Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy (AEMA) celebrated the double engineering graduation of GME 35 and ETO 12 on September 20th, appropriately a few days after India’s National Engineer’s Day.
The graduation ceremony for the cadets of GME 35 and ETO 12 was graced by Sumithran Sampath, general manager at ClassNK, along with AEMA alumni 2/E Ashish Bharti and ETO Manpreet Mudhar of the Saga fleet. All were greeted by a cadet guard of honour, followed by the customary flag-unfurling and tour of the training facilities.
The event for the 80 graduating mechanical engineering (GME) and 40 electro-technical (ETO) cadets was hosted by cadets Sonam Somaiya and Ragib Akhter, who began by welcoming the three guests, before inviting principal Capt. Suneel Sule to deliver his address on the importance of having the right attitude to manage change and the challenges that lie ahead, plus the ability to ‘unlearn’ and ‘relearn’.
After the address, the GME and ETO course heads – deputy principal Tejinder Bhamra and Yogesh Chonkar, respectively – took the audience on a visual journey of the two graduating batches. This was followed by an entertainment segment put on by the cadets, comprising dance and musical performances of various genres to much applause.
AEMTC Mumbai’s vice principal and assistant director Francis Akkara then delivered a speech aimed at the electro-technical graduates, focusing on the ETO code of conduct and the importance of having a strong safety culture on board. He praised the high quality of AEMA’s graduating ETOs, and encouraged them to remain in touch with the academy and each other.
The two Saga fleet guest speakers, both graduates of AEMA themselves, then took to the stage to share their experiences and gratitude to the academy and faculty for shaping their sea careers. Both Mr Mudhar and Mr Bharti were delighted to be back at AEMA and gave words of encouragement to the new graduates. Mr Bharti concluded with a humorous poem he had penned about his journey as an engine cadet, which drew many laughs.
Rounding out the talks was Mr Sampath, who introduced ClassNK and the role of classification societies, before pivoting to the IMO’s decarbonisation targets and the quest for alternative fuels and new technologies. He also discussed digitalisation and automation, the likely transition to remote operations and virtual/augmented reality, and praised the foresight of AEMA. Though change and adaptation are inevitable, he reminded the cadets to remain true to their core values and to do the right thing, with empathy for others.
Afterwards, it was time for the awards ceremony, in which GME 35’s Pranav Shirgavakar and ETO 12’s Clint Jaimon were named Best Overall Performer in their respective batches, while GME 35’s Sonam Somaiya and ETO 12’s Anurag Kunnummal were named Best Academic Performer in theirs.
The celebrations concluded with the usual presentation of souvenirs to the guests, the release of AEMA’s quarterly in-house magazine, a vote of thanks, and a rousing rendition of the national anthem.
Well done and congratulations to the graduates of GME 35 and ETO 12, whom we look forward to welcoming on board in the near future. ‘Sea’ you all soon!
RECOGNITION
AEMA’s model GME 35 cadets sweep awards
With two teams advancing to the finals at INMARCO’s model-making and display competition and another two advancing to the finals of a mock IMO session competition hosted by IMU, and winning the top prizes in each, GME 35 is a force to be reckoned with!
Like the Olympics, INMARCO (International Maritime Conference) is held once every four years, so it is a much anticipated event. Launched in 1982 by the Mumbai branch of the Institute of Marine Engineers India (IMEI), the conference is a platform for maritime professionals to discuss topics of interest and for cadet students to showcase their talent to the maritime community.
To encourage the latter, INMARCO has traditionally held a model-making competition, with cadets from all maritime institutions across India invited to participate. This year, six submissions were shortlisted for display at the November 17th event, to be assessed for concept, workmanship, and presentation by a panel of eminent industry members.
We are very excited and proud to report that two of the six shortlisted models were crafted by AEMA cadets from GME 35. More than that, both submissions were judged to be deserving of the top two awards. Now that is a very impressive award sweep, indeed, so a big congratulations to the two GME 35 teams and their faculty mentors!
Taking first prize was a model of a dual axis solar tracker for ships, made by Ragib Akhter, Sharvaree Chitre, Varun Darbari and Yash Mohite. The second prize was awarded to a model of an EcoOne Hybrid BWMS (ballast water management system), made by Pranav Shirgavakar, Raghav Srivastava, Siddhant Mishra and Vaibhav Rathore. Well done!
In other AEMA award news, the Indian Maritime University (IMU) hosted a mock IMO session competition in September and October, with the grand finale held online on October 9th. The common theme was alternative fuels, with the mock session divided into two IMO committee streams: Marine Environment Protection Committee and Maritime Safety Committee.
Altogether, 28 teams from 13 IMU campuses/affiliate institutions were entered in the MEPC stream, including two from AEMA’s GME 35. After four gruelling rounds, six teams were shortlisted, and again we are delighted to report that both AEMA teams made the final cut. Better yet, the top prize went to one of them (team members Ajith Nair, Akshay Mohandas, Harikrishnan Pillai and Jithin Pullaikodi). Well done and congratulations a second time!
All three awards were presented to our winning GME 35 cadets at INMARCO on November 17th. AEMA principal Capt. Suneel Sule and especially vice principal C/E Tejinder Bhamra, who also heads up the GME faculty, must be incredibly proud. Fantastic news all round!
