Nelson Mandela University (NMU) in the Eastern Cape launched a dedicated postgraduate ocean sciences centre last week to “address the ecological, economic and social sustainability challenges of the oceans”.
NMU vice-chancellor, Professor Derrick Swartz, believes that the university’s new maritime centre will enable it to become the leading ocean sciences university on the African continent.
This, he noted, was due to competitive advantages such as the university’s geographical location on the eastern seaboard as well as its location within 25 kilometres of two major ports.
“We have begun to expand academic offerings in fields such as oceanography, marine engineering, maritime economics and logistics, marine tourism, port development and management, marine spatial planning and the law of the sea,” said Swartz.
A statement from the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) pointed out that the ambitious targets set by government for the blue economy could not be met without increasing and improving the skills pool available to the marine and maritime industry.
