On July 5, the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy (NTMA), a merchant marine academy jointly operated by NYK and the Transnational Diversified Group (TDG)* near Manila, Philippines, held a commencement ceremony for 95 students, the academy’s 13th batch of graduates.
NYK Chairman Hitoshi Nagasawa, NYK President Takaya Soga, and TDG President and Co-Chief Executive Officer Rashid H. Delgado participated in the ceremony together with invited guests of honor that included Kazuya Endo, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Japan to the Philippines, and Sonia B. Malaluan, administrator of the Philippines Maritime Industry Authority.
In his congratulatory speech, Soga said, “Carry with you the lessons learned here in your academy. Sharpen your skills and knowledge, be guided by your values and inspire others to do the same. Our world today is in need of individuals and young people who are committed to effect positive change and make a difference. At NYK Line, we are making bold steps to making a difference in the world. As a global shipping and logistics company, we have publicly announced our commitment to reduce our impact to the environment, to include the operation of eco-friendly ships and efforts to develop technology towards this vision. Join us in creating a better future.” He then gave words of encouragement to the graduates.
On the same day, an opening ceremony was held for the women’s dormitory, for which construction was completed on July 1. The attendees celebrated its completion with 15 female students scheduled to enroll this summer. The new women’s dormitory can accommodate more than 20 students per grade and allows for expansion to meet future demand. NYK female seafarers are working around the world, both at sea and on land, and NYK is committed to maintaining a work environment and human resource development that allows a diverse workforce to thrive. Through this initiative, we will contribute to the training of female Filipino seafarers by promoting the acquisition of excellent human resources regardless of gender, thereby contributing to the development of the Philippines’s maritime industry.
NYK was the first Japanese company to establish a maritime academy in the Philippines, and NTMA is currently celebrating its 17th anniversary since opening in 2007. The academy has established a student loan program to provide a higher education for students who might find it financially challenging to pursue such a degree.
A total of 1,551 students have now graduated from NTMA since the academy opened, and most graduates are actively engaged as officers or engineers on NYK-operated ships. In fact, in April 2021 an NTMA graduate rose to the rank of captain of an NYK vessel for the first time, and in April 2022 an NTMA graduate became the first from the school to reach the rank of chief engineer on an NYK ship. Additionally, many of our graduates are active in important land positions that play a role in safe ship operations, and their fields of activity have spread to important bases such as Japan, Singapore, and Australia.
Going forward, the NYK Group will continue to make use of the knowledge gained through the seafarer education provided at NTMA to train even more talented Filipino seafarers and conduct training at major locations around the world, including Singapore.
Source: NYK
