Page 20: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2021)

PROFILES IN TRAINING

Pro? les in Training

World Maritime University

Dr. Michael Ekow MANUEL,

Professor, World Maritime University

The global seafarers crisis takes center stage at the World Maritime

University (WMU), as Dr. Michael Ekow Manuel discusses the importance of seafarers, seafarer training and the MarTID 2021 survey.

By Greg Trauthwein hile many maritime professionals have the

Dropping Anchor in Maritime theoretical ‘salt in their veins’, a career at

Today Dr. Manuel works at WMU as a Professor (Nippon sea seemingly predestined by family ties

Foundation Chair for Maritime Education and Training) and is

W and/or geographic proximity, that is not the also the Head of the Maritime Education and Training Special- case for Dr. Michael Manuel, Professor, WMU. Hailing from ization of the University, focusing on educational policy and

Ghana, Dr. Manuel from a young age had a fascination with governance as well as organizational behavior and leadership. vehicles and everything that moves, but ships were not his

He and his colleagues at WMU teach and mentor masters and focus, rather airplanes. “It was relatively later on in my teen postgraduate level students from all over the world in regards years that I was exposed to shipping, and I became interested to maritime governance, policy and leadership. “The students in the technical side of it, the fact that these are the largest are mainly individuals in their middle career, middle and se- moving things that man has made,” said Dr. Manuel. “Once nior management levels who have come to join a network

I got into it I was exposed to other aspects beyond the ma- that speaks the same language around maritime governance,” chinery: the education, the cargo and safety-at-sea. Finally, I said Dr. Manuel. “It starts off with the International Maritime ‘dropped anchor,’ so to speak, in this industry.”

Organization’s (IMO) goals in terms of safe, secure, and sus- 20 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • May 2021

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