfully organising this important event. The theme of the conference is "New technology and innovation in the future of the maritime industry" and the clear focus is on technology-transfer to assist in the global implementation of the IMO measures that promote energy efficiency and the reduction of CO2 emissions from ships.

At today's conference, I formally launched the GEF-UNDP-IMO project entitled GloMEEP, standing for "Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships" (click here for details). I recall my meeting with Dr Naoko Ishii, CEO of the Global Environment Facility, at the 2013 Davos World Economic Forum, and a subsequent meeting we had at her office in Washington, during which we shared our common vision on the need to transform the maritime transport industry towards a low-carbon future, through improved energy efficiency under the IMO measures established by the 2011 amendments to the MARPOL Convention. So I was particularly pleased that I was able to formally launch this project today and I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr Ishii for her support and to Dr Andrew Hudson of the UNDP, who has been a staunch supporter of IMO-UNDP projects such as GloBallast, for his encouragement and support in preparing this latest flagship project for IMO.

Followers of my blog may recall that I stated in my last post that I wanted to provide my views regarding climate change issues and IMO's activities. At the opening of the conference today I took the opportunity to outline some of my views and opinions on the current discussions surrounding shipping's contribution within the climate change debate and I would also like to take this opportunity to share them with you now.

Please click here to read my full statement on this issue, which appears on the IMO website.

Koji

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16 September 2015

Current and future challenges for international shipping

During the past five months, since my mission to Panama to attend the Panama Maritime XII conference, I have not been active in posting my blogs. In this period, IMO has seen some significant developments and activities, including:

- adoption of the Polar Code by the Marine Environment Protection Committee

- a special session on maritime migrant issues during the Maritime Safety Committee

- the inauguration of the new campus at the World Maritime University

- the election, by the IMO Council, of a new Secretary General, Mr Ki-tack Lim,

- the World Maritime Day parallel event in Tokyo and Yokohama, and

- the joint IMO/WMU/Arctic Council Arctic shipping conference at the new WMU campus.

I have been certainly busy in this period, both officially and personally, and I regret I that have not been able to maintain my usual pace of blogging about a number of important missions and my engagements with Member Governments and the maritime industry.

Nevertheless, many issues and ideas have come to my mind as topics for blogging during this period and I really feel disappointed that I have not been able to share my thoughts.

My mission, in April, to the Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies Forum, held in Shenzhen, China, was a precious opportunity for me to speak directly to high level officials in those agencies and provide my views on what challenges our maritime community may face in future. These challenges, for IMO and maritime Administrations, include:

- a more rigorous approach to domestic passenger ship safety

- preparation for the expected entry into force of the Ballast Water Management Convention

- further efforts required for the entry into force of IMO instruments such as the HNS Convention, Hong Kong Convention and Cape Town Agreement,

- implementation of the energy-efficiency measures under MARPOL,

- smooth implementation of the mandatory Member State audit scheme, and

- further evolution of the Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments.

Also in April was the first ever IMO conference on domestic ferry safety, which successfully adopted useful guidelines and recommendations for maritime Administrations for improving the safety of domestic passenger ships. A report from the conference was presented to the Technical Cooperation Committee and follow up action will be taken. The conference was held in Manila, and let me once again say how appreciative I am of the Government of the Philippines for hosting the event.

We are now already in mid-September and I have delivered a number of speeches at major shipping industry gatherings, including London International Shipping Week and Maritime Cyprus. I have enjoyed every opportunity to share my views on contemporary issues surrounding shipping and I am grateful to the organisers who invited me for providing me such excellent opportunities to address shipping communities.

Readers of my blog may wish to take a look at my speech to the International Chamber of Shipping Conference, posted on the IMO website (see here). Once again, I urged the shipping industry to encourage IMO Member Governments with significant amounts of tonnage in their registries to take swift action to ratify the Ballast Water Management Convention. I also stated that maritime Administrations and safety authorities should seriously consider what they can do to prevent migrants departing from their coasts and ports aboard small craft on inherently unsafe sea passages.

During a panel discussion with United Kingdom shipping minister Robert Goodwill and US Maritime Administrator Paul Jaenichen, I stated my views on the crucial role of IMO in creating a framework of maritime governance under IMO conventions, and touched upon my view that IMO and the shipping industry have already established effective measures to reduce CO2 emissions from ships. On the question of the possibility of imposing a levy for shipping or a limitation on the total emissions from ships, I stated that world leaders should carefully evaluate the impact of such measures on the world economy before deciding on their implementation. I am sure that I will have further opportunity to speak on the issue of emission controls for the shipping industry during this autumn.

At Maritime Cyprus, a large number of London-based representatives to IMO were also in attendance and I enjoyed another panel discussion. Once again I stated the achievement of IMO in having effectively established what I would call the "Global System of Shared Responsibilities for Maritime Governance under IMO Conventions" and my firm view that IMO will continue to be the only organization dealing with legislation for all technical matters regarding shipping, and with a new responsibility to monitor the performance of IMO Member Governments in implementing IMO measures under the mandatory audit system.

