Bose Vavataga 
Fiji is set to strengthen maritime and marine science training through a new partnership between the University of Fiji and Captain Cook Cruises Fiji.
The partnership will be formalized in a memorandum of understanding and aims to expand opportunities for students in line with the International Maritime Organization’s 2025 World Maritime Day theme, Our Ocean, Our Obligation, Our Opportunity.
Vice Chancellor Professor Shaista Shameem said the agreement would give students access to floating laboratories, cadetships in marine biology and projects that advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water.
She states that it will also accelerate the University’s plans to establish a marine park.
Executive Director of Captain Cook Cruises Fiji, Allison Haworth West, highlighted that the company’s vessels operate as in-field classrooms for training and marine research while continuing daily tourism voyages.
The initiative supports the IMO’s new Regional Presence Office in Suva, which is focused on maritime safety, environmental protection and the growth of the Pacific’s Blue Economy.
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