In a bid to raise awareness within the shipping industry, Maersk Line has partnered with the World Maritime University (WMU) to collaborate on a higher education corruption awareness project (CORA), which will be co-funded by the AP-Moller Support Fund and Maersk Line.
As part of the CORA project, WMU will design, test, and deliver a Master’s level course focused on business integrity issues and corruption awareness, both of which are growing areas of interest for ship-owners and the International Maritime Organization.
The course contains five modules, including corruption awareness, maritime security and safety and leadership.
Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President of the WMU, said: “We are delighted to mark the United Nations’ international anti-corruption day today by announcing a new initiative, which harnesses the expertise of both the World Maritime University and Maersk Line to raise awareness of corruption.
“The joint initiative with Maersk Line responds directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”
Case studies provided by Maersk Line will support the project, as will the experiences of WMU faculty who will be sailing on Maersk ships in order to acquire first-hand knowledge regarding best practices for both public and private actors in the shipping industry.
Soren Toft, COO at Maersk Line, said: “Corruption is a real issue in many parts of the world, and one that we face daily in the shipping industry. Maersk has a zero-tolerance policy on fraud and corruption, but the battle is not won overnight and requires that we work together.
Toft concluded: “As the largest container carrier, we have an obligation to help resolve the issue more widely, and by partnering with WMU we believe we can take another step towards a maritime industry free of corruption.”
The project will be launched on December 15, 2015 and is expected to conclude on September 30, 2016.
