* State sponsorship with grants, scholarships and placement *
The Cyprus Maritime Academy, a joint venture initiated by the University of Nicosia in cooperation with more than a dozen major ship-owning and ship management companies based in Cyprus, has launched its operations with enrolment in the first year expected at 35-40 students.
Speaking at an event to announce the establishment of the academy at the Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) training centre in Limassol, Transport Minister Marios Demetriades said that the government and the Department of Merchant Shipping are promoting the maritime profession, because “interest among Cypriots to attend maritime studies has significantly improved in recent years, a factor that greatly favours the creation of a maritime academy at this moment.”
Demetriades said that some of the measures undertaken by the Ministry and the DMS include raising the number of available places for Cypriot students at the Greek Merchant Navy Academies to 40 a year, subsidies of EUR 7,200 a year per merchant marine cadet and scholarships worth EUR 45,000 a year to students of merchant marine academies in Cyprus.
Officials of the Academy have stated that the course will have a four-year duration, including a guaranteed placement at the end of the term. This is similar to the marine engineering and management course provided by the now-defunct Higher Technical Institute almost two decades ago, that included a six-month guaranteed training on board Cyprus-flag vessels. That programme was chopped due to poor planning by past administrations.
Realising this gap, the Minsiter said that “our biggest weakness is probably the significant lack of technical personnel with seafaring experience.”
Cyprus has the third biggest merchant fleet in the European Union and the tenth biggest in the world, with 1,677 vessels and a gross tonnage of 23 mln GRT, employing 55,000 onland staff and seafaring crews.
With more than 140 ship management companies also based in Cyprus, this makes the island the biggest hub in the world.
Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, Rector of the University of Nicosia, said that the aim was to meet the needs of society and the labour market in general, by developing the skills base of merchant marine officers.
The Maritime Academy, he said, will implement the triad of university education, research and industry involvement.
The three major course to be provided will be the primary competencies as required by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) – maritime sciences and management, maritime engineering and maritime electronics and technologies.
The Chairman of the Board of Governors, Captain Eberhard Koch, said that the cooperation with the University of Nicosia will ensure that new opportunities are provided to a new generation of seafarers.
“Cyprus is a country with a great maritime tradition from ancient times, while its geographic location along the most important commercial routes, and the establishment of the first EU port just outside the Suez Canal, make Cyprus an ideal maritime hub.
Dr Stylianos Mavromoustakos, Executive Director of the Maritime Academy, said that a number of grants and scholarships will be provided to students, and as long as their high grades are maintained, this will be repeated every year.
He said that about 35-40 new enrollments are expected in the first year of the Academy, with initial grants from the DMS, while soon after the degree course is approved by the state, students will also be able to apply for the regular grants, beyond any subsidy or assistance form the state.
