World Maritime University proposes to establish “Indian Professorial Chair”

Source: http://www.portwings.in/education/world-maritime-university-proposes-to-establish-indian-professorial-chair/

Port Wings News Network:

World Maritime University, a postgraduate maritime university founded in 1983 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at Malmö, Sweden, has signed an agreement with India to establish an “Indian Professorial Chair in Port Management” that will support a full professor at WMU for a five-year period.

On behalf of the country, Dr. Vishwapati Trivedi, Secretary, Ministry of Shipping (which looks after the interests of maritime education in India) signed the agreement with the WMU.

Professor Neil Bellefontaine, WMU Acting President, said that the new Professorial Chair will benefit maritime capacity building worldwide through supporting the education of students at WMU.

WORLD MARITIME UNIVERSITY GRADUATION 2014

Mr. Koji Sekimizu, WMU’s Chancellor and Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), conferred postgraduate degrees on the World Maritime University’s Class of 2014 on Nov 2.

In total, 124 students graduated from the Malmö-based M.Sc. programme in Maritime Affairs, 47 from the M.Sc. programme in Dalian, China, 36 from the M.Sc. programme in Shanghai, China, and 19 from the distance-learning Postgraduate Diploma in Marine Insurance. Overall, the graduates represented 49 countries.

In his opening remarks, WMU Acting President, Professor Neil Bellefontaine, noted the inherently international nature of shipping, and that WMU is also inherently international since it was founded by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Each year, students from roughly 50 countries live and study together at WMU to serve the global maritime community in the spirit of the United Nations.

He also noted the ambition of the Class of 2014 which is the largest class in the 31-year history of WMU, and thanked women in the class who took the initiative to establish the WMU Women’s Association (WMUWA) that aims to support the advancement of female maritime professionals worldwide.

Guest of Honour, Dr. Anne Christine Brusendorff, General Secretary for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, encouraged the graduates to be willing to go the extra mile to obtain results, to be fully engaged in the processes at their places of work, and to accept the outcome of decisions. She emphasized the collective nature of teamwork and the global nature of shipping stating, “individually you are one drop, but together, you are an ocean.”

Guest of Honour, Dr. Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education and Training for the Republic of South Africa was unfortunately able to deliver his address due to illness, therefore Ms. Sindisiwe Chikunga, Deputy Minister of Transport for the Republic of South Africa, spoke on his behalf.

She noted the milestone that the graduation ceremony represented in capacity building for South Africa with 23 students from the Republic of South Africa graduating, all of whom were sponsored by the South African Government.

Malmö Mayor and Chairman of the City Council, Kent Andersson, who also serves as a WMU Governor, addressed the graduates reflecting on the many opportunities they had to meet at various functions throughout the year. He noted the changes that have taken place in Malmö as it has transformed from a traditionally Swedish industrial center to a sustainably-oriented international city, and how WMU continues to transform the maritime sector with increased global influence through nearly 4,000 graduates.

In his remarks, Chancellor Sekimizu noted that the University is entering a new era that is “bolstered by a fresh optimism based on new tools and new capabilities with which to tackle those challenges.”

He noted the move of the University to new facilities in the center of Malmö this coming spring, and urged IMO Member States and shipping industry stakeholders to reach out to WMU to support the important transition and the capacity building goals of the University.

Before the conferring of degrees on the graduates, Mr. Sekimizu conferred the degree of Doctor of Science in Maritime Affairs, honoris causa on Dr. Charles Cushing, President, C.R. Cushing & Co, for his exceptional service to the University since 1986 as a Visiting/Adjunct Professor both in Malmö and Dalian.

Additional awards presented during the graduation ceremony including three Honorary Fellow Awards for distinguished and outstanding service to WMU. The awards were received by Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the International Labour Standards Department of the International Labour Office; Dr. Bernard Francou, Associate Professor (ret.), WMU; and Mr. Jørgen Rasmussen, Chief Ship Surveyor and Chief Advisor to the Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority (ret.).

During the ceremony, the annual student awards were announced. The Chancellor's Medal for Academic Excellence for the M.Sc. in Maritime Affairs 2014 in Malmö was awarded to Gareth John Courtois from the Republic of South Africa, and for the Dalian M.Sc. Programme to Shen Jiaqiang from China, and for the Shanghai M.Sc. Programme to Hermann Christoph Schulte from Germany.

The Pierre Léonard Prize for the Best Female Student was awarded to Deniece Melissa Aiken from Jamaica and Aleik Nurwahyudy from Indonesia received the Lloyd´s Maritime Academy Dissertation Prize. The Informa Law Dissertation Prize was awarded to Ronald Raphael Alfred from Trinidad and Tobago, and the C. P. Srivastava Award for International Fellowship, was awarded to Yusuke Mori from Japan. This year’s graduation ceremony brings the number of WMU graduates to 3,889 from 165 countries.

The World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden is a postgraduate maritime university founded in 1983 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. The aim of WMU is to further enhance the objectives and goals of IMO and IMO member states around the world through education, research, and capacity building to ensure safe, secure, and efficient shipping on clean oceans. WMU is truly an organization by and for the international maritime community.

WMU alumni hold positions of prominence around the world. The university has played a significant role in maritime capacity building, economic development, and promoting the roles of women in the maritime sector.

From the original M.Sc. degree offered in Malmö, WMU has evolved to offer M.Sc. programmes in Dalian and Shanghai, China, a flexible Ph.D. programme, distance education, international conferences, and professional development courses. WMU is considered a source of knowledge and support for governments and organizations worldwide.