On Thursday afternoon, which marked the third day of the Multidisciplinary Conference and Innovation Week, a plenary session on Blue economy and Maritime affairs took place at TUM's assembly hall, moderated by Captain Talib Ibrahim, a Deck Officer and Lecturer at TUM.

The TUM VC, Prof Laila Abubakar chaired the plenary alongside the chief guest, Captain Suleiman Bakari FAMP-K, who is the president of the Association of Maritime Practitioners-Kenya, and a senior marine pilot at KPA. The expert panel consisted of Chief Engineer Luke Samba- a Marine engineering and Maritime Technology expert, Ms Josephine Nthia- A Maritime Labour expert and Ms Sabrina Mkare Jefwa, a PhD candidate for Environmental Law and member of the Technical Committee on Maritime Law and Policy (AMP-K).

Prof Laila Abubakar began the session by expressing her gratitude to all attendees who took time out of their busy schedules to attend. She remarked on the good fortune of the marine students to have had the opportunity to meet the President of the Association of Maritime Practitioners (KPA), and how this provided a platform for the exchange of ideas that could help shape their future careers and contribute to solving the problems in the blue economy.

Captain Suleiman Bakari then took the stage and spoke about the MTP IV of the Kenya Vision 2030, which gives seafarers the responsibility of managing the crew's qualifications and training opportunities. He drew attention to the development of the Kenyan Maritime Education and Training (MET) sub-sector as a key area of focus for the association, with the main objective of supporting the growth of the Kenyan Maritime sector. He encouraged the TUM mariners to develop ideas and agendas, not only to showcase their dreams and ideas in the Maritime sector but to expect to compete globally.

He concluded by stressing the need for the students to prepare for the massive responsibilities that come with the Maritime industry and emphasized the role of TUM and themselves in positioning Kenya on the world stage. Capt. Suleiman also commended TUM for establishing quality seafarer training and pioneering critical courses for seafarers, especially the Oil, Chemical and Gas Tanker Cargo operations courses. Finally, the TUM marine students were given the opportunity to engage with Captain Suleiman and one of their key suggestions is to be granted sea time training to better equip them for the industry.

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For many years, the Technical University of Mombasa has been a leading provider of outstanding maritime courses in the country. We take pride in our courses, which include:

Current Seafarer Academic Courses

1. Craft Certificate and Diploma in Nautical Science
2. Craft Certificate and Diploma in Marine Engineering
3. Bachelor of Technology in Marine Engineering

Current Seafarer STCW Mandatory courses

1. Security Awareness Training (SAT)
2. Seafarers with Designated Security Duties (DSD)
3. Ship Security Officer (SSO)
4. Basic Training for Oil and Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations
5. Basic Training for Liquefied Gas Tanker Cargo Operations
6. Engine Room Resource Management (ERM) Operational Level
7. Engine Room Resource Management (ERM) Management Level
8. High Voltage Operational Level

Maritime Professional Courses

1. Company Security Officer (CSO)
2. Oil and Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations Familiarisation for Marine Terminal Operators
3. Gas Tanker Cargo Operations Familiarisation for Marine Terminal Operators
4. Advance Training for Oil Tanker Cargo Operations for Marine Terminal Operators
5. Advance Training for Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations for Marine Terminal Operators
6. Security Awareness Training for All Port Facility Personnel
7. Security Awareness Training for Port Facility Personnel with Designated Security Duties
8. Port Facility Security Officer (PFSO) Training Course

Other Maritime Commercial and Port Operation Courses

1. Craft Certificate and Diploma in Maritime Transport Logistics
2. Diploma in Shipping
3. Bachelor of Science in Maritime Management