Koji

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15 April 2015

The qualities of leadership

I have returned from Panama where I attended the opening of the Panama Maritime XII conference.  Once again, I was away from home over the weekend, on mission. On Saturday, I visited the International Maritime University of Panama (IMUP), an excellent maritime education institution in Central America. IMUP’s decision to confer upon me the title of Doctor Honoris Causa and the presentation of that honour by the University Rector, Ms. Fernanda Billard, at an event attended by Ambassadors and Government officials and representatives of the maritime industry of Panama really took me by surprise. I felt sincerely humbled and honoured to receive it. I stated that, if the honour is for the recognition of my work at IMO, I would like to receive it on behalf of all my colleagues in the IMO Secretariat, the numerous delegates who have attended IMO meetings over the last 26 years (while I have been working at IMO) and supported the activities of IMO and, above all, my family, in particular my wife and my children. Without their understanding, trust, encouragement, support and endurance over such a long period of time, I could not have continuously worked for the international maritime community, so often being away from home. Twenty-six years is a long time! I had been invited to give a master lecture at the Conference Hall of the Panama Canal Authority to cadets studying at IMUP and Columbus University, maritime industry representatives and the Panama Maritime Authority staff, led by Administrator H.E. Mr Jorge Barakat and the Permanent Representative of Panama to IMO, Ambassador Mr Arsenio Dominguez. In the lecture, I said that during 26 years of working at IMO for the international community I had learned two important things about being a leader. First, be honest and sincere to yourself and in your judgements. You can pretend, and you can perform well in the eyes of others. But you cannot hide the truth from yourself. You always know the truth and you cannot escape from it. You must see matters as they are, whether you like it or not. Be honest to your feelings and your judgement and then take action according to your own judgment, not that of others. Strategy and tactics are important but the ability to observe matters as they are, without prejudice, and the ability to respond to the real, changing world, are more important factors for anyone who is in a position of leadership. Second, however much you think your decision is right, however clearly you can see how things should be done, you cannot achieve anything without cooperation, harmony and support from your people. Be honest to your judgement and share it with people in full transparency - this is what I have learnt and this is what I am doing. The concept of innocent passage on the high seas is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). But this right does not extend to internal waters or to ports, where sovereign right will prevail. Which means that, in internal waters, States can impose regulations that go beyond the international standards adopted by IMO. But my view is that the international standards adopted and developed through IMO should also apply in internal waters and in ports, at least as far as ships engaged in international trade are concerned. Therefore, IMO should be working in this field. Governance by IMO regulations and IMO standards for international shipping - this should be IMO's core objective. This has been achieved as far as navigation in territorial seas is concerned, under the provisions of UNCLOS. But, this is not enough, if we really want shipping to be maintained and governed sustainably, under international regulations. International shipping should enjoy the same principle of governance by international regulations in internal waters and ports as it does in territorial seas. Domestic regulations, implemented in internal waters and ports, which go beyond IMO standards, would have a detrimental effect on the well-being of international shipping. We should make the utmost efforts to avoid unilateral action to impose national standards in internal waters and ports that go beyond IMO provisions. In my view, any state that wishes to apply standards more stringent than those in international regulations should come to IMO, discuss the matter and, if agreed, amend the international standards through the appropriate mechanism. This is the value of IMO. We should strive to ensure that the global system of shared responsibilities under IMO conventions continues to be maintained. IMO should be seriously concerned about potential unilateral implementation, in ports, of national regulations which go beyond IMO standards, even though, strictly speaking, this can be done under the provisions of current international law. The right of ships to visit ports in internal waters, so long as they fully comply with IMO standards rather than national standards, should be established. I firmly believe that the entry into force of the Ballast Water Management Convention would dramatically reduce the current uncertainties surrounding the implementation of measures for ballast water management. Once this convention has been activated, then we can handle all issues surrounding its implementation under its provisions. The resolution adopted by the most recent meeting of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in 2014, to seriously reduce the initial burdens of compliance by ship owners must be implemented. In this context, the MEPC should develop the necessary amendments to the BWM Convention as soon as possible. Such amendments should be adopted as soon as it comes into force. This is the only way forward. Let me stress once again: the MEPC has adopted the resolution to significantly reduce the burden on ship owners with regard to existing vessels in the initial phase of implementation. The MEPC resolution must be implemented but this cannot be done unless the BWM Convention comes into force. Without the BWM Convention in force, the MEPC resolution cannot be activated. And, in the absence of an international regime under IMO, unilateral application of national regulations may prevail. This is why I am seriously promoting the early entry into force of the BWM Convention. Panama has a real opportunity to lead the world and to bring this about. Panama, on its own, can activate the global system to control global implementation of the ballast water management measures under the IMO convention. Panama can ensure that the MEPC resolution on the grandfather clause, no penalty on the outcome of sampling in the initial period, the relaxed application schedule and the PSC guidelines could be implemented - if it acts to ratify the BWM Convention and thereby trigger its entry into force. If not, unilateral application of domestic regulations could prevail. This would have a serious detrimental effect even on ship owners, because there is no mechanism to control domestic regulations in the absence of an active international regime and, what's more, from a practical point of view, ship owners would not be able to enjoy the agreed measures for reducing burdens that have been adopted by MEPC. All that’s needed to avoid this, is the entry into force of the BWM Convention - and Panama, acting alone, can make it happen.  As the world’s largest Flag State, Panama should urgently ratify the BWM Convention. This was my main message at the lecture. Koji

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31 March 2015

Mission to Central America - Honduras

Honduras is the third country visited on my trip to CentralAmerica. My visit started with a courtesy call to Vice President, Ms RossanaGuevara, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As I had done previously in Guatemala, I encouraged theVice President to promote maritime development in Honduras. With two significant coastlines, Honduras has real potential for future economic growth based on the maritime sector. I also emphasized the importance of establishing a national maritime transportation policy to encourage long-term investment to strengthen the country’s maritime infrastructure. I pledged IMO's technical cooperation support to Honduras to establish its own national maritime transportation policy and commended its current efforts to promote short-distance maritime transport under the Mesoamerican Integration and Development Project. The Vice President requested further technical cooperation support from IMO for establishing a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area based on its important coastline on the Caribbean Sea. I also commended efforts being made by Honduras to protect the marine environment and gave assurance that IMO will continue to provide technical corporation support in this field, as well.

