IMLA 23rd Conference Opens in Durban of South Africa

On 30^th June, 2015, the IMLA 23^rd Annual Conference was opened in the beautiful coastal city of Durban under the host ship of Durban University of Technology (DUT), South Africa. This was a significant occasion in the history of IMLA as not only was it the first time for the IMLA Conference to touch down in the land of South Africa, but also, as participants, we were deeply impressed by the excellent organization and arrangements, whole being immersed in the warmest winter of Durban city. Here we experienced the mix of Indian, Zulu and post-colonial cultures, and enjoyed the sincere hospitality of South Africans, who also fully demonstrated their academic and cultural capacities to the many MET practitioners present in this MET year! Many details carefully considered by the DUT such as professional presentations, panel discussions, the mayoral reception, their sponsors’ generosity and the game drive in Tala reserve have significantly made this gathering so impressive, unforgettable and enjoyable.

The four-day Conference attracted 76 registered participants being maritime lecturers, administrative officers and shipping operators from various parts of the world. Thirty-four academic papers were presented and 7 corresponding panel discussions held that included the topics of E-Learning and Education Technology, Human Element, Specialized Training, Maritime Education and Training, Maritime English, Employability and Regional Experience. Three special workshops with the themes of Maritime English, Building maritime research capacity and post-graduate qualifications, and Developing graduates that are culturally and socially aware within the global context, respectively, were also held in parallel with the papers’ presentations and panel discussions.

IMLA’s Honorary Chair, Prof. Jin Yongxing, the Chairman of the Shanghai Maritime University Council, China (SMU), attended the Conference and on behalf of IMLA delivered the opening speech and awarded IMLA’s tailor-made Shield to each Lifetime Member present at the Conference (6 in total), praising each member their unique contributions in building IMLA’s capacity. The Executive Dean of the DUT Faculty of Applied Science, Prof. Suren Singh, also addressed the audience in his welcome speech on behalf of the host institution. The Representative from South Africa Maritime Safety Authority made a keynote address concerning the overall maritime situation and strategic plan in South Africa. IMLA’s Honorary Secretary, Assoc. Prof. Clive Cole from IMO’s World Maritime University, read the message of goodwill and appreciation sent by Mr. Andrew Winbow, the IMO Assistant Secretary-General and Director of Maritime Safety Division, in congratulating the opening of the IMLA 23^rd Conference and highlighting IMLA’s contribution to the world of Maritime Education and Training. A Reception dinner was held in the municipality hall of Durban on the Tuesday evening. Prof. Jin on behalf of IMLA was invited to give the speech of appreciation and handed over a gift to City Counselor in extending IMLA’s gratitude to the Durban city elders for their support to this Conference. On the dusk of Friday, Prof. Cole on behalf of IMLA announced the closure of IMLA 23 after he once again extended the appreciation for the DUT hosting the fantastic Conference.

Besides Prof Jin and Prof Cole, the Conference also saw the presence of two other Committee Members, i.e. LEON, Eugene Govender and BENEDICT, Knud.