India to Roll Out Second Maritime University Next Year
India will soon get its second maritime university, Gujarat Maritime University (GMB), which will primarily be focusing on the commercial maritime courses. According to sources, the first course likely to be rolled out in 2018.
The government of Gujarat has already given an in-principle approval for the establishment of the university.
The new Gujarat Maritime University will focus on commercial maritime courses instead of technical programmes that are being offered in over 130 Indian training institutes and the existing Indian Maritime University, say sources.
A report in DNA quoted AK Rakesh, chairman and chief executive officer of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) as saying: "At present, the Indian maritime institutes offer pre-sea and post-sea training programmes. Majority of courses cater to technical job roles, mainly those of seafarers or deck officers. But they largely ignore the commercial side of the shipping industry."
Gujarat Ports Infrastructure and Development Co. Ltd announced that the UK’s Southampton Solent University has signed an MoU with GMB for the proposed Gujarat Maritime University. Memorandums of Understandings with two international universities – Plymouth University, United Kingdom and Global MET Support Centre of Korea Maritime and Ocean University, South Korea – have been inked.
Meanwhile, the Indian Maritime University has signed MoUs with four international institutions including the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Dhaka, the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and Plymouth University, Britain and Admiral G.I. Nevelskoi Maritime State University, Vladivostok, Russia.
