MTCC-Asia funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Maritime Organization held Second Regional Workshop in Yangon, Myanmar (30 September-2 October). Over 60 participants from 15 countries in the Asian region attended the ceremony of the World Maritime Day and the workshop, including maritime and energy efficiency specialists. Jose Matheickat, Deputy Director of IMO Marine Environment Division, H.E.U Thant Sin Maung, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Transport of Myanmar, Soe Naing, Deputy Director of the Department of Marine Administration of Myanmar, Myat Lwin, President of Myanmar Maritime University, Jin Yongxing, Chairman of MTCC-Asia attended the ceremony. The Second Regional Workshop demonstrated the achievements made by MTCC-Asia in technology innovation, capacity building, regional outreach, exchange and communications during the past three years. It is a milestone for the development of MTCC-Asia to further promotion and transformation of achievements to Asian maritime countries.

Jose Matheickat, Deputy Director of IMO Marine Environment Division, fully affirmed MTCC-Asia’s important role for the promoting of IMO project, and also congratulated the achievements of the pilot projects made by MTCC-Asia. After that, he introduced the IMO’s latest activities of energy efficiency and the subsequent development plan, and hoped that MTCC-Asia could make a greater performance in the Asian region under the guidance of IMO.

The Second Regional Workshop was strongly supported by the Ministry of Transport of Myanmar, the Department of Marine Administration of Myanmar and the Myanmar Maritime University. During the opening ceremony of the workshop, Soe Naing, Deputy Director of the Department of Marine Administration of Myanmar said, “since the establishment of MTCC-Asia Myanmar branch office in Myanmar Maritime University from November 2018, with the help of the Department of Marine Administration of the Ministry of Transport in Myanmar. The branch office runs smoothly, because of the cooperation of the Department of Marine Administration of Myanmar and the Myanmar Maritime University. As the role of regional point, the Myanmar branch office actively cooperated with MTCC-Asia in the ship data collection of pilot project and the organization of E-Learning course, and gave a great support in expanding the influence of MTCC-Asia in Southeast Asian maritime countries. He highlighted the importance of reducing GHG emissions in the shipping industry and also thanked GMN for providing learning opportunities for the Myanmar maritime department about low-carbon technologies and business capability.”

Jin Yongxing, Chairman of MTCC-Asia, expressed his gratitude to  IMO, the Ministry of Transport of Myanmar, the Department of Marine Administration of Myanmar and the Myanmar Maritime University for their kindly supports during this regional workshop, after that, he highlighted the outstanding achievements and innovative experiences of MTCC-Asia in the three years from 2017 to 2019,  such as the establishment the Cambodian branch office and the Myanmar branch office, especially the E-learning course, which has received positive response and welcome from the participating countries.

After the opening ceremony, in the three-day workshop, the 60 participants from 15 countries discussed the progress in delivering technology innovation, capacity building, regional outreach, and exchanged the pilot projects carried out by the five MTCCs. Sharing knowledge of GHG emission control and IMO Sulphur 2020 Limit, and also made a field study to port of Yangon, Myanmar Maritime University and MTCC-Asia Myanmar Branch Office. MTCC-Asia also officially released the relevant research reports and guidelines of the two pilot projects.

During the workshop, representatives from Asian countries fully affirmed the achievements made by MTCC-Asia among the three years, and pointed out that the guidelines issued by this workshop will provide guidance to the promotion of green shipping and energy saving for Asian countries with the.

During the same period of the workshop, the activities of World Maritime Day held, the theme of the World Maritime Day is “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community”. Jin Yongxing, Chairman of MTCC-Asia made a keynote speech in the opening ceremony, he elaborated the importance of the gender equality of sustainable development in the global shipping industry and the challenges in the implementation process, he also shared the inspirational stories of female elites in China shipping industry, and the efforts for the education and training of female seafarers made by Shanghai Maritime University.