11 Jul 13 - 18:18
WMU to achieve global outreach
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) celebrated the 30th anniversary of the founding of the World Maritime University (WMU), which is based in Malmö, Sweden, with a special event which included speeches from the current and former WMU Chancellors and the WMU President.
"For 30 years, WMU has performed, and delivered, at the very highest level. It has achieved everything its founders could ever have envisaged, and much, much more. It has grown into an institution of truly world class, with an international presence and a global outreach," said IMO Secretary-General and WMU Chancellor Koji Sekimizu, who also read out messages of support from Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, which has given much support to WMU over the years, in terms of sponsorship and financial assistance, and from the "founding father" of WMU, IMO Secretary-General Emeritus Dr. C.P. Srivastava, KPMG, who was instrumental in establishing WMU when he was IMO Secretary-General.
WMU was established at the beginning of the 1980s, when IMO identified a shortage of well-qualified, highly-educated maritime experts, particularly in lesser developed nations. It was to address this gap that IMO founded an institution to support Member States with the high level education necessary to implement international conventions. WMU today offers its original Master of Science degree, but also, in addition to six specializations available within the Malmö M.Sc. programme, there are now M.Sc. programmes in Shanghai and Dalian, China and a Ph.D. programme offering five specializations, within a flexible framework allowing the majority of the programmes to be completed from afar. Distance-learning is available as well, with a Postgraduate Diploma in Marine Insurance through co-operation with Lloyd's Maritime Academy.
IMO – the International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
