Monthly Archives: May 2023

Norhasliza Mat Salleh

Norhasliza Mat Salleh graduated from the International Islamic University of Malaysia majoring in International Relations. She joined the Malaysian civil service as an Administrative and Diplomatic Officer and her first posting was in the National Security Council (NSC) of the Prime Minister’s Department. She was tasked at the Maritime Security and Sovereignty Division and was made responsible to International Maritime Conventions’ Section where she had to oversee various duties with regard to Malaysia’s rights and obligations, as well as supervising numerous issues on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, the work of the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety and Legal Committees, INTERPOL Fisheries/Wildlife and Environment Crimes and acted as Resource Person in international seminars and symposiums.

She pursued her Master degree program at the World Maritime University, Sweden specializing in Maritime Administration. Currently, she is the Deputy Undersecretary of the Maritime Division in the Ministry of Transport.

Barbara Scheel Agersnap

CEO
Copenhagen Malmö Port

Minna Epps

Head, IUCN Ocean, Centre for Conservation Action
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Jabeth Dacanay

Chief of Staff to the Administrator of the Philippine Maritime Industry Authority

Atty Jabeth Dacanay is the founding partner of the Dacanay and Magracia Law Offices. She is currently the President of the World Maritime University Philippine Alumni Association Incorporated and has worked as a Legal Associate at the London-based Seafarers Rights International. She is also a faculty member at the Asian Institute of Maritime Studies. She is currently the Chief of Staff of the Administrator of the Philippine Maritime Industry Authority.

Atty Dacanay has extensive experience and background in the maritime industry having served in the MARINA for almost 2 decades as head of its Legal Department and as Deputy Executive Director of the STCW Office concurrently with her being Chief of Staff of the MARINA Administrator.

She took up her Bachelor of Laws at FEU and graduated at the World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden with the degree of Master of Science in Maritime Administration.

She also took up her PhD at Cardiff University in Cardiff, United Kingdom.

Max Mejia

Professor, Nippon Foundation Chair
Maritime Policy, Governance, and Administration
Philippines

Max Mejia is Nippon Foundation Professor of Maritime Governance, Policy, and Administration at the World Maritime University (WMU), where he has been a member of the resident faculty since 1998. He also currently serves as Director of the PhD Program.

Dr. Mejia is author/co-author of more than 70 published articles, chapters, and papers and the editor/co-editor of 11 books. His focus areas of research and teaching are maritime policy, maritime law, maritime labour law and policy, human factors, safety, and security-related issues.

He earned his Bachelor of Science at the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland, USA) and his Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School (Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA). He also has a Master of Science in Maritime Safety Administration from the World Maritime University (Malmö, Sweden) and a Licentiate of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy from Lund University (Lund, Sweden).

Before joining WMU, he saw duty on board various naval and coast guard vessels as well as in shore-based facilities in the Philippines. His assignments included, inter alia, Commanding Officer of Port State Control Office Manila, Commander of Coast Guard Station Iligan, Deputy Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Maritime Development, and Assistant Chief of Staff for Navigational Safety. Dr. Mejia took a sabbatical from the World Maritime University to serve as Administrator (Director General) of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) from 2013 to 2016. MARINA is the maritime administration in the Philippines, tasked with integrating the development, promotion, and regulation of the maritime industry. As Administrator, Dr. Mejia was chief architect and implementer of a comprehensive reform of the country’s maritime education, training, and certification system as well as other wide-ranging maritime safety improvement programs. In 2013, Lloyd’s List included Dr. Mejia in its list of the world’s 100 Most Influential Persons in the Shipping Industry.

Donghyeog Seo

President of the WMU Student Council 2022 – 2023
Port State Control Officer
Republic of Korea

Mwanaulu Issa Mwajita

Director
Trade Facilitation and Policy Harmonization
Intergovernmental Standing Committee on Shipping (ISCOS) Secretariat

Mwanaulu Issa Mwajita is the Director, Trade Facilitation and Policy Harmonization for the Intergovernmental Standing Committee on Shipping (ISCOS) Secretariat. Her leadership roles include serving as a Board Member for the World Maritime University Women’s Association, Secretary to the Mentorship Committee of WOMESA Kenya and Chairperson of the Technical Committee on Shipping, Ports and Logistics for the Association of Maritime Professionals Kenya (AMPK).

She brings to the table a wealth of experience spanning over 15 years in the Port and Shipping Sector specializing in maritime sector system automation projects for Shipping, Port, Trade and Logistics stakeholders with a key specialization in Single Window Systems and trade facilitation.
Previously she worked for the Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) as a Principal Business Analyst where she conceptualized and spearheaded the delivery of the Maritime Single Window Project for Kenya’s maritime stakeholders.

