On February 27-28, 2025, a special meeting of the International Executive Board of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) was held in Tokyo, Japan. Attending the meeting were Takeshi Nakazawa, Executive Director of IAMU, Maximo Q. Mejia, President of World Maritime University, Adam Weintrit, Rector of Gdynia Maritime University (Poland), Craig Johnson, President of Maine Maritime Academy (USA), Malcolm Wise AM, Principal of Australian Maritime College, Violeta Ciucur, Rector of Constanța Maritime University (Romania), G. Thiruvasagam, Vice-Chancellor of the Academy of Maritime Education and Training (AMET University, India), Srđan Vujičić, Dean of the Faculty of Maritime Studies at the University of Dubrovnik (Croatia), Christian Matthews, Dean of the School of Engineering at Liverpool John Moores University (UK), Rino Bosnjak, Dean of the Faculty of Maritime Studies at the University of Split (Croatia) and Shan Hongjun, President of Dalian Maritime University.

The meeting featured the leadership handover ceremony of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU). Outgoing Chair (2023-2025), Rector Adam Weintrit of Gdynia Maritime University (Poland), formally handed over and placed the ceremonial necklace—symbolizing the honor of the IAMU leadership—on incoming Chair (2025-2027), President Shan Hongjun of Dalian Maritime university. In his acceptance speech, President Shan Hongjun expressed his gratitude, acknowledging the outstanding achievements of the previous International Executive Board under the leadership of Mr. Adam Weintrit. As the newly appointed Chair, he pledged to unite the new International Executive Board and lead IAMU in further advancing the quality of global maritime education.

Following the handover ceremony, President Shan Hongjun presided over the special meeting of the International Executive Board, where he and the newly elected board members discussed role assignments, the future direction of IAMU, and the organization's action plan.

During the meeting, all members of the newly elected International Executive Board paid a visit to Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation and Honorary Chair of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU). Mr. Sasakawa congratulated President Shan Hongjun on his election as the new IAMU Chair and expressed his hope that the new International Executive Board would continue to lead member institutions in proactively taking the opportunities and addressing challenges brought about by emerging technologies and new energy developments in the field of maritime education.

Founded in 1999, the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) comprises 79 leading maritime institutions and organizations across 42 countries. The association is dedicated to training global maritime professionals, providing a platform for academic exchange among member institutions and facilitating collaboration with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the maritime industry. With the most member institutions, it has become the most influential academic organization in maritime education today.