The 19th Annual General Assembly and Conference of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) were held at the premises of Barcelona School of Nautical Studies of Polytechnic University of Catalonia from October 17 till 19, 2018. M.V. Miyusov, the Rector of NU «OMA», M.V. Chesnokova, Head of International Cooperation Department, D.S. Zhukov, a senior lecturer of the Ship Control Department and K.V. Dudnichenko, a 4th year cadet of Maritime Law and Management Faculty represented National University “Odessa Maritime Academy” at the Annual General Assembly.

During the Assembly and the conference, K.V. Dudnichenko, a 4th year cadet of Maritime Law and Management Faculty of NU “OMA” delivered a report on “The premises of creating the legal regulation of unmanned ships” in the framework of student programme of International Association of Maritime University Students (IAMUS).
The Assembly reviewed and approved the reports and the budget of the Association’s committees.
The meeting agreed the dates of the next Anniversary of the 20th Annual General Assembly IAMU to be held in Tokyo, Japan, on October 23-25, 2019. Besides, after the competitive selection, the venue of the 21st Annual Assembly of the Association was set for 2020, to be held at the premises of Batumi State Maritime Academy, Georgia.

The Presidential Forum was held for rectors and presidents of educational institutions and members of the Association after the solemn opening of the Assembly on October 17, 2018. M.V. Miyusov, the Rector of NU «OMA» actively participated in the Presidential Forum, during which the issues related to the strategic development of the Association and the relationship with the international organisations were discussed.

A meeting of the working group on issues related to the cadets’ on-board training took place on October 18, 2018. D.S. Zhukov, a senior lecturer of the Ship Control Department of NU “OMA” took an active part as a member of the IAMU working group. That group had already prepared and sent a number of informational documents to the Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Currently, the working group is preparing the next set of documents to be presented at the meeting of IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee and relevant subcommittees.

M.V. Miyusov, the Rector of NU «OMA» delivered a report on “ Seafarers education, training and crewing in Ukraine” and M.V. Chesnokova, Head of International Cooperation Department of NU «OMA» made a presentation on “Interactive root cause analysis (IRCA) as a practical tool for developing management skills for Master in Navigation” on October 19, 2018.

Upon completion of event, great attention was paid to the speakers’ reports which become the focus of lively discussion.
In addition, a technical tour around Barcelona was held for the participants of the 19th Annual General Assembly IAMU.