Sunday, November 23, 2008
Chennai: P.Vijayan, director, National Maritime Academy, has been appointed as the first vice-chancellor of the Indian Maritime University (IMU), to be set up on 300 acres at Chemencherry on the city outskirts at a cost of Rs 245 crore. Minister for shipping, road transport and highways T.R.Baalu announced on Saturday that President Pratibha Patil has appointed Vijayan for the post.

IMU will be set up on the lines of the World Maritime University in Malmo, Switzerland. Baalu said that along with the IMU, a National Maritime Complex, comprising a maritime museum, art gallery, aquarium, commercial complex, food court attached with a catering college and a world class convention center with a five star hotel, has been planned at a cost of Rs 1,500 cr.


Dr.Vijayan has been vested with the powers to supervise and control and give effect to decisions of all the authorities of the university during the tenure. As director of the National Maritime Academy he was entrusted with the responsibility of the establishment of IMU, including the development and setting up of the IMU headquarters in the city.

IMU will have campuses in several cities including Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Vishakapatnam. The university will be both a teaching and an affiliating university and will facilitate and promote maritime studies and research.

While the government of India would be funding the creation of the IMU, the development of the National Maritime Complex would be done through a public-private partnership. Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi will inaugurate the IMU and lay the foundation stone for the administrative block in December.