MOL Magsaysay Maritime Academy Second Commencement Exercise (Dasmariñas City, Cavite)

MMMA's second commencement ceremony

 

Last February 18, MOL Magsaysay Maritime Academy, in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, a merchant marine academy jointly operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Magsaysay Maritime Academy, Inc., held their commencement exercises celebrating the achievements of MMMA’s second graduating class of 282 students (134 deck cadets and 148 engine cadets) who completed the entire curriculum, including shipboard training. About half of the graduates will work on board MOL Group-operated vessels as third officers and third engineers after obtaining their maritime licenses, working their way up to captain and chief engineer.  The other half will serve on ships from principals of Magsaysay.

MOL Magsaysay Maritime Academy

Senator Manny Pacquiao congratulating one of the graduates

The second class and some of the inaugural class of students attend. Excluding those who were on board due to schedules, a total of 63 from the second class and 66 from the inaugural class (who were unable to attend last year’s graduation for the same reason) attended the ceremony.

 

MOL Executive Vice-President Mr. Toshiaki Tanaka

President and CEO of A. Magsaysay, Inc. Ms. Doris Magsaysay-Ho

About 530 people were on hand, including members of local and Japanese media and special guests, former senator and boxer Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao and Japanese ambassador to the Philippines Mr. Endo Kasuya as well as Ms. Doris Magsaysay-Ho, president and CEO of A. Magsaysay, Inc., MMC’s shareholding company, and Mr. Toshiaki Tanaka, MOL Executive Vice-President.

 

Press conference - L-R: Mr. Mitsuhisa Tanimoto, Mr. Toshiaki Tanaka, Mr. Michael C. Morales, Ms. Doris Magsaysay-Ho and Mr. Martin Rono.

In his congratulatory address, Mr. Tanaka told the graduates to “Make the most of the knowledge and experience you have gained while in the academy and play an active role in the vessel’s safety operation.” He added, “By pursuing safe operations, I hope you will protect the lives of people around the world as the topmost priority and also ensure the safety of cargo, and the environment, and contribute to global development.”

 

Cadet interview -L-R: Mr. Clifford Quisto, Ms. Alissa Jean Evasco,
Ms. Shaina Moriones and Mr. Jeramil Dela Cruz

MOL, headquartered in Tokyo, is a leading shipping company with the world’s second-largest fleet of about 900 vessels (including dry bulkers, LNG carriers, car carriers, container ships, and tankers) and the largest LNG fleet globally. It is developing various social infrastructure businesses, technologies, and services centered on marine transport to meet the ever-changing needs of society, such as environmental protection.  In addition to the traditional shipping business, it is also developing to the graduation social infrastructure businesses such as container terminals, logistics, and offshore wind power, as well as well-being life businesses such as real property, cruises, and ferries. 

 

MV Spirit of MMMA

MOL has been serving marine transport to the Philippines since it opened a Japan-Philippines route in 1928. At the time, MOL transported passengers and cargo, but now it specializes in cargo and is involved in a wide range of Philippine imports and exports, including container transport, automobile transport, bulk cargo, and chemical tankers. MOL is proud to be an indispensable presence in Philippine trade. 

ME-C Engine Area

Meantime, excellent seafarers are essential to the operation of the vessels that transport these goods. Approximately two-thirds of the seafarers on MOL vessels are Filipinos nationals. As such, Filipino seafarers and their home country, the Philippines, are indispensable to MOL’s business operations. 

 

Auditorium

Classroom

For this reason, MOL operates a maritime academy, named ‘MOL Magsaysay Maritime Academy’ (MMMA) in Cavite to train younger Filipino cadets for future’s professional seafarers, and operates training centers for the seafarers to upgrade their skills for higher ranks.

 

Lifeboat and Davit Area

MMMA, sitting on a 13.7-hectare campus inaugurated on September 12, 2018, was built with state-of-the-art facilities.  It offers Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT), leading to a profession as a Marine Deck Officer to Master, and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMarE), leading to a profession as a Marine Engineer to a Chief Engineer.  

Full Mission Bridge Simulator Room

It prepares cadets for their professional careers in the maritime industry. In this way, both MOL and the Philippines are very important stakeholders. A premier maritime higher education institution in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region, it produces globally competitive and outstanding maritime professionals through relevant, progressive, and unparalleled education founded on the virtues of excellence, discipline, and service.

 

Mooring and Windlass Deck

After the graduation ceremony and lunch, a press conference was held with Mr. Tanaka, Mr. Mitsuhisa Tanimoto (MOL Chief Safety & Quality Officer and Director-General, Headquarters of Safety Operations), Dr. Michael C. Morales (President of MMMA), Ms. Doris Magsaysay-Ho and Mr. Marlon Roño.  After the press conference, we also got to interview four of the graduating cadets, Mr. Clifford Quisto, Ms. Alissa Jean Evasco, Ms. Shaina Moriones and Mr. Jeramil Dela Cruz.

 

Diesel Generator Area

Our day was capped by a campus tour (training center) were we visited the five-storey MV Spirit of MMMA, their "ship in campus" (the first in the country), which houses a Lathe Machine Workshop; the ME-C Engine Area (housing a two-stroke electronic engine diesel main engine, MAN BMW); the Lifeboat and Davit Area; the Mooring and Windlass Deck; the Physics Laboratory; the Auditorium; the Welding Workshop; the Engine Control Room and Main Switchboard Laboratory; the Diesel Generator Area; the ECDIS Simulator Room; the Electrical-Electronics Room; the Olympic-size swimming pool, the Chart Room, and the Radar Room.

Olympic-size swimming pool

It also houses a Full Mission Bridge Simulator Room as well as two Ship Handling Simulators which houses Konigsberg full and mini mission bridge simulators that provide students with real-life working environments.  The academy also has a student complex, an academic center and a dormitory.

 

Student dormitory

MOL Magsaysay Maritime Academy: Brgy. IV, Carlos Trinidad Avenue, Salitran, Dasmariñas City, Cavite.  Tel: (046) 481-4800. Mobile number: (0917) 809-3278.  E-mail: admission@mmma.edu.ph.