JEWELS 2025 Report

Where Meaningful Connections Spark a Journey of Growth

"Is it over already? I wish we could have kept going..."
This was the heartfelt whisper of one of the 35 students who had just completed the final presentation and all programs on the last day of the JEWELS (Journey for Excellence With Experiential Learning in Shipping), held in September 2025.
This year, Ocean Network Express (ONE) completely revamped the JEWELS program under the concept: "Experience the Excitement of Container Shipping." We wanted students to feel fully immersed, as if they were actual ONE employees working on the front lines of international business. Our sincere wish was for them to touch upon the brilliance of the shipping business — collaborating with colleagues, transcending borders and positions, to achieve a common goal.

The feeling of unity and meeting irreplaceable friends. The overwhelming scale unique to shipping. The comment, "Is it over already?" perhaps stems from discovering the sheer wonder of this world.

Here, we offer a glimpse into the program.

Dive into the Dynamism of the Container Ship Business

On the first day of JEWELS, students of various nationalities — including those from Japan — gathered at ONE's Global Headquarters in Singapore. After quick self-introductions and a brief presentation from ONE, the students immediately jumped into the first JEWELS program: "Ride the Market Tide."

This program is similar to a board game and students are divided into several groups. They move containers across three main routes —connecting Asia / North America, Europe, and South America — while watching the monthly fluctuations in the container freight market. The goal is to compete for the best financial results. Though it looks simple, there are many elements that challenge their minds: the profitability and seasonal volatility of each route, freight rate changes, and how to manage the repositioning of empty containers. Essentially, the content is the very essence of marketing of the container shipping business. While they can move one container per month, they also have the option to increase it to two containers for an extra fee.

Every single decision they make directly impacts the final profit and loss. How can they maximize profit in an uncertain environment? From the first day, they were deeply immersed in the world of container shipping, experiencing the dynamic nature of this business firsthand through a game.
Although the students initially showed signs of nervousness, this workshop gradually helped them to open up and connect.

Discussions Heat Up! “Chart the Course”

The second day marked the beginning of the main program, "Chart the Course." At the start of this three-day workshop, students were given a common challenge:

"Propose a new feeder route (*) that ONE should establish in a specific region."
(*A short-distance or regional route which connects smaller ports and larger hub ports.)

ONE currently provides container transport services to over 120 countries worldwide. Utilizing these existing services, what new feeder routes can we establish to drive further growth? This program content is highly realistic and immediately relevant to on-site business needs, closely mirroring ONE’s actual operations.
All necessary information — such as methods for calculating potential cargo volume in a country, the fixed costs required to deploy a single container vessel, competitor service analysis, and building a revenue model — was provided by ONE. Divided into groups, students critically examined the information, discussed ideas, and refined their proposals for the final presentation.

Throughout this period, ONE employees served as dedicated mentors, supporting the discussions by imparting necessary knowledge and ways of thinking. By this point, the students had become completely comfortable with each other, making nationality irrelevant. The discussions grew increasingly passionate, mixing Japanese and English. One team even chose to scrap all their previous discussions and rebuild their proposal from scratch after the mid-program review.
Working together, striving toward a goal, sometimes debating, but ultimately reaching a consensus — this process is the true thrill of shipping. It is also the very essence of ONE’s core philosophy, embodied by our slogan, "AS ONE, WE CAN." The students may have felt that this is exactly what their daily life would be like if they were to work at ONE.

Amidst the heated discussions, the third program, "Feel the Site," provided a welcome change of pace. For one day, they left the headquarters to visit the massive container terminal at the Port of Singapore, one of the largest in the world. Witnessing the gigantic container vessels and countless containers reaffirmed the massive scale of the container shipping business that supports the global economy.

Then came the final day.
Each group presented their carefully developed proposal. The Head of ONE's Network Planning department attended the presentations, offering detailed feedback on every proposal. One group received the highly encouraging comment, "We were actually considering a case similar to this, so your proposal was very insightful."

The Five Days They Built Themselves

What was particularly impressive was not just the students participating in the provided programs, but the way they breathed life into them, crafting "JEWELS" with their own hands. Outside of discussions, they took photos of each other. When it was discovered that one participant had a birthday during the internship, the entire group spontaneously organized a small party. It may be because they genuinely felt they were sharing an irreplaceable period of time that they voiced feelings like, "I wish we could have done more," and "I wish I could have stayed immersed in this world longer." After the full schedule was complete, some students headed out into the streets of Singapore to enjoy their final moments together.

The network and experience built here will remain a valuable asset, supporting your careers long after JEWELS ends.

JEWELS stands for “Journey for Excellence With Experiential Learning in Shipping.”

This five-day journey of growth will surely bring you a new perspective and new possibilities, whether or not your future career path leads you into the world of shipping.
We sincerely look forward to meeting you at the next JEWELS.