COMMANDANT'S MESSAGE

Bangladesh Marine Academy bears reputation of producing professionally sound, environmentally aware, prudent and polite Marine Officers. It grooms the young Cadets in accordance with the competence standards as required by the IMO STCW Convention.

This Academy was established in 1962 to provide Pre-Sea Cadet Training and suitably graduate them to join ocean-going ships as Deck Cadets and Cadet Engineers. As the time passed by, a revolutionary change took place in shipping technology resulting in adoption of new IMO conventions to enhance maritime safety and security. To keep pace with the changes and international requirements our Academy has introduced various Post-Sea preparatory and ancillary courses.

The Bangladesh Marine Academy offers excellent educational environment and facilities and imparts quality education and training at international standards; as such it has been awarded a ‘Branch Status’ of World Maritime University (WMU), Malmo, Sweden in 1990. Since inception of the IMO Model Courses, we, as a WMU Branch, had promptly commenced introducing them. And we have hosted various IMO-Bangladesh Joint Programmes and always are enthusiastic hosting such programmes.

Our education and training programmes have been duly modified with introduction of various simulators to meet the challenges of new era following the adoption of the STCW Convention of IMO. Bangladesh has been placed in the ‘White List’ of IMO in 2000 as recognition to the compliance to the requirements of IMO STCW Convention. We are now implementing the new requirements under the STCW 2010.

 
Bangladesh Marine Academy has a membership with GlobalMET and InterManager; it has got a research-attachment with Australian Maritime College, Tasmania, Australia. The Graduates of the Academy enjoy a spontaneous employment opportunities in various national and foreign-flagged merchant ships.

European Commission audited our Academy and similar institutions/organisations in 2008 on behalf of EMSA (European Maritime Safety Authority) and duly recognised the Bangladesh Maritime Education and Training in 2011.

Recruiting and retaining seafarers has recently become an acute problem for the shipping world; officers’ shortage is continuously rising. If the global pool of competent and efficient seafarers is to meet future demand, then seafaring must be presented to younger generations as a viable career choice. However, this adventurous profession is increasingly becoming popular among the young generations in Bangladesh. Every year this Academy selects 275 male & 20 female Cadets from among average 7,000 candidates every year. Therefore, spontaneously we are always in line with the IMO’s ‘Go to Sea’ campaign. Since inception in 1962, this academy has graduated over 3,500 Cadets. In almost every corner of the globe you will find a Bangladesh Marine Academy Graduate at some keyrole maritime position.  

His Excellency Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, Secretary-General of IMO had rightly mentioned ‘Bangladesh’ as a new maritime manpower supplying country, besides China, Indonesia & India in his WMD 2006 Keynote speech.

Remarkably, our Academy lead the Bangladesh delegation to Manila STCW Diplomatic Conference 2010 and Bangladesh was among the few Member States that have initiated and proposed for the ‘Day of the Seafarer (25 June)’.

The Academy is committed to quality education and training and provides 3 years’ Pre-Sea Nautical Science and Pre-Sea Marine Engineering. In parallel, the Cadets are also provided with 3 years’ Bachelor of Maritime Science degree under an affiliation with the National University – Bangladesh.

I, personally, believe that the reputed national and international ship management companies will get a glimpse of our Academy and our educational programmes through this website and will be inspired to make due-use of our Graduates’ smart and skilled professionalism.

Let’s go hand in hand – Bon Voyage!

MarEngr. Dr. Sajid Hussain

                DSc (USA) MSc (Sweden) IEng FIMarEST

Chartered Marine Engineer (UK)

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 Brief life-sketch of SAJID HUSSAIN

Dr. SAJID HUSSAIN DSc MSc FIMarEST has been appointed as the 25^th Commandant at the Bangladesh Marine Academy, Chittagong. He has commenced working at his new workplace on 7^th January 2010. Informatively he is the FIRST Marine Engineer to be a Commandant of Bangladesh Marine Academy since its establishment in 1962.

SAJID HUSSAIN, 51, is a Chartered Marine Engineer. He was a Minor Freedom Fighter at Madhupur Freedom Fighters' Camp (near the border between (Naogaon of Bangladesh & West Dinajpur of India) under Sector-7 during Bangladesh liberation war in 1971.

After graduating from Bangladesh Marine Academy in 1980, he joined Bangladesh Shipping Corporation as a Cadet Engineer in the same year; served on-board BSC ocean-going ships until 1995 [last 5 years as Chief Engineer]; joined Bangladesh Marine Academy in 1995 as its Head of Marine Engineering Department [Chief Engineer] and continued till 2005; thereafter, served as the General Manager in AK Ship Management (2006), as Founder Principal of MAS Maritime Academy (2007), Executive Director of Western Marine Services & Founder Managing Director of Western Maritime Institute (2008-9).

He studied in Liakat-Nazir High School [Pabna], Pabna Zilla School, Rajshahi Cadet College [SSC/HSC (3^rd position)], Bangladesh Marine Academy [pre-sea Marine Engineering (2^nd position)], South Tyneside College, UK [Marine Engineering] and in World Maritime University, Sweden [MSc in Maritime Safety Administration – Marine Engineering]. Ashwood University, Texas, USA awarded him with a DSc in Marine Engineering as a recognition to his professional excellence. He is a maritime expert/consultant of IMO (UN) and GlobalMET (Australia); a Fellow & Chartered Marine Technologist of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST - London); Ex-Chairman of the IMarEST Bangladesh branch (2010-11); former Council Member and current Member of Professional Affairs and Education Committee of IMarEST London HQ.

He was the Chief Cadet Captain in 1980 during his cadetship training at Bangladesh Marine Academy and was the elected President of the Asia-Pacific Students’ Forum and Class Representative at World Maritime University in 1998. 

His publications include his thesis (A proposal for establishment of a Maritime University in Bangladesh), 17 technical/research papers, 13 books and around 225+ features/articles on shipping, sealife, IT, science & technology and science-fiction. He has achieved the IMarEST Branch Award 2007-08 for his research paper titled ‘Vision of e-Learning and its application into Maritime Education and Training’.

He is a father of three children. The son is an Architect and the daughters have passed HSC & SSC in 2012 respctively. His wife Ms. Meher Nigar is a former Head Mistress of Bangladesh Marine Academy K G School (1993-2005).

His contact: sajidocean@yahoo.com, +880-31-2514163 (office).