Established by an IMO Assembly Resolution in 1983, the aim of WMU is to be the world centre of excellence in postgraduate maritime and oceans education, professional training and research, while building global capacity and promoting sustainable development.

WMU is considered an international university and has been granted the status of a UN institution by its host country, the Government of Sweden.

[3] In the early 1980s, the IMO recognized that there was a shortage of well-qualified, highly educated maritime experts, particularly in lesser developed nations.

To address this gap, the IMO endeavored to found an institution to support member States with the high-level education necessary to implement international Conventions.

501(XII), which requested that the Secretary-General of the United Nations take all steps in order to establish a world maritime university.

Srivastava, approached the Swedish Ministry of Transport who welcomed the idea and Malmö was determined as the home of the institution.

With the financial support of the Swedish government, the City of Malmö, and private donations, the WMU was inaugurated on 4 July 1983.

The Board of Governors (BoG) is appointed by the IMO Secretary-General, and consists of 30 members, who each serve two-year renewable terms.

Recruitment strategies and support from fellowship donors have resulted in the proportion of female students rising to around a third of the annual intake.

programmes are intensive, 1-2 week long classes allowing students to focus on a particular topic, and facilitating the incorporation of Visiting Lecturers.

education is the Field Study programme that provides the opportunity for students to travel and to see what they are learning in class being put into practice.

Malmö programme spends essentially 2–3 weeks traveling for field studies to host organizations in such countries as Chile, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Korea, Malta, Norway, Portugal, The Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

As an independent focal point for the ocean-science-policy-law-industry interface where policy makers, the scientific community, regulators, industry actors, academics, and representatives of civil society meet to discuss how best to manage and use ocean spaces and their resources for the sustainable development of present and future generations.

The Institute undertakes challenge-led, interdisciplinary, evidence-based research as well as educational and capacity-building training with a particular focus on the implementation of Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The work of the institute is supported by The Nippon Foundation of Japan, Sweden, Germany, Canada, the European Commission and the City of Malmö.

It is an international journal that covers the subject areas of maritime safety, marine environment protection and shipping operations, giving special attention to the human element and the impact of technology.