The creation of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) in 1999 marked a significant turning point in the history of maritime universities and the global development of maritime education and training. With generous support of the Nippon Foundation, the IAMU has grown from seven founding  members to now representing 72 members worldwide. A good spirit of the association was its co-creator, Dr. Hisashi Yamamoto, whom I had the honor to get to know at IAMU AGA2 in 2001 in Kobe and then cooperate for many years.

IAMU has invested its international expertise and influence through current and emerging partnerships to create a well-educated global maritime workforce and leaders of the future. As the authoritative voice of maritime education, training and research, we seek to create effective networks and frequent opportunities to explore, develop, communicate and exchange the very best maritime ideas, practices and scientific solutions.

The IAMU International Executive Board (IEB), which includes representatives from three geographic regions, three at-large representatives, the impending AGA host universities, as well as the UN’s World Maritime University and the Nippon Foundation, is the voice of the membership. The IEB has fostered and sponsored efforts throughout our global membership to improve mariner education and onboard training curricula and experiences, to encourage research in maritime technical fields as well as classroom pedagogy, and to promote leadership and ethics as a fundamental tenet of maritime education.

The success of IAMU in recent years has been due to strong leadership by Mr. Glenn Blackwood, immediate past chair of IAMU, Professor Dr. Takeshi Nakazawa, Executive Director of IAMU and a strong commitment from all members of the International Executive Board.

It is worth remembering that none of this would have been possible without the vision and steadfast support of our benefactor, The Nippon Foundation and its Chair, Dr. Yohei Sasakawa. Dr. Sasakawa’s vision for a truly global organization to ensure high levels of education and training in the maritime sector, which in turn, will facilitate the rapid growth and globalization in international shipping.

The IAMU has steadily grown in membership over the years but in recent years it has made major advances in enhancing our student engagement, connecting our faculties in organizational development and research projects and increasing our collective voice to key organizations like the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and associations in the shipping industry.

Given the vastness of the oceans and the global nature of both the shipping industry and the regulatory agencies, it is critical that in the future we strengthen our connections to the industry associations and to the International Maritime Organization. These linkages will ensure that IAMU and its members remain responsive to the changes being implemented and overcome the challenges of producing graduates that are fully prepared to lead our sector forward in the future.

Sincerely,

Adam Weintrit
Chair of IAMU
Full Professor, DSc, PhD, FRIN, FNI, Master Mariner
President of Gdynia Maritime University