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Note: Posts with the Category “Thailand 2025” will appear below.
- IMB | Thailand 2025: Day 21
Hello everyone,
Today was the final day of our EL trip. After a lot of preparations, we presented our EL project to our faculty and hosts, which went very well. We decided that each of us would present about the day which we wrote our blogs about. However, since my turn was today, I presented on the history of Thailand.
The presentation was an accurate representation of our EL and that everyone contributed their part. This included information about the culture of Thailand which we embraced during the trip. We also spoke about the hands on experience in port operations during our visits to Bangkok port, Laem Chabang port as well as the Port Authority of Thailand and Lat Krabang inland container depot.
One of the most exciting things we did in our off time was attend a Muay Thai fight. Having never been to a fight before, I was very excited and found the respect shown by the fighters extremely interesting where they displayed tremendous respect to the opponent and the audience.
On our second week, we visited Khao Yai national park and the Trang province later in the week. These parts of the trip were particularly surprising to me as the scenery was something vastly different from Massachusetts. We also went to several malls, which I enjoyed as they were some of the biggest I’ve seen in my life including the Chatuchak weekend market. One of my favorite memories of the trip was snorkeling in the famous Koh Kradan beach. The water was so clear and the marine life was much different than what I was used to making it one of my best experiences on the trip.
Besides visiting other national parks we were able to see and visit Wat Arun temple which was breathtaking after centuries of construction. Having not seen much of Buddhism in my life back home, many of the temple visits and architecture took my breath away and I’m happy to have learned more about the religion.
On our final week we were able to visit Thailand Merchant Marine Academy which we found was very similar to our own. Interacting with the students there gave me a better perspective on how global the maritime industry is and the number of people which support it. We also received presentations and information on important companies which many MMA alumni have gone on to work for. The largest of these was CMA CGM Thailand. I thought this presentation was particularly interesting because it’s an industry I have personally considered going into and it was extremely beneficial to see the inner workings of the company.
Bringing us to our final day after our presentation we experienced ceremonies with the fantastic people at AIT and had a final lunch where we said goodbye to the people who have helped us on our learning experience.
This trip has been unforgettable, and I again want to thank everyone who made it possible and helped us get the full experience.
- IMB | Thailand 2025: Day 20
Day 20: Nathan McNamara
Hello everybody,
My name is Nate McNamara. I am a sophomore at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a student in the International Maritime Business program here at MMA.
Today was the day 20 of our experiential learning trip here in Thailand. We woke up at 9:00 and were to be downstairs for a wrap up session with Dr. Sujata Bhatia. The last time we had a meeting with her, it was the first day of the trip, and we had an incredible time getting to know her and learning from her. We were all very much looking forward to seeing her again. As expected, the meeting went amazingly, leaving all of us much more confident about our presentation skills in preparation of our group presentation scheduled for tomorrow.
Just like day 1, this session was very hands on where she divided us into groups and actively engaged us. At the end, there was a segment on mutual appreciation where we appreciated each other for the contribution we made to this EL in Thailand and growth as a team.
After that, we were off to a town called Wat Phra Ram in historic Ayutthaya. Dr Ghosh was generous enough to buy us all a ride on elephants as we all wanted to ride them after our visit to the animal park in Pattaya.
After a “quick” hour and a half ride from AIT, as we looked out of the window, we knew we were there as we saw several elephants walking down the street. As soon as we got out of the van, we lined up to get on top of the elephants, which is easier said than done!! Several of us had not seen a real elephant before this trip, let alone ride one!
We then set off on an unsurprisingly bumpy ride down some trails and even on the roads right along with cars and scooters. When we were done with our ride, we even got a chance to feed the elephants with various fruits and vegetables.
After the elephants got their fill, we loaded right back up into our vans, and headed to another one of the many malls that Thailand has. We were off to find our favorite places for lunch in the mall. Of course, a few of my friends and I found some of the famous mall massage chairs to kill some time after lunch.
After returning to AIT, as a group, we decided to meet in the main conference room and work on our slides for tomorrow’s big presentation.
A few of my friends and I took a small break from making the slides. We walked to the 7-11 at AIT and grabbed some snacks and other things we needed. Thereafter, we all decided to do a mock presentation to practice and ensure we knew exactly what we would be talking about tomorrow.
Finished off the day with some late-night basketball and, of course, writing my blog.
Overall, today was very fun. Again, I would like to thank Dr. Ghosh for giving us the opportunity to ride elephants. A special thank you to Dr. Sujata Bhatia for taking the time to come to AIT and prepare us for our presentation.
- IMB | Thailand 2025: Day 19
Day 19: Alexander McKay
Hello Everyone,
My name is Alexander McKay and I am a junior at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. I am from Marshfield, Massachusetts and I am a 2022 graduate at Marshfield High School. I have been in the IMB program since the beginning of my sophomore year.
First thing this morning I woke up at 8:15 to get ready and go down for breakfast because we had to be down at the lobby by 9:00 to head to the vans and get on the road.
Our first location was a wholesale fruit and vegetable market called Talaad Thai. We toured the market and it was very interesting to see its operations. Thailand is a major fruit exporter. I also tried actual coconut water for the first time and it was pretty good. It’s always good to try new things while you’re in a different culture, especially a country like Thailand. We tried some other amazing fruit at the market. At one of the markets they import fruit and we checked the containers that they had. It was something I’ve never seen before in my life. What is also interesting about this market is that there isn’t just fruit there. There was also a seafood market l. Another interesting fact is that it is open 24 hours a day.
Then we took a coffee break at around 10:30 and I got an Iced Latte. After coffee we went back to AIT for a couple of hours for lunch before we headed off to the museum of the National Bank of Thailand.