I met the country's Defence Minister, Mr Samuel Reyes, at the welcoming dinner arranged for me by the Director General of Merchant Marine, Roberto Cardona, and engaged in discussion on how Honduras could promote the maritime industry and seafaring professions. I introduced the concept of the IMO Maritime Ambassador Scheme and encouraged them to support this initiative in order to promote the maritime industry in this country.

I was also pleased to meet the President of the National Congress of the Republic of Honduras, Mr Mauricio Oliva Herrera. Although I visit a large number of IMO Member States as Secretary General, and often meet the Heads of Government, it is rare to have an opportunity to meet the head of a national congress – the legislative authority of a State. At my meeting, I emphasized the importance of implementing IMO instruments for the shipping industry of Honduras.

During the visit, I also requested a visit to the Headquarters of the Maritime Administration, including the Honduras ship register. At my visit to the Administration offices, I commended their efforts to improve their performance and requested further efforts in the context of strengthening our global system of sharing responsibility for maritime governance.

I was encouraged to note that Director General Cardona, who was appointed just three months ago, has a very clear vision for achieving full implementation of IMO instruments and has already taken serious action in the very short period since his appointment to review and improve all activities of the maritime administration. I must say that I was impressed by his dedication and leadership and I encouraged him to set ambitious targets, aiming at establishing a truly top-class administration with standards of implementation of, and compliance with, IMO conventions that would be regarded as an excellent model to be followed.

My mission to Central America, visiting El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, was an eye opener for me. I learned a lot and I enjoyed my meetings with heads of governmental organisations and leaders of the maritime industry. I encouraged all of them to promote the industry in this region because I believe that there is real potential to create economic prosperity through the development of the maritime industry in Central America.

But there is a very important condition to be fulfilled. Such promotion of the maritime industry must be pursued through full implementation of the IMO conventions. I cannot emphasize enough that, for example, full and effective compliance with the requirements of the STCW Convention (the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) is fundamental if a country intends to provide seafarers to the international shipping industry – something which each of the countries I visited is seriously looking to do. In this context, the confirmation of compliance through the ‘white list’ procedure of the STCW Convention is of paramount importance. Compliance must be achieved before promotion, and I am pleased to note that all of the countries I visited are aware of this and seriously pursuing such compliance.

Koji

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27 March 2015

Mission to Central America -– Guatemala

On Tuesday, 24 March 2015, I arrived at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala and was greeted by the Vice Minister for Navy and Executive Head of the Maritime Administration in Guatemala, Vice Admiral Tyrone Rene Hidalgo Caceres, and Mr Lesther Antonio Ortega Lemus, Deputy Head of the Embassy of Guatemala in London.

I made a courtesy call to the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Carlos Raul Morales Moscoso, also attended by Ambassador Acisclo Valladares Molina from the Embassy in London, during which I indicated my interest in learning about the maritime heritage of Guatemala and highlighted the importance of government policies to promote maritime trade and industry. We recalled our previous meeting, when the Minister had visited IMO Headquarters in London last year, and I again pledged IMO's continuing effort to provide technical cooperation to Guatemala for the effective implementation of IMO instruments.

I also made a courtesy call to the office of the Defence Minister, Brigade-General Manuel Augusto López Ambrocio, and attended a special presentation at the Defence Ministry on the activities of the Maritime Authority of Guatemala. I spoke about the achievements of IMO during the last half century and the current system of sharing responsibility for maritime governance through the global implementation of IMO instruments. I emphasized the importance of implementing IMO conventions and commended the current efforts of the Government and the industry to ratify the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention) and fully implement the STCW Convention, through the process of audit by a panel of competent persons.

I then moved to the Pacific Coast. There I was shown around the campus of the Naval Academy, where basic training of civilian cadets has been provided for the past five years. 1700 cadets were trained last year alone, according to the high standards set by the Naval Academy. The Naval Academy has a major expansion plan for training civilian seafarers in compliance with the provisions of the STCW Convention, and I commended its efforts.

I enjoyed a number of meetings with industry bodies, including a meeting with the National Port Commission, and I encouraged both the Government and the industry to promote maritime trade and shipping. A national maritime policy is essential for sustainable maritime development but such a policy would be difficult to realisze unless a large proportion of the general public really understand the importance of maritime trade for the economy and well-being of the nation and the real potential of their involvement in global maritime development. Guatemala has two long coastlines, facing two big oceans, and has a real potential for future economic growth based on maritime development. Shipping and the maritime industry should be promoted in Central America and I emphasized the need to promote the maritime industry in the minds of the general public. In this context, I explained the objectives and mechanisms of the IMO Maritime Ambassador scheme and encouraged the Government and the maritime industry to support it.

