Dear Colleagues,

This is a great honour for me being elected a Chairman of Ukrainian Branch.

I am taking over these duties in good time after successful years of activity of our branch. We passed together the most difficult period — period of formation. Our branch became an organization well known in Ukraine, we were considered as one of the most active branches of Nautical Institute: quantity of members increased rapidly, several conferences and workshops took place, professional journal Sea Review was founded. All this achievements would not be possible without attempts of the Honorary Secretary Professor Vladimir Torskiy FNI and first Chairman Valeriy Latypov MNI.

From the very beginning we always feel support of NI Headquarters on our way, its former Honorary Secretary Julian Parker FNI, present Chief Executive Philip Wake FNI and many other people. Of course I can’t mention here all of the people who supported Ukrainian Branch, because the list will be too long, but next year we’ll have a good occasion to do it: 5th anniversary of the Branch. This will be our first celebration which should be remarkable. Please feel free to propose your ideas to Committee of the Branch.

Let me take this opportunity to describe briefly some plans for future on the main points of activity of Ukrainian Branch.

Membership — I think we can increase quantity of our members by propaganda of Nautical Institute in media by publishing articles as well as in Sea Review, and more widely in other maritime media as well. I am also asking all members to explain NI ideas to other colleagues and to involve more people in our activity.

A big role crewing companies are playing. Managers of crewing companies can make preference (in case all other conditions of candidates are equal of course) for NI members while selecting candidates for employment. This is a policy which we implemented in Alpha Navigation company. We have some results already. Really NI members usually are quick learning captains and officers, who wants to know more about profession. They are easily making a career in most respectable companies. Therefore I am going to invite more managers of crewing companies to join Nautical Institute.

We shall continue cooperation with Headquarters, I had already very pleasant meeting with Dr Phil Anderson FNI, who had been elected President recently; we discussed some points of possible cooperation and problems which maritime industry is faced nowadays.

As I said several conferences on different maritime problems took place in Odessa. They were organized by Ukrainian Branch. This is a good tradition which should be developed next years. We are still keeping the idea to organize conference or workshop on the role of crewing companies in Ukrainian maritime industry, paying special attention to human element. Such forum could be interesting not to crewing companies only.

We have all opportunities to think about international status of such forums. Moreover, we can cooperate on this matter with Headquarters of Nautical Institute. Who knows, may be in couple of years Annual General Meeting of Nautical Institute will take place in Odessa? Or we can invite some foreign guests for 5th year celebration? Of course we need some sponsorship for this purpose, but on other hand we have quite enough members who managing really big companies, aren’t we?

Cooperation with NI branches in other countries could be useful also. Exchange of information between branches could be proposed as a new way of cooperation.

We have to highlight the main problems of maritime industry. As for me human element is one of the major problems. In this view we are going to give a full support to proper project, fulfilling by Nautical Institute and Lloyds Register.

But it doesn’t mean we want to forget other issues — such as ISM and ISPS Codes, marine environment protection — we are going to continue work in these directions.

Working on innovative ideas in maritime industry to be continued also. All projects are welcome and we are ready to publish the most interesting of them in Sea Review.

English language playing one of the main roles in sea life — it’s not the just the mean of communication, but very important safety issue. I think improvement of English knowledge of Ukrainian seafarers is one of the tasks of our branch. We are going to increase the number of articles in English language in Sea Review — this will give our readers an additional opportunity to have some training and at the same time will give more information about us to our readers abroad.

All Members are welcome to share their ideas in Nautical Institute. Opened discussions and opportunities to explain own points of view are our main advantages. Ukraine should become a maritime country again. NI branch can and will assist to fulfil this task. Our mutual aim is to make navigating safer. Let’s do it together.

Captain Alexander SAGAYDAK, MNI,
Chairman of Ukrainian Branch