She holds an MSc Degree in Maritime Affairs specializing in Shipping Management & Logistics from the World Maritime University (WMU), Sweden, MSc Degree in Information Systems (Lund University, Sweden), and a BSc Degree in Computer Science (Kampala International University, Uganda). Mwanaulu is certified in PRINCE2 project management and is a member of the Nautical Institute (MNI) and the Women in Maritime East and Southern Africa (WOMESA) –Kenya Chapter.

Passionate about female participation in the maritime world, Mwanaulu has been a convenor/moderator and speaker in forums including World Maritime Day, IMO – International Day for Women in Maritime, the 6th Assembly of the Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) and the United Nations 4th Oceans Forums.

Olumide Bolarinwa Ajayi

Ajayi B. Olumide is currently a Principal Manager (Environment) with Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). He is an environmental specialist with over 20 years of work experience in Port Administration, Marine Environmental Management, as well as Maritime Energy Management. He holds a Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Maritime Energy Management from World Maritime University (WMU), Sweden. He was the recipient of the 2017 C. P. Srivastava Award.

He is the cross-functional team lead of the Nigerian Ports Authority’s Energy Management Team. He is also a member of the NPA-NIMASA Technical Committee on the Development of the Road Map for the Implementation of Slow Steaming in Nigeria’s Contiguous Zone, as well as IOPC Funds and NPA Desk Officer on the subject matter.

Hossein Gholizadeh

President
Caspian Innovation Pioneers

Hossein A Gholizadeh, born on 15 September 1953, began his career at the Ports and Maritime Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran (PMO) in 1983 as the Director of Noshahr Port in the north of Iran, South Caspian Sea. In October 1990, he was awarded a scholarship to study General Maritime Administration at the World Maritime University (WMU). Hossein graduated in December 1993. 

The result of his research for his dissertation, to fulfil his master’s degree, was Multilateral Agreement on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea Area, proposing a draft convention and a draft Protocol on combating oil pollution (thanks to the late Prof. Edgard Gold, the co-assessor).

The ” Tehran Convention,” where it was adopted in 2003, came into force in 2006 when ratified by the coastal states.

Upon returning from Sweden, Hossein was appointed to the largest port in Iran, Port Bandarabbas, where he prepared an emergency action plan and successfully brought waiting times to zero within a few months.

In 2003, Hossein became the PMO’s first permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), where he worked hard to encourage the participation of Iranian expertise in IMO meetings. 

After leaving IMO, Hossein joined IRISL UK as a Director and Board member in late 2006. He also worked as the NPCO on CaspEco, JEF project for the environment of the Caspian Sea, in cooperation with the Secretariat of Tehran Convention (UNEP). 

Presently, Hossein is the proprietor of Caspian Innovation Pioneers, a consulting firm. 

Mohamed Calico Lavalie

CEO, Christopolis Maritime Solutions Liberia Limited

As CEO of Christopolis Maritime Solutions Liberia Limited, Lavalie leads a team of young Liberians as service quality proponents for freight forwarding. Together, they developed practical, innovative, and cost-effective solutions for shippers.

He is a co-founder of the Liberia Chamber of Shipping (LCS), a legacy member of the West African Chamber of Shipping (WACS), a regional body that seeks to protect the interest of shippers and multimodal transporters.

He is the Outgoing President and a Founding Member of the World Maritime University Alumni Association Liberia (WMUAAL).

He served as Director Policy, Planning and Investment at the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) of Liberia 2018-2020.

Port Terminal Strategist APM Terminals Liberia 2013-2017. Chief of Staff, Office of the Managing Director, National Port Authority of Liberia, 2009-2012. 

Currently, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of Ricks Institute and President of the Ricks Institute Alumni Association Liberia (RIAAL).

Board Secretary, Future Farmers of Liberia Empowerment for Women (FFLEW). A poverty reduction agribusiness and micro lending focus on women in Bong and Lofa Counties,  Liberia. Project support from Partners Worldwide and the Peace Church.

Lavalie holds BSc. Degree in General Agriculture (2010) University of Liberia, MSc. Degree in Maritime Affairs with emphasis is Port and Shipping Management (2012) World Maritime University, Certificate in Port Operations and Terminal Management (2014).  IBC Academy, London United Kingdom. 

He is a Prospective Masson Fellow and (2024) MPA Candidate of the Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Boston USA.