Today, on 26 March 2015, I will travel to Honduras, the final destination of my visit to Central America.

Koji

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25 March 2015

Mission to Central America

My tour to three countries in Central America started with a visit to El Salvador on 22 March 2015, during which I was accompanied throughout by Ambassador Werner Romero.

After a courtesy call to the Vice President, Mr Oscar Ortiz, I addressed a press conference, together with the Foreign Minister, Mr Hugo Martinez, to announce the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding between El Salvador and IMO on technical cooperation. This MoU will strengthen IMO's support to El Salvador for its implementation of IMO instruments and promote the adoption of a national maritime transportation policy for the country.

At the Foreign Ministry, I was briefed by the Vice Minister, Mr Carlos Castaneda, on the Short Distance Maritime Transport project, which is being coordinated under the mechanism of the Mesoamericana Integration and Development Project. I encouraged El Salvador to establish a national maritime transportation policy under the framework of this project.

My programme included a short visit to the newly established Seafarers Training Centre in La Unión, where I encouraged the staff of Centre to undertake training activities in parallel with the process of compliance evaluation with the STCW Convention. This is an important step forward in El Salvador’s endeavours to promote national maritime development.

I was also provided with an opportunity to address students learning foreign policy at the Foreign Ministry. I spoke about the history of IMO, why IMO is important, IMO’s activities beyond the provisions of UNCLOS, this year's World Maritime Day theme of Maritime Education and Training, the importance of the Government’s national maritime transportation policy and the IMO Maritime Ambassadors Scheme.  I encouraged students to promote maritime development in El Salvador.

I left El Salvador for the next country of my visit, Guatemala, on 24 March 2015.

Koji

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25 February 2015

Promotion of national maritime transport policy in Africa

Japan was the first non-European country to successfully introduce modern technology and ideas and mechanisms of contemporary civilisation - developed in Western Europe - into its own society, with its unique culture and civilisation. The country’s industrialisation began around 150 years ago and it quickly became one of the biggest maritime nations, with the whole country becoming industrialised with economic activity and manufacturing of all kinds; from textiles to electricity, petro-chemicals, machinery, automobile, railways and high speed trains, aviation, shipping, heavy industries including shipbuilding, nuclear power plants and so on. The industrial products produced were well recognised and renowned for their quality. This successful process of industrialisation was far from a miracle. It was the natural outcome of the hard work of people who were passionate about education in science and technology and the strong industrial policy adopted by the Government. What's more, the geographical location of the country in the middle of the ocean, with its long coastlines and thousands of islands, was probably the biggest advantage for Japan in terms of its industrialisation. Japan enjoyed access to the sea; meaning, access to the world through shipping, making shipbuilding and shipping the most important industries for the country’s process of post-war industrialisation. The message that I delivered at the first ever National Maritime Conference held in Nairobi, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, stated that what was possible in Japan, should be possible in African countries and in particular, in Kenya. The key is access to the world through the oceans and seas. Strong industrial policy, firmly and formally adopted by the Government, is a crucial element for any industry in any nation and even more so for the maritime industry. Maritime development, under a formal national maritime transportation policy, will lead Kenya towards prosperity. Taking advantage of my participation in the Conference, I visited Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi. I learned that the University was established with cooperation from Japan in 1984 and I was introduced to the marine engineering department that is gearing to annually produce hundreds of marine engineers for Kenya’s shipping industry. It was here at this campus, standing under a beautiful tree that was planted by the current Emperor of Japan and was providing cool shade under the strong sun of the Equator, that my thoughts turned to the importance of technical cooperation among all nations of the world, industrial policies of nations and the role that IMO may play in supporting them.

Koji

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17 February 2015

IMO Maritime Ambassadors Scheme

In the context of promoting the maritime and seafaring professions all over the world, today I launched the IMO Maritime Ambassador Scheme at IMO Headquarters.

At a reception after the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction, I spoke to delegates about the need to promote a full range of maritime subjects, such as naval architecture, marine engineering, maritime law and so on, as well as the attractions of a career in seafaring. I stressed how important it is to plant an understanding about the enticing prospects of a life in the maritime and seafaring professions in the minds of children and younger people, who have yet to decide on their future endeavours and career paths.

I mentioned about my own interests, stemming from my University days, in the truly challenging field of naval architecture. For me, this represents a fascinating combination of science and art in shipbuilding, covering hydrodynamics, material sciences, design and strength calculation, towing tank experiments, ship movement analysis, manoeuvrability and so on. Ship design in the future will offer a full range of challenges and opportunities in the fields of art and engineering, based on science and advanced technology.

It is pity to observe that the younger generations today seem to have lost interest in constructing these truly amazing, complex, man-made structures, capable of navigating the real oceans and coping with all the forces nature. Instead they seem increasingly attracted to information and communication technologies, thereby missing the wonderful opportunities to participate in real-world developments such as shipping and shipbuilding. Ships of the future will require young talent to explore futuristic designs and, in my view, naval architecture is a hugely attractive profession, especially when you weigh the current number of young naval architects against the future demand for ships designed to meet society’s increasingly stringent requirements for safety and environmental protection.

Turning specifically to seafaring; this can provide young generations not only with an opportunity to earn money to live and provide for their families, it also offers unique opportunities to navigate the seas of the globe and encounter the wonders of the ocean world. We must tell young people that they have the opportunity to experience a real world of natural adventure in the seas and oceans of our planet. Seafaring offers a wonderful opportunity to see the world and interact with people from all over the planet, experiencing the huge variety of mankind’s culture and heritage.

