Group Photo at the IAIN 2024 World Congress Closing Ceremony

On October 30th, the two-day IAIN World Congress 2024 concluded in Beijing. Experts and delegates engaged in in-depth exchanges and discussions around the theme “Expanding Navigation Applications, Empowering the Future of Humanity.”They shared the latest research achievements in the field of navigation and maritime technology and explored the possibilities for the future development of navigation applications.

17th IAIN President Christopher Czaplewski presiding over the closing ceremony

At the closing ceremony, Christopher Czaplewski, the 17th President of IAIN, announced the composition of the new Officers’ Committee. Zhang Baochen, Executive President of the China Institute of Navigation, was elected as the 18th President of IAIN. The other members of the Officers’ Committee include: Senior Vice-President Salvatore Gaglione (IIN), Vice-President Bart Banning (NIN), Vice-President Thomas Southall (RIN), Secretary General Hesham Helal (AIN), Treasurer Tom Willems (NIN), and Immediate Past-President Krzysztof Czaplewski (PNF), all serving until 2027.

Group photo of the newly elected IAIN Executive Committee members attending in person

18th IAIN President Zhang Baochen delivering a speech

During the closing ceremony, Zhang Baochen stated that the new IAIN officers will focus on enhancing IAIN’s ability to fulfill its mission and role, continuously expand the breadth and participation of academic exchange activities. As navigation technology accelerates its integration with new technologies like artificial intelligence, the new IAIN officers will collaborate with all members to establish diverse and extensive exchange and cooperation platforms, creating a more convenient, reliable, and integrated standardization working mechanism.

On Oct.28, the Officers’ Meeting and the General Assembly were held. The Officers’ Meeting reviewed and approved the financial report, ratified the IAIN awards for 2024, including conferring Honorary Membership upon John Pottle and Simon Gaskin, and confirmed the officers for 2024-2027. The General Assembly, held in a hybrid format, formally approved the award results.

During the Congress, over 40 Chinese and international paper authors presented their work in four parallel sessions. Following the IAIN paper evaluation mechanism, and based on a comprehensive assessment by expert judges considering innovation, scientific rigor, practicality, as well as the presenter’s delivery, content depth, and influence, the paper titled “Positioning Method Based on Radar Reference Targets in GNSS-Denied Maritime Environments” by Chinese authors Sun Shuai, Lyu Hongguang, Yang Xiao, and Yang Yang was awarded the prestigious “Sadek Award” for the best paper of the Congress.

IAIN President Zhang Baochen presenting the Sadek Award to the winner Sun Shuai

The closing ceremony also announced that the next IAIN World Congress will be held in Krakow, Poland, in 2027. Janusz Uriasz, Chairman of the Polish Navigation Forum, provided an overview of the host city and preliminary preparations for the next Congress.

Profile of Zhang Baochen

The newly elected 18th President of IAIN, is a Professor，Senior Engineer and Chief Expert of China Waterborne Transport Research Institute. He also serves as Executive President of the China Institute of Navigation , and Deputy Director of the Technical Cooperation Committee of National Key Laboratory of Waterway Traffic Control.

Born in 1960, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in navigation from Dalian Maritime University and his master’s degree in Transportation Information Engineering and Control. He has long been engaged in the research and development, engineering application and industry promotion of traffic safety and intelligent shipping technologies.

He has presided over 3 national-level scientific and technological research projects including Key Technologies for Ship Intelligent Navigation and Control Based on Ship-Shore Collaboration, and many ministerial-level projects such as Prevention and Control of Extra-Huge Safety Risks in Ports and Shipping Based on Typical Cases, Industrial and Technological Development Roadmap of Intelligent Shipping, and Safety Supervision and Service Guarantee System for Intelligent Shipping. He has published many papers, been granted more than 20 invention patents, and authored monographs including Ship Intelligent Navigation Technology, Unveiling Intelligent Shipping and ISM Code and Its Implementation.

He has won 3 Grand Prizes and 4 First Prizes of the Science and Technology Award of the China Institute of Navigation, and 1 First Prize of Qingdao Science and Technology Progress Award.

He has successively served as Director of the Safety Committee Office of the Ministry of Transport, Deputy Director-general of Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration, Director-general of Shandong/ Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration, President and Academic Committee Director of China Waterborne Transport Research Institute, etc.