The country's first maritime university – the Indian Maritime University (IMU), has announced admissions to its 3-year B.Sc. Nautical Science and 4-year B.E. Marine Engineering courses. The Indian Maritime University (IMU), being the first of its kind in the country, will cater to the educational requirements of the Maritime fraternity.
It is a teaching and affiliating University which will offer degree, post graduate degree and research programmes in all disciplines of the maritime sector. Setup on the patterns of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo (Switzerland), IMU aims at promoting Maritime studies, research and extension work with focus on emerging areas of studies including marine science and technology and marine environment. The IMU is also expected to solve the bottlenecks faced by training institutes and colleges in the maritime sector for university affiliation. India is traditionally a maritime nation and has a rich maritime heritage. History documents trade links of India had with other nations of the world from the ages of the Harappan Civilization. With a long coast from West Bengal on the East to Gujarat on the West, India today moves 95% of its traded goods by volume to the rest of the world. Ports and Shipping form the integral part of the maritime sector contribute greatly to the economic growth of the country. The setting up of a Maritime University will contribute greatly in exploring the vast maritime resources available to the country and studying their impact on the economy.