A successful seafaring career also holds the promise of a further rewarding career on land, after retiring from the sea. We have a wonderful world of professions to offer to younger generations but we need ambassadors to spread the word among young people about how rewarding the maritime and seafaring professions are and how fulfilling a life within them can be. We need to place these ideas in the hearts of the younger generation.

The idea of the IMO Maritime Ambassador Scheme has emerged from exploring the possibilities of concerted promotional activities among all IMO Member Governments and the industry.

Under the scheme, each IMO Member Government is invited to identify and appoint IMO Maritime Ambassadors in their own country. IMO will formally recognise these appointments and maintain a register of IMO Maritime Ambassadors. Each IMO Ambassador will carry out activities such as school visits, speaking to young people and children at various opportunities arranged with Governments. Through IMO, these promotional activities and experiences will be shared by other IMO Ambassadors in other countries. We may expect that, sometime at a later stage, IMO Ambassadors would gather at IMO and discuss how to further promote their outreach activities.

This scheme will be activated by a Circular Letter on the subject of the World Maritime Day celebration this year, to be issued shortly. I sincerely hope that Member Governments and industry organisations would support this scheme in the context of the theme of this year's World Maritime Day theme, Maritime Education and Training, and of our annual Day of the Seafarer campaign.

Koji

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16 February 2015

Visit to Plymouth University

Earlier last week, I took a train from London’s Paddington Station to visit Plymouth University. The purpose of my visit was to discuss how we could promote maritime subjects in higher education and explore the possibility of cooperation between Plymouth University and the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden – such as the provision of teaching staff from Plymouth University or sending post-graduate students from Plymouth to WMU to learn more about maritime governance at IMO.

After a short introduction to the University over lunch with industry representatives and the University management team, lead by Interim Vice Chancellor Professor David Coslett, I was taken by Professor Jingjing Xu of the Business Faculty on a tour of the facilities of the maritime department, including the most up-to-date simulator and ocean research facility. The facilities are excellent indeed, and I enjoyed the opportunity to join with the students in a navigation of the coast of Devon in the ship simulator.

I was introduced by the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business, Professor Nikolaos Tzokas, to hundreds of students studying maritime subjects. I enjoyed talking to students in the auditorium: I spoke about my career after my time spent studying naval architecture at Osaka University, gave an overview of developments in the shipping industry over the last half century, the achievements of IMO and the established global system of shared responsibilities for maritime governance, the current level of safety and accidents, maritime security issues – including piracy and maritime migration aboard unsafe boats and vessels, the importance of education and so on. I encouraged the students to work hard, with a creative and pioneering spirit, both at University and also in the industry after graduation.

I always feel inspired when I address students at WMU and other Universities and academic institutions and I felt exactly the same when I was addressing students at Plymouth University. I appreciate very much the Vice Chancellor providing me such an enjoyable and precious experience, and I requested him to support the activities of IMO and continue to provide young people at the University with excellent opportunities to learn about maritime subjects.

I will continue to visit maritime educational institutions in the context of promoting maritime education and training during the course of this year.

Koji

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26 January 2015

Encouraging progress in Egypt

For the last three days, I have been in Egypt, at the kind invitation of the Egyptian Government and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT). Today, 26 January 2015, I will return to London.

My visit to the AASTMT was my first since 2007, when I was Director of IMO’s Maritime Safety Division. This time, I visited the Academy as a part of an official visit as Secretary General. I addressed the Executive Council and the top-level management of the Academy, as well as students from the College of Maritime Transport and Technology at the graduation ceremony to mark the completion of their basic studies at the Academy. On both occasions, I spoke about the theme for the 2015 World Maritime Day ("Maritime Education and Training"), the importance of training institutions, my view on what IMO has achieved during the last five and a half decades of activity - a global system of shared responsibilities for maritime governance - and on the importance of strengthened cooperation among maritime universities and academies throughout the world, and IMO’s own World Maritime University.

I was delighted to see the most recent developments at the Academy, such as the advanced full-mission engine room simulator. The high level of education and training at the Academy was reflected in the achievements of the students that were honoured at the graduation ceremony. Their eyes really shone with their pride as graduates of the Academy and their excitement and expectations for their future was were clear to see.

The AASTMT is the facility of the League of Arab States for training maritime experts. It is supported by the transport ministries of all Arab League nations, and hosted in Egypt. The maritime industry cannot be run and maintained without a well-trained and motivated human element, people who actually operate ships and ports at the sharp end. After observing the most up-to-date training facilities and the strength of the teaching staff, I felt that the future of maritime activities in the Arab nations is secure, thanks to this excellent institution which maintains the highest standards of education and training.

The schedule of my visit included courtesy visits to President, Prime Minister, Transport Minister, Interior Minister and Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, with all of whom I exchanged views on the importance of the Arab Academy, and the importance of a sustainable maritime transportation system for the economy of the region - and the world. I also requested further support for the activities of IMO. I specifically mentioned the importance of the Suez Canal expansion project as a significant contribution from Egypt to the maritime community. I was pleased to note the willingness of the Transport Minister, in particular, to provide further information at an appropriate opportunity to IMO on the progress of the expansion project, which could be finalised this year given the significant level of accelerated investments and construction work.

