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NT Bureau
Chennai, Sept 5:

        Academy of Maritime Education and Training, AMET, which offers marine and shipping related courses has been given the status of maritime university - India's first such university.

        Its chairman J Ramachandran told a press conference in Chennai on Tuesday the institute was inspected by a committee from University Grants Commission and members of FOSMA (Foreign Owners Ship Management Association) to be granted a deemed University status in December 2006.

        On 21 August, the Ministry of Human Resource Development issued the gazette notification granting deemed university status to the institute.

        The chairman said the university will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Road, Transport and Shipping TR Balu and the secretary general of International Maritime Organisation.

        The Institute has also planned to introduce new courses.

        A four-year programme on B E Naval Architecture was also launched, according to Capt S Bhardwaj, CEO and Director of the Institute.

        He added that the Institute which was started in 1993 had only 14 students in its first batch, which has grown to 1,500 students at present.

        'Every year, we get 600 students in various streams and the Institute has planned to target 15,000 students in the next five years,' Bhardwaj said.