During the 21st Conference of the International Maritime Lecturers Association （IMLA）recently, Prof. Jin Yongxing, vice president of SMU was re-appointed consecutively as the association chairman. Hosted by Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, the conference focused on the theme of “Into the Future—Challenges for MET in the 21st century”. More than 60 maritime education experts, scholars and lecturers from over 30 countries attended, sharing academic achievements.
The secretary-general of IMO, Mr. Koji Sekimizu sent a congratulatory letter to the conference. He spoke highly of IMLA’s role in facilitating communication among maritime lecturers from different countries as well as the efforts in international maritime consultancy. In the opening ceremony, on behalf of IMLA, Prof. Jin Yongxing read out the letter. Then he pointed out that the current development of maritime education was in a stage filled with challenges, so he expected all the participants to have full academic communication and enhance cooperation by taking this opportunity. Prof. Glenn Blackwood, vice president of Memorial University of Newfoundland and dean of Fisheries and Marine Institute, Prof. Catherine Dutton, dean of Marine Institute each delivered a speech.
During the conference, Chairman Jin Yongxing hosted the IMLA Council meeting and IMLA Annual meeting, in which he summarized IMLA’s achievements in the past year, and made planning and arrangement in the fields of better participating in international affairs, promoting the communication and cooperation among global maritime universities and maritime lecturers, and playing IMLA Shanghai center’s actual function.
As the formal advisory body for International Maritime Organization, International Maritime Lecturers Association (IMLA) has been committed to maritime education and training research for a long time, exploring the issues of navigation and shipping around the world. Since served as the chairman of IMLA in September, 2011, Prof. Jin Yongxing, vice president of SMU, entirely presides all the affairs and actively participates in the activities with pragmatic attitude. The re-election represents that Prof. Jin Yongxing has been fully recognized by the international maritime education, which have a positive impact on raising China’s status in the world maritime education.