Koji Sekimizu

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12 January 2015

Visit to Harwich Mayflower Project

Readers of my blog will know that I am very keen to find and promote examples of our collective maritime heritage. Of course, I do not wish to compete with UNESCO and its World Heritage Convention, but I do genuinely believe that, through maritime heritage, we can help raise the profile of shipping and the maritime industries of today, as well as, indirectly, the work of IMO.

For a sustainable maritime transportation system, we need to ensure that the general public is aware of the value of shipping in their daily lives and that it is central to their survival and prosperity. We also need to ensure they are aware of the need for seafaring and maritime professionals to support this vital industry for mankind and of the value of maintaining the global system of maritime governance through IMO working in close cooperation with other UN sister agencies, such as ILO.

This year's theme for the World Maritime Day is "Maritime Education and Training". Throughout this year, we will be promoting maritime professions and seafarers’ training. In these activities, our outreach and promotional activities targeted to the general public, school children and students will be accelerated. We need ambassadors for shipping and the maritime industries. We need not just one ambassador but hundreds. I myself, as the Secretary-General, should be one such ambassador but I would ask every one of the readers of this blog to join me and become a maritime ambassador for the shipping industry and for IMO. The IMO Secretariat is currently discussing an idea to formally appoint maritime ambassadors in each of the IMO Member Governments and I am exploring this as a way to raise the profile of IMO as the prime leader for global maritime governance.

Looking further ahead, 2020 will be a big year in our maritime history, as it will mark the 400th anniversary since roughly one hundred of the so-called ‘pilgrim fathers’ departed from Plymouth in the UK, on 16 September 1620,  aboard a small sailing ship named the ‘Mayflower’, and reached the American continent  66 days later on 21 November 1620. In July last year, I touched upon my encounter with a project to reconstruct the Mayflower, at the maritime town of Harwich in the UK. Today (9 January 2015), I revisited the Mayflower building site at Harwich and was welcomed by Tom Daly, the leader of this fascinating project, who explained the undertaking in some detail. They aim to complete reconstruction work well before 2020 and undertake a voyage in the vessel to America to mark the quadricentennial year of one of the most important events in our maritime history.

In this blog so far, I have been promoting maritime heritage in various parts of the world. I visited Callao in Peru where Thor Heyerdahl started his exploration into the Pacific Ocean aboard the Kon-Tiki; Massachusetts, where Jon Manjiro was trained as the first Japanese seaman; Hong Kong, where the observatory and the new maritime museum preserve its maritime history; A Coruña, where  the Tower of Hercules still stands and acts as a beacon; Gdansk, where a medieval port crane is preserved; Veracruz in Mexico, where Hasekura Tsunenaga departed to Madrid and Civitavecchia, near Rome, where he landed to see the Pope some four hundred years ago; Tangier, in Morocco, where Ibn Battuta returned home after his thirty years of world travel some seven hundred years ago; Melbourne, where the accommodation of an immigration ship is displayed. I also visited the UK’s National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory at Greenwich last August and discussed with the Director of the Museum how we can collaborate in our outreach activities to promote maritime heritage.

London itself has a remarkable maritime heritage and last year's Quincentenary cerebration of Trinity House was a remarkable event and an excellent opportunity for us all to mark our thanks for the dedicated service of Trinity House in protecting mariners throughout five hundred years. To properly recognize the efforts and contribution of lighthouses and aids to navigation authorities throughout the world, I am now exploring the possibility of locating a display of lighthouse lenses at IMO Headquarters, thanks to the significant support of Trinity House. The idea was discussed with the previous Secretary-General of IALA, Mr Gary Prosser, at the Conference at A Coruña, and is now close to being finalized, to mark the Quincentenary of Trinity House.

These are all examples of our maritime heritage and history that inspire us to consider where we have come from and where we are going.

I will continue exploring our collective maritime heritage this year.

Koji

[imosgblog-blog]

15 December 2014  Maritime migrants - need for further action

On 10 December 2014, on Human Rights Day, upon the kind invitation of Mr Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, I attended the High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges with the theme of "Protection at Sea" held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. I participated in the high level panel discussion "Boat People in the twenty-first century", together with Ambassador William Swing, Director General, International Organization for Migration and Mr Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Before the opening of the event today, I met Ambassador Swing and we exchanged views on collaboration between our two Organizations. This year marks the 40-year anniversary of our formal agreement of cooperation and we agreed to strengthen our cooperation through the review of the Agreement of Cooperation between the two Organizations.

At the high-level panel, I stated that IMO and the shipping industry are determined to continue the established practice to render assistance to persons in distress at sea, including migrants and refugees, but we should ease the burden of seafarers and merchant ships. Prompt and predictable disembarkation arrangements should be further pursued and I pledged to encourage IMO Member Governments to work further with a view to establishing a Regional MOU to ensure that objective.

The current practice of putting large numbers of people into unseaworthy boats in the shipping routes and creating distress situations thus obliging merchant ships to render assistance is an abuse of the traditional humanitarian activity firmly established in the maritime world. The operators of these boats have the clear intention to misuse the presence of navy vessels, coast guard patrol boats and merchant ships.  Clearly, the smugglers have no regard for the safety of human life. 

