The 11th annual seminar was held at hotel Ramada Powai on the 28th and 29th of Nov 2011.

The President Mr. Kuboshima kicked off the event with his opening speech, after the customary introductions of the Management, as well as the delegates, taking part in this Seminar. He thanked all the seafarers for their contributions towards the Japan relief fund. He also explained the chain of events that lead to the Fukushima disaster.
His presentation focussed on Professionalism in the shipping carrier. Professionalism, he said, is a combination of qualities such as “competence”, “confidence”, “knowledge”, “dedication”, “belief” and many more.  Competence alone is not the only requirement for a successful career at sea, the other qualities are equally essential for one to be a good seafarer and a good professional.



There is no “I” in teamwork. Any team works at its best with dedicated people, who “believe” in a common goal and good leadership.

The President was pleased with the large turn-out at the event, in fact the largest so far.

 “K” line’s future plans and KLMA activities were tabled by Mr. Mizuno of the seafarer’s policy team group. Presently K line is operating about 500  vessels, of which just under 200 are on in-house management. Five 8600 TEU vessels will be inducted in the fleet in 2012

The demand for seafarers is presently very unstable due to the fluid economic status in the industry. However “K” line will continue to maintain the manning pool. He further highlighted the activities of KLMA (K Line Maritime Academy) and future plans for training, and improving skills & efficiency onboard.



Combating Piracy By Capt Kinoshita San :

Seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant issue (with estimated worldwide losses of US$13 to $16 billion per year), particularly in the waters between the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, off the Somali coast, and also in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, which are used by over 50,000 commercial ships a year. Capt Kinoshita discussed the changes in BMP4 and K line’s preparedness in tackling the issue. He also discussed the various regulatory requirements and the company’s efforts in conducting a safe passage through the affected waters.

This was followed by a presentation by Capt Rele on  Regulatory updates with respect to Noise Pollution caused by ships. On the lighter note, he pointed out that the Lovebirds in the depths of the seas have to remain separated as the Noise prevents them from hearing the romantic overtures from eachother.

Capt Bhattacharya elucidated the impact of pollution and what the future holds for us if nothing is done about it. ‘K” line started the “environmental management system” in Oct 2001. In Feb 2002 the system got the ISO 14001 certification. In July 2008 the “Environment management division” was established to enhance environmental prevention activities. In line with minimizing pollution, the company has adopted various measures. To name a few are:  No garbage disposal at sea except food waste, environmentally friendly paints, proper water ballast management, Economical slow  and Super slow steaming to reduce  waste gas emissions.



Capt Rajakumar explained the equestrian connection to ‘Vetting”. He also elaborated on the vetting procedure and conduct of the inspection. His valuable tips on preparations for, and achieving, a successful Vetting will be a valuable tool in future inspections.

A detailed explanation on worldwide dry bulk movement by Mr. Himanshu Nagar brought us to end of proceedings on day one.

The rest of the evening was dedicated to socializing and reaching out to knowing compatriots, and the families of all delegates, over cocktails and dinner. This event was hosted on the lawns of the Ramada hotel under clear skies and a fluttering ‘K’ line flag.

Day 2 started off with a  presentation by Capt. Fujimaru San (Group Leader, CWG, KLSM Tokyo), on Seagull CBT system. In our continued efforts to improve on-board training, “K” line is switching over to Seagull which has a vast variety of topics in its training inventory.

This was followed by “MLIT - Simplified Certificate Recognition Scheme” - By Ms. Sugiyama San (CWG KLSM Tokyo). She enumerated on the latest changes in JISS documentation.

The rest of the pre-Lunch session was taken over by Capt. M.C.Yadav (Director, FOSMA). His topic “ STCW 2010 - It's Effects & Gap Analysis” opened up an interactive discussion on the new regulatory requirements of STCW 2010.

Post lunch session was dedicated to a highly interactive session on case studies and incidents in the fleet by Capt Bhattacharya and Capt Varma. Incidents were dissected with clinical precision and root cause analysis were conducted.

Towards the end, a sailing Chief Engineer, and a sailing Master, shared their experiences on board a KLSM vessel, with the assembly.

The day ended with a presentation of awards by the President Mr. Kuboshima San. “Manning Co-Operation Awards” were presented to Eight of pool officers who extended exemplary assistance to KLSM, to overcome situations concerning emergency reliefs on board during the preceding year. Also, the “7 Year Loyalty Awards” were presented to Fifteen of pool officers, who have completed 7 years of continuous service with the company. In closing, a speech by Capt S. Fukuda, KLSM Singapore, and Capt F Fukuda of KLSM Tokyo, was followed by the closing address by Capt. Takehiko Ibusuki, CEO, KLSM India.

The evening was a repeat of the previous day, with delegates and their families, mingling over cocktails and dinner, before the curtains came down on the elaborate K Line & KLSM meet.