D/C Franzesca Mari B. Bautista represented John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University at the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) Student Forum, which was held in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters at London, UK, from July 11-13, 2023.
Bautista, a fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Maritime Transportation student, was one of the 48 participants of the 2-day workshop and 1-day technical tour. With the theme “MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on (World Maritime Theme 2023),” the workshop highlighted the Sustainability of Maritime Education and Training (MET) in Digital Era, Greener Shipping, Gender Equality and Diversity, Working and Living Conditions at Sea, and Marine Resources Protection. The said forum was organized by IAMU in partnership with IMO and was sponsored by the Nippon Foundation. It is a prestigious event that brings together students from different maritime universities worldwide to allow them to collaborate with world-leading researchers, educators, and experts from the maritime industry.
The IMO Secretary General, Kitack Lim, led the opening ceremony and highlighted the importance of the youth for the future of the industry. Meanwhile, IAMU Chair Adam Weintrit emphasized the importance of the solutions to be discussed with the end users themselves — the seafarers.
On the last day, the students were able to take a technical tour of Maritime Greenwich, a historic maritime district in the UK designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Supported by high-ranking officials from JBLFMU and mentored by the esteemed Capt. Alfred G. Espinosa, Ph. D., JBLFMU (Arevalo), Inc.’s Administrator and Dr. Brian Gil S. Sarinas, JBLFMU (Arevalo), Inc.’s Research Coordinator, Bautista was able to present proposed solutions to underlying issues for her chosen topic MET in the digital era.