I stated that we need to consider what actions could be taken in order to prevent these unsafe sea passages from happening in the first place; and that we should consider alternative ways of achieving the safe, lawful and regulated passage of migrants, rather than only relying on established search and rescue procedures to rescue needlessly endangered persons. I assured the panel that search and rescue activities will be continued, in any event, with the determination of the shipping community.

In the field of the prevention of unsafe sea passages of hundreds of migrants on board small boats, I have been raising the need for concerted action to address migrant smuggling. Migrants do not possess boats and somebody must have arranged the boats, the fuel and the boats’ operators and then set sail with hundreds of migrants, against all safety regulations.  Action must be taken to prevent this organized crime in the first place. 

IMO Member States and the shipping industry need to work in partnership with other relevant and interested entities, within our respective organizations’ competences, with a view to mobilizing the international community to take appropriate action to develop and implement appropriate measures to address migrant smugglers and all those criminals who take advantage of the desperation of refugees and migrants and place people at grave risk to their lives. There is a vital need for sharing information in order to establish a sufficient knowledge base from which UN agencies and other stakeholders can address the problem, for example through establishing a database on known smugglers and boats used for the unsafe and unregulated passage of migrants over the sea.

In the field of considering alternative mode of sea passages, I am proposing to start dialogues among relevant Governments with a view to strengthening the current cooperation among maritime Administrations, coast guards, navies and immigration offices.

I am now planning to invite UN Agencies and organisations to meet at IMO and discuss the practicalities of improving the situation.  The international effort to mobilise resources to counter piracy shows the ability of Governments to react when they wish to address maritime challenges. This is one such challenge. 

Koji

[imosgblog-blog]

14 November 2014

Visit to Australia

Today (12 November) I am now in Melbourne, Australia, to participate in the conference “Maritime 2014 - Ship to Shore”.

I was welcomed by Mr Leo Zussino, Chairman of the Board of the Australian National Maritime Authority (AMSA), and Mr Mick Kinley, AMSA’s new CEO. I had met Mr Zussino at a similar conference in 2012, also in Melbourne, while Mr Kinley has been appointed to lead AMSA following the retirement of the previous CEO, Mr Graham Peachey.

In my keynote speech at the opening session of the conference, I touched on the recent major reform of the maritime sector in Australia. In September 2011, the Government of Australia announced changes to its shipping policy aimed at providing the framework for a viable and sustainable maritime sector. The new policy is built around a robust and transparent regulatory framework, encouraging financial investment in the sector, an Australian international ship register and the development of a properly skilled and qualified workforce within the maritime industry.

The most important outcomes of this new policy have been the 2012 Navigation Act, which contains the allocation of substantive power for the government to regulate international ships and seafarer safety, protection of marine environment within the scope of shipping as well as giving effect to relevant IMO conventions; and the National System for Domestic Commercial Vessel Safety.

Through these policy changes, the role and functions of AMSA have been significantly strengthened and this year’s conference was arranged to provide an opportunity for representatives from all parts of Australia's maritime sector to meet and discuss the challenges and opportunities that the Australian maritime industry will face.

I also took this opportunity to share my views on the past achievements, current state of operation and future challenges facing IMO. I stated that, over the past five and a half decades of activity, IMO and the shipping industry have effectively established a global system of shared responsibility for maritime governance under IMO measures, and that we should put every effort into sustaining this global system and strengthening it, in order to ensure that shipping has a sustainable future.

With regard to future challenges, I pointed out the paramount importance of continuous improvement in the implementation of IMO instruments. I encouraged all IMO member States to ratify all IMO Conventions and highlighted the importance of technical cooperation in significantly raising the level of implementation on a global scale. I also stated that we should strengthen cooperation among UN agencies in dealing with ocean issues.

Towards the end of my speech, I also listed priority issues for me in the coming year, before my retirement at the end of 2015, covering cooperation with UN Oceans, holding the FAO/IMO Joint Working Group on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing at IMO, the need for a new approach in handling large numbers of maritime migrants aboard small and often unsafe vessels in the Mediterranean Sea, the sustainability study for the World Maritime University and my initiative to highlight maritime heritage as a way to raise the profile of the maritime industry in the minds of the general public.

As is always the case with conference speeches, the time available for my speech was short, but I tried to express my views as much as possible to the hundreds of participants at the conference.

On the first day of this visit, I was given a fascinating guided tour of the Melbourne Immigration Museum. This is a well arranged museum with a focus on maritime themed exhibits, including "Journey of Lifetime" which features a 17m replica ship where visitors can experience actual accommodation spaces for immigrants in the 1840s.  Australia's efforts to build a multicultural society are well portrayed in this museum, and my vision of a bright future for this great country was reinforced.

Today, I will meet Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, HE the Hon. Warren Truss MP. I am looking forward to meeting him and I am sure we will exchange views on various international as well as domestic issues surrounding shipping.

 Koji

[imosgblog-blog]

28 October 2014

Parallel Event at Tangier, Morocco

Today (27 October) I am in Tangier for the 2014 World Maritime Day Parallel Event.

Yesterday, when I arrived at Tangier, I was greeted by Mr Najib Boulif, Minister Delegate of Transport. He showed me around the Maritime Traffic Surveillance Centre in the Strait of Gibraltar (Tangier Traffic VTS) and the modern port complex of Tangier Med, one of the largest in Africa and in the Mediterranean region. Morocco is investing heavily in port development, taking advantage of its geographic location on one of the busiest shipping channels in the world and a coastline that extends to both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Its maritime development policy has been firmly established at the highest level of Government, and its plans are being implemented at full speed.

