NTMA Seafarer Graduation Ceremony Held for First Time since 2019

On June 7, 2022, a graduation ceremony at the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy (NTMA), a merchant marine university jointly operated by NYK and the Transnational Diversified Group (TDG) near Manila, Philippines, was held for the first time since 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19.

NYK President Hitoshi Nagasawa, Senior Managing Executive Officer Tomoyuki Koyama, and TDG Chairman J. Roberto C. Delgado, in addition to invited guests of honor that included Kazuhiko Koshikawa, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of the Philippines, and Vice-Admiral Robert A. Empedrad, administrator of the Philippines Maritime Industry Authority, participated in the graduation ceremony. 

The dignitaries celebrated the graduation of the 10th NTMA class, totaling 134 students, who had successfully completed the curriculum after being greatly affected by the nearly two-year COVID-19 pandemic that affected onboard training.

NYK was the first Japanese company to establish a maritime academy in the Philippines, and NTMA is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary since opening in 2007.  A total of 1,252 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.

• The NYK-TDG Maritime Academy (NTMA)
• Established: June 3, 2007
• Number of students: 120 per academic year in two academic disciplines, 60 in marine navigation and 60 in marine engineering
• Instructors and staff: About 70
• Location: Canlubang, Calamba City (a suburban city about a one-hour drive from Manila) Curriculum: Four years (three years of academic study and one year of onboard training) Mission: To foster global seafarers through higher education by focusing on building an individual’s sense of humanity and providing training in practical maritime technologies.