CARIBBEAN Maritime University (CMU) on Monday announced a groundbreaking partnership to establish a campus in Suriname.

This collaboration with Maritime Authority of Suriname (MAS) and Suriname Foundation for Logistics Training (FLT) aims to bring world-class maritime and logistics education to the region and provide new training and career opportunities for Suriname’s workforce.

The announcement was made during a Media Day Press Briefing marking the start of Maritime Awareness Week, at CMU’s main campus, Palisadoes Park, Kingston.

Suriname Maritime Institute will be rebranded under CMU, setting the stage for innovative programmes and initiatives tailored to enhance the skills and expertise of individuals in the South American country’s maritime and logistics industries.

A dedicated working group comprising representatives from CMU, MAS and FLT has been established to oversee the transition and development of the new campus.

Commencing in November, short courses in maritime and logistics will be offered as an initial step towards building a skilled workforce in Suriname. This initiative is poised to position the country as a key player in the regional maritime and logistics sector.

In light of this development, Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams, who spoke during the briefing, welcomed the collaboration.

“The school has done phenomenally well over the decades in empowering our students in the maritime sector, exposing them to just a wide array of jobs that are available there. And, as you know, our graduates are in demand in the maritime sector,” she said.

CMU president, Professor Andrew Spencer emphasised the importance of broadening the university’s regional reach.

“Where I think we need to have the greatest level of growth and development is in our Caribbean outlook. We are a Caribbean maritime university, and the model we’ve been using so far is to partner with institutions — [so], for example, the Sir Arthur Lewis College in St Lucia; and in a two plus two arrangement, the University of Guyana as well as Antigua State College — and we’ve been doing a lot of that throughout the region,” he said.

Professor Spencer explained that Suriname was chosen as the location for the new campus “for a number of reasons”.

“It’s strategic. We just thought it made sense because Suriname has onshore oil, but they also are now tapping into offshore oil exploration in the same way that Guyana and others would have.

“So, we thought the time was right for us to have a presence there because we are a technical oil-and-gas-type institution and we provide a programme in advanced liquefied petroleum operations. We have a degree in chemical tank operations so it’s our kind of playfield. But, more importantly, they requested our presence,” he added.

Professor Spencer also highlighted the valuable certifications and expertise the university can offer to students in Suriname who enrol.

“The maritime space is similar to a lawyer who does their LLB at UWI [The University of the West Indies] and can’t practise until they’ve gone to [the] Norman Manley [Law School]; we offer that certification to get people up to speed.

“So, even the institutions throughout the region who offer degrees in shipping or in maritime, there’s no way for an individual to practise in the way they ought to until they get the STCW [International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers] certification, which only the CMU can give. So, our presence there will help them greatly,” he stated.

The establishment of the CMU campus in Suriname marks a significant milestone in the advancement of maritime and logistics education in the region, fostering collaboration and expertise that will benefit that country and the wider Caribbean community.

– JIS