Today I attended the opening ceremony of the Parallel Event with Mr Aziz Rebbah, Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics. I spoke about the exciting and promising maritime developments in Morocco, about the importance of the "IMO system" and about maritime education and training.

Over the last half century, within its remit, IMO has effectively established a global system of shared responsibilities for maritime and ocean governance. We have established the value of global standards and a level playing field, of effective implementation and enforcement mechanisms (including the Member State Audit Scheme). We have achieved significant improvements in safety and reduced the harmful impacts of shipping on the environment. All of these things have been achieved with the help of a global system of cooperation among flag State administrations, port State authorities, coastal State authorities (such as coast guards, hydrographic authorities, search and rescue centres), the shipping industry, the ship-building industry, the insurance industry, classification societies, as well as the port and logistics operators that connect shipping to other modes of transportation. This is a great mechanism for sharing responsibilities and ensuring the global maritime transportation system is sustainable.

I ask all IMO Member States to ratify all IMO conventions and perform their responsibilities as flag, port and coastal States under this "IMO system".

Shipping is indispensable for sustainable development. Sustainable development goals for ocean‑related matters cannot be achieved without it. We must ensure that future maritime leaders are educated to understand the value of the oceans, the value of shipping, the value of the maritime industry and the value of the "IMO system". And, in order to raise the awareness of shipping's contribution to sustainable development, I propose to promote our shared maritime heritage to the general public. If properly presented, maritime heritage can attract widespread public attention. In this context, I have proposed that each host country of the World Maritime Day Parallel Event should provide a presentation of its maritime heritage to the participants in the event.

Today, I was reminded that the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta, who was one of the greatest travellers in maritime history and even visited Beijing, China, in the mid-fourteenth century, was born here in Tangier. This historic fact indicates the maritime roots from which the present and future maritime industry of Morocco is growing.

I appreciate very much all the efforts made by the people of Morocco who proposed and realized the holding of this year's Parallel Event in Tangier, including Her Highness Princess Lalla Joumala, Permanent Representative of Morocco to IMO and Ambassador in London, who was so passionate to bring this year's event to Tangier and to shine a spotlight on the maritime heritage of this great maritime nation.

Koji

[imosgblog-blog]

24 October 2014

Exciting times for Maritime Mexico

I am currently on an official visit to Mexico. On 19 October, I flew into Veracruz where I was warmly greeted by Governor of Veracruz. I spoke about the importance of free trade and free access to shipping and also stated my interest in finding any trace of the first Japanese mission to Spain and Europe, under the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga, which had called at Mexico en route.

The history of the port of Veracruz goes back to the early 16th century and I imagined that Hasekura Tsunenaga might have visited the well-preserved 17th century wooden house, recently converted into a restaurant, where, on 20 October, I enjoyed a working breakfast with the leaders of the present port of Veracruz.

Under the current reform initiative of the President, maritime Mexico is in an exciting period of expansion. During my visit I was shown the new port of Veracruz development and the Veracruz Maritime Academy.

I learned that the Academy has recently undergone a significant expansion to its capacity, by roughly 50 per cent in terms of graduate numbers. I was impressed to learn that 100 per cent of its graduates have been recruited into the Mexican maritime industry. Mr Guillermo Ruiz de Teresa, General Coordinator for Merchant Marine and Ports in Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transport, was proud of this record and spoke passionately about the quality of the students. I had observed the students marching and giving a salute in a really heavy tropical downpour and their discipline, high standards and excellent performance were outstanding. The students were very eager to tell me about their studies and training, in which they used the most advanced simulator facilities; their faces and eyes really shone, reflecting their obvious joy, pride and happiness at studying in this academy. I am convinced that Mexico has a really a bright future in shipping and trade, particularly in light of the current exciting period for its maritime and port industries.

My visit has a very tight schedule but I am making the most of all the opportunities offered to me. At the opening of the Fourth National Congress of Merchant Marine, held on 21 October in the modern conference centre at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in Mexico City, I spoke about many topics: maritime heritage; the current adjustment period for the shipping industry; IMO's efforts to control emissions from shipping; the breakthrough agreement in IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee regarding the implementation of the Ballast Water Management Convention; the Polar Code; the IMO member State audit scheme; next year’s World Maritime Day theme - maritime education and training; the study being carried out into the financial sustainability of the World Maritime University and my determination regarding the establishment of an endowment fund; the problem of maritime migrants; ocean governance and the need for cooperation and collaboration among all UN Agencies dealing with ocean issues in order to achieve our sustainable development goals for the ocean.

One very positive statement at the opening session of the Congress came from the Under-Secretary for the Environment, who indicated that the Government had decided to accelerate the ratification process for MARPOL Annex VI. I welcomed this great news in my address to the Congress and expressed my appreciation for the Government’s efforts.  At a lunch kindly hosted by Ambassador Juan Manuel Gomez Robledo, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, I expressed my appreciation for all the arrangements made for this official visit and requested further cooperation and support from Mexico for the activities of IMO; in particular, for my call to strengthen cooperation and collaboration among UN agencies in dealing with ocean issues and my initiative to strengthen the financial basis of the World Maritime University.

I will now move to my next destination, Cozumel, to meet Governor of the State of Quintana Roo and to attend the North American World Maritime Day Conference, organized by NAMEPA.

Koji