On June 17， 2023， the 15th National Conference of Deans of Secondary－Level Colleges in Maritime Institutions was held at the Digital Celestial Navigation Planetarium of Wuhan University of Technology （WHUT）． Over 30 deans and program directors from six maritime universities， including Dalian Maritime University， Shanghai Maritime University， and Jimei University， attended the conference to discuss strategies for advancing high－quality maritime education under new challenges． Xia Jiangjing， Deputy Party Secretary and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of WHUT， and Liu Zhengjiang， Director of the Navigation Technology Teaching Guidance Sub－Committee under the Ministry of Education， were present at the event．
In his opening remarks， Deputy Party Secretary Xia Jiangjing warmly welcomed the attendees on behalf of WHUT． He emphasized the irreplaceable role of maritime higher education in supporting China’s national strategies， such as building a strong maritime and shipping industry． He noted that the rapid development of artificial intelligence and digital technologies poses both challenges and opportunities for traditional maritime education． Xia called for collective efforts to address emerging issues， align talent development with industry needs， and leverage the conference’s role in guiding maritime education reforms．
Professor Liu Zhengjiang highlighted the conference’s significance as a platform for collaboration among leading maritime institutions． He urged participants to proactively innovate talent cultivation models， align with the latest requirements of the International Maritime Organization （IMO） and smart shipping trends， and strengthen industry－education and science－education integration． He stressed the need to build a new ecosystem for maritime education and contribute to its high－quality development．
During the conference， experts delivered keynote speeches on critical topics： Representatives from WHUT， including Mao Xiaobing （Director， Marine Engineering Department） and He Yixiong （Director， Navigation Technology Department）， also shared insights． Participants engaged in lively discussions on challenges posed by digitalization and intelligent shipping， reaching consensus on sharing teaching resources， reforming talent development models， and organizing youth academic forums． Attendees pledged to collaborate on implementing actionable plans to drive maritime education innovation．
The annual conference aims to foster cooperation among maritime institutions， address key challenges in education， and enhance teaching quality． WHUT’s School of Naval Architecture， Ocean and Energy Power Engineering and School of Navigation co－organized the event．