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Maritime Academy of Latvia

The Maritime Academy of Latvia, an independent educational establishment, was founded in January 1993. From July 1990 till January 1993 Academy was part of the Riga Technical University. The first graduation of Navigators, Ship’s Engineers and Ship’s Electrical Engineers took place on 18 June 1994.

The general aim of the Academy is to provide an opportunity to obtain academic education, maritime professional knowledge and practical skills.

The Academy consistently realises the requirements of the Latvian Maritime Education Plan in its activities. The Academy provides training for Navigators, Ship’s Engineers and Electrical Engineers in three grades according to the overall Plan.

The First grade is a four year Marine School. The Marine School of Academy has the status of a professional high school. It is necessary to have a primary school education and to pass the entrance examinations for admission to the Marine School. Marine School graduates obtain both the general secondary and a professional education. The level of that education allows the graduates to qualify as Masters of Ships and as Engineer Officers of Ships both with certain restrictions. These restrictions are the ship’s characteristics. For Master the restriction is Gross Register Tons of Ship and it must be less than 200. For Ship’s Engineer the restriction is the power of main propulsion machinery and it must be up to 750 kW. The ships’ navigation cadets have a twelve-month shipboard training at sea. The ships’ engineer cadets have a nine-month ships’ repairing training and eight-month shipboard training at sea. The cadets have a possibility to take examinations to qualify for able seamen or motormen after first shipboard training at sea. If it is necessary The Marine School of Academy also can organize the training for other nautical professions.

The Second grade is a college type maritime education fully integrated in the structure of higher maritime education. The students obtain professional education to qualify as Navigating Officers and Engineer Officers. A person having general secondary education may also obtain the second grade of maritime education in the Academy. The period of studying is then three years.

Third grade is the professional higher educational programme of studies. The period of studies is five years for Marine school graduates and six years for secondary school graduates. The graduates of the Academy obtain the Diploma of higher professional education in Ships’ Navigation, Ships’ Engineering and Ships’ Electrical Engineering specialities. The graduates have the right to qualify for any Ships’ Officer position according to their specialities. They may continue their studies to obtain a Master degree in Engineering Science. All students will have shipboard training.

The mutually co-ordinated plans and curriculum, in compliance with requirements of the International Convention on Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers 1978 (STCW-78), are used for all three grades. The curriculum of all three grades also envisages onboard training at sea and practical training in ships’ repairing plants. The time of training is included in Seamen lengths of service and is necessary for obtaining the Seaman’s Certificate.

The practical training gives an opportunity to obtain the Deck Officer, Third Engineer Officer and Third Electrical Engineer Certificate after graduating from the Academy.

The Academy constantly investigates the needs for specialists in the maritime field in Latvia and is flexible in responding to the needs of new specialities. For example, studies in the speciality of Port Management started at the Academy in September 1995. The programme envisages one-year professional studies at the University of Wales, Cardiff in the United Kingdom. The admission of students in the speciality of Hydrography will begin in 1996. This programme also envisages a one-year programme of professional studies at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom. The students must obtain financing for their studies abroad from future employers abroad.

Although the primary language of instruction is Latvian, some subjects are taught in English and Russian, especially those given by guest lecturers.

The Academy also provides the periodic up-grading courses for Ships’ Officers. These courses are compulsory for Officers of Latvian merchant and fishing fleets.

In collaboration with the Norwegian company Spec Tec, the Academy provides training, for personal of Latvian and foreign ships, in the use of the world-wide communication satellite and computer aided’ Ship-Coast’ system elaborated by Spec Tec.

The staff of the Academy conducts on-going research in the following fields:
 * perspectives of shipping development in Latvia;
 * optimisation of solutions of navigational tasks based on varied information;
 * improvement, control and diagnostics of ships’ propulsion systems;
 * history of shipping in Latvia;
 * maritime terminology in the Latvian language.

The Academy has five Departments: Navigation, Ships’ Engineering, Ships’ Electrical Automation, Basic Education, Languages. The first three departments provide professional teaching and training in all stages of education and carry out the research. The Basic Education Department ensures the teaching of basic subjects (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and others). The Department of Languages ensures the teaching of Latvian language and literature for cadets, as well as English (including the Maritime English) for cadets and students.

The staff of the Academy and Marine School has more than 50 lecturers. There are 4 professors, 3 of whom have the Doctor Habilitus scientific degree and 14 associate professors who have the Doctor scientific degree.

The Academy is still in the process of development. In the near future the Academy must move to a new location more suitable for maritime teaching and training. For practical training, the Academy will have the use of the harbour and ships’ repair plant in the Daugavgrģva area of Riga. At present, the Academy doesn’t have adequate training facilities (such as laboratories and simulators). The Academy plans to become an up-to-date maritime training centre in the new location. It is necessary to harmonize the training process with the requirements of the International Maritime Organization, but this will be possible only with large investments and foreign assistance.

There are about 45,000 books and subscriptions to 10 magazines in the Academy’s library. The Academy has purchased 400 of the newest maritime books in the United Kingdom to make up for the less abundant maritime literature in Latvian. Representatives of the International Maritime Organization who have inspected the Academy training system have advised that instruction be carried out in English. The Academy intends to implement that advice as soon as it can secure appropriate lecturers - not an easy task at present because of the wide gap in remuneration between the Academy’s staff and international maritime specialists.

There are about 300 cadets in the Marine School and about 300 students in the Academy at the present time.