Foundation stone for India’s first maritime university was laid on Wednesday near Chennai by Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi . The university is coming up on around 300 acre and is likely to attract Rs 2,300 crore.

The Indian Maritime University (IMU) would have its campuses at Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam and will be set up on the lines of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo, Switzerland, said TR Baalu, Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.

For the first time in the country, the university will offer BL and ML courses specialising in maritime for which it has tied up with the International Maritime Law Institute and University of Malta. IMU will also offer UG courses including BSc Nautical Science and Maritime Studies. It has tied up with Dwelft University of Netherlands to offer BSc in Dredging.

Baalu said the existing seven maritime training and research institutes, both government and government-aided, would be merged with the IMU.

To showcase the various facets of the Indian maritime industry, the Centre also plans to establish a National Maritime complex at Chennai for which the 13 major ports in the country would contribute Rs 50 crore each.

The complex will have a maritime museum, an art gallery, food court, catering college, commercial complex, five-star hotel, and a 15,000 seating capacity convention centre.

A society has been formed to fulfil the requirements of the maritime sector by providing maritime-related and integrated services at a single location, said Baalu.

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