The long history of the university can be traced back to 1909, when the Nanyang Institute in Shanghai established a Shipping Management Section.

DMU was founded in 1953 through the merger of three merchant marine institutions: Shanghai Nautical College, the Northeast Navigation College and Fujian Navigation School.

In 1960, DMU was designated a national key institution of higher education.

Later in 1983, the Asia-Pacific Region Maritime Training Center was established at DMU by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the IMO, and in 1985, a branch of the World Maritime University (WMU) was established.

[citation needed] On June 6, 2009, DMU celebrated its centennial, with vice chairman of standing committee of 11th National People's Congress Chen Zhili as the main guest.