Dubai Maritime City (DMC), the world’s first purpose-built maritime centre and member of the Dubai World group of companies, has announced that it has commenced negotiations with the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) to construct an academic centre for maritime science in the Academic Quarter of the city.

On completion, Maritime Education University will be a fully comprehensive educational, training, and research institute for maritime science, and will play a key role in the creation of a pool of professional manpower for the global maritime industry.
An MoU was signed recently by the two parties to inaugurate the joint maritime academy strategy, to discuss mutual collaboration in order to build sustainable capacity in maritime education, and to establish a task force to conduct and complete a feasibility study for the project.
Commenting on the agreement, Amer Ali, CEO of Dubai Maritime City, said: “The shortage of qualified manpower in the maritime industry today is of enormous concern, as the shortage affects the seagoing, management, educational and other crucial components of the industry.  To address this situation, it is our goal to build a state-of-the-art institute catering to the needs of the global maritime industry in the 21st century
“With the support of key players, such as IAMU, we hope to create a large, qualified and available pool of manpower, right at the heart of the maritime industry in the Middle East.”
An initial proposal reveals that the university will offer an array of full-time and short courses, covering at least 10 disciplines such as maritime law; maritime engineering management; IT in maritime; logistics; environment management; ship management and operation; ship building management and ocean energy technology, among others. The 27,000 sq m university will also be affiliated with a research and development (R&D) institute to assist doctorate students with their studies.
“Dubai Maritime City is currently engaged in a dialogue with several other maritime-related universities, as it is our strategy to establish one main anchor for the Maritime Education University, plus additional institutions as required.  This is an exciting phase in the development of the city, as we continue to build the structure of a fully integrated environment that provides for the complex needs of residents, businesses and industries, which will be based in Maritime City,” said Ali Al-Daboos, COO at DMC.
Dubai Maritime City is currently progressing ahead of schedule in the development of an iconic, multi-dimensional maritime centre with the purpose of providing a unique world-class environment for the global maritime community. On completion, the city will incorporate residential, commercial, and industrial quarters, in addition to a dedicated maritime centre and marina district.
The IAMU is renowned for having among its members the most prestigious and renowned universities in the world dedicated to maritime education, training, research and innovation. 
The association was founded in 1999 by seven universities from five continents of the world, and now comprises 47 institutions, all of which have a shared recognition of the significance of maritime education and training in the rapid globalisation of the international shipping arena.
The MoU was signed by Ali and Prof Dr Wang Zuwen, chairman, IAMU. Present were Al-Daboos and Dr Hisashi Yamamoto, secretary, IAMU. 
Earlier, DMC announced plans to construct and operate the UAE’s first specialised maritime museum which will be located in the Academic Quarter. It is expected to play a key role in contributing to the development and preservation of the UAE’s rich cultural and maritime heritage.
Preliminary plans reveal that the 4,000 sq m museum will provide graphic displays, artefacts and multi-media tools and demonstrations and contain exhibits relating to marine life, the history of the region, boating and pearling records and Arab navigation technologies among other things.
“The museum will be a celebration, not only of the region’s rich maritime heritage, but also of the current and future technological developments related to the maritime sector in which Dubai plays such a key part,” said Al-Daboos.