We got to check out the history of their currency. It was very interesting because their currency has changed a lot over time. Their coins were in a different shapes than it is now which I thought was really cool. Visiting the National Bank of Thailand Museum and learning about money was really fun and interesting! The museum showed how money in Thailand has changed over time, from a long, long time ago to today.
The tour helped me understand how important Thailand’s currency is for the country’s past and future. The museum showed how money has changed over time in Thailand, helping me see how it connects to the country’s history and how people live. It made me realize how money helps everything grow and change, from old times to now.
Finally in the evening we went to a beautiful river boat cruise with everybody and got dinner on the boat. The cruise was called White Orchid River Cruise. This was definitely my favorite part of the whole day because of the views and seeing the whole city of Bangkok from the Chao Phraya river.
We also got to go on stage and showed everybody our dance moves and singing. I discovered new talents that my classmates had!!
I had a great day in Thailand today. I have had the best time in this country. I would just like to thank Dr. Ghosh and Mr. Nobrega for this opportunity to experience a beautiful country like Thailand.
- IMB | Thailand 2025: Day 18
Day 18:Jordan Goddard-Brown
Good morning all!
I am Jordan Goddard-Brown from Milton, Massachusetts, graduated from Milton High School, and I am now a junior at the Academy studying International Maritime Business.
We started early today to beat the Bangkok traffic, leaving our hosts at AIT and piling into the vans at around 0700. Today’s morning was especially beautiful as we had a refreshing smattering of rain, which the city hadn’t seen for some four-odd months. Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t beat the traffic! Some combination of the rain and the usual throng of vans, cars, buses, and scooters on the motorway resulted in us arriving at our destination about four minutes later than intended. Nothing crazy, but as cadets and professionals, we do strive for punctuality.
Our host was the Merchant Marine Training Centre (MMTC), a maritime academy located in the Bang Duan subdistrict of Bangkok located right smack dab on the incredible Chao Phraya River.
Upon our arrival, we were given extensive tours of the MMTC’s two training ships; the Sakhon Wisai, a 17-year-old, 92-meter-long training ship, and her older sister the Visud Sakorn which measures 60 meters in length, constructed in 1986. Afterwards, we sat down in her mess deck at a welcome reception and were given a presentation on the school’s history and programs of study. There was a Q&A session with current MMTC cadets; as it turns out, life’s not so different in Bang Duan than in Buzzards Bay! The cadets at MMTC have to adhere to a strict code of conduct and live regimentally while following a student-managed chain of command…. stop me if this sounds familiar.
We wrapped things up at the MMTC with a nice lunch and enjoyed the company of our new shipmates, swapping anecdotes and Instagram handles, joking and laughing as if we hadn’t just met an hour ago. Suddenly, there was an insane monsoon-like shower of water and wind. The rain wrapped up quickly about an hour later.
We headed next to Fort Chulachomklao a now de-commissioned artillery turret located just an hour or so south of the city at the mouth of the very same Chao Pharaya river that runs all the way up to the MMTC. We were given a quick presentation on the fort’s history by its commanding officer (despite the de-commissioned status Chulachomklao is still operated by the Thai Royal Navy), where we learned that it was built in 1887 at the strategic location of the river mouth to protect Bangkok against foreign invaders like the French who attempted to subjugate Thailand during the 19th century. We saw the actual gun installation itself; a beautifully preserved “crouching tiger” 152/32 mm Armstrong cannon sitting deep in the fort. Finally, we visited the HTMS Maeklong, a once royal war barge turned open-air naval museum.
Weird weather, cool history, and new international connections; a very good day for us cadets on the trip today.
- IMB | Thailand 2025: Day 17
Hello everyone,
My name is Chris McKenna, and I am a sophomore at Massachusetts Maritime Academy studying International Maritime Business. I am from Weymouth, MA and graduated from Weymouth High School.
After a nice day of rest yesterday, we left AIT at 8:30 this morning to visit CMA CGM Thailand Ltd. Once we arrived at the Central Business District of Bangkok with towering skyscrapers, we were taken to the 36th floor of the U Chu Liang building to the CMA CGM conference room with a great view of the city.
We were given a very interesting presentation on CMA CGM. The presentation was led by Mr. Ekkachai Boonmacharoen- Chief Commercial Officer, and Mr. Worawoot Thongton- Agency Operation Director. As they walked us through the presentation, they allowed questions and students were able get answers to whatever queries they had.
The presentation was split into four different sections. The first section began with a basic introduction explaining their transportation and logistical activities, followed by their global presence and history. They wrapped up by showing the company’s capacity and market share which is currently at third place in the top 15 shipping companies, but is projected to grow to second by the end of the year.
The second section involved the company’s presence in Thailand. We were shown how the company is spread across the country and how it operates.
The third section was on Logistics Service and Custom Clearance. We were shown the Terminals operated by CMA CGM in Bangkok and Laem Chabang and their plans for future terminals in Thailand.
The final section of the presentation was Key Issues & Challenges on Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Here they would show us problems they would be facing such as Feeder space, and how it would impact storage costs. They would then show us other challenges with vessel delays and equipment supply issues. Throughout the presentation what I found most interesting was how the company plans to use AI in the near future to help optimize workflow within the company.
They emphasized the importance of teamwork in the organization and growing as a massive shipping company with a green and people centric focus.
After this presentation, we left CMA CGM and went to visit Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). When we arrived there, we had to get into a ferry boat and cross the Chao Phraya River to arrive at the temple. Once there, we were given free time to walk around the temple area and to take in the culture. I found the history of the temple quite interesting, as the large monuments around it were quite large and very beautiful. Several of our students dressed in traditional Thai costumes.After about an hour and a half of students walking around enjoying the scenery, we had to get back on the boat to leave the temple and leave for AIT. A fascinating day in Bangkok!
