Courtesy of WMU
In the same year as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) marks its 70th anniversary, the World Maritime University (WMU) is commemorating 35 years since its inauguration.
Established by the IMO on May 1, 1983, before an inauguration on July 4, 1983, the WMU was set up to fill a shortage of qualified maritime experts around the world, especially within developing countries.
Graduates of the university, which has an alumni network of 4,654 former students from 167 different countries, are now found throughout all levels and sectors of the maritime and port industries.
The WMU has helped to develop high standards of practice across the industry, including such fields as maritime safety and security, the efficiency of international shipping, and the prevention of both marine and air pollution.
It has also facilitated more effective means of sharing and transferring technologies between both developed and developing countries.
Knud Benedict, Hochschule Wismar, Warnemünde, and Michael Baldauf of the WMU discuss the use of simulation tools in a recent Port Technology technical paper
The current Secretary-General of the IMO, Kitack Lim, graduated from WMU in 1991 and now serves as the university’s chancellor.
As WMU celebrate their anniversary, Lim said: “WMU’s work is indispensable for ensuring smooth and effective implementation and enforcement of IMO’s shipping regulations.
“The University equipped generations of maritime leaders with the necessary skills to take on this important responsibility.”
Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President of WMU, commented: “We applaud IMO for its vision when in 1983 it established this truly remarkable academic institution – a university for the world, dedicated to advance maritime education and research.”
