Memorandum of understanding

Item One: Introduction


The international maritime organizations, institutions and companies participating in the first meeting of "the International Forum for Maritime Education, Training and Transport Industry" have expressed an urgent need for collaboration in the fields of maritime education, training, management sciences and personnel development. Collaboration was also sought for qualifying high-caliber marine officers and engineers, upgrading the standard of personnel in these organizations and improving the efficiency of crew members in order to raise the work standards on board merchant vessels to meet the international requirements for safety, marine environmental protection and the safe operation of merchant fleet. The foundation of the Forum aims to meet these needs for collaboration and activate strong partnership among the Forum members to achieve common goals.

Item Two: (The Forum foundation)


  • The Forum is established upon the signature of three institutions qualified for membership on the Forum memorandum of understanding.
  • The Forum is announced among the maritime organizations, institutes and companies with the title "The International Forum for Education, Training and Maritime Transport Industry".
  • The Forum remains effective for an unlimited period.

Item Three: (The Forum headquarters)


The Forum permanent headquarters is The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Alexandria in the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Item Four: (The Forum general goals)


  • To provide support for members in the fields of maritime education and training, and help qualify high-caliber marine personnel in modern marine navigation and engineering.
  • To hold and participate in conferences, seminars and talks pertinent to the Forum activities and members, make available any important technical information in relation with the varied fields of maritime transport and issue relevant leaflets, journals and periodicals.
  • To strengthen relations among specialized maritime transport institutions and nautical organizations, and establish an advanced information and documentation system incorporating specialized databases for on-going communication among the Forum members.
  • Achieve high training standards in all fields of the maritime transport industry and other relevant industries through running relevant specialized training courses.
  • To create direct and effective communication channels among the Forum members through sending and exchanging delegates between the Forum members and the Academy and establishing permanent headquarters for the members.
  • To select students in accordance with the conditions of their companies and grant training opportunities for top students on board the Forum members' vessels, which will qualify them for subsequent work on board the ships of their companies.
  • To allow the faculty of maritime institutes to join the vessels owned and operated by the Forum member organizations in short voyages to keep pace with modern maritime developments.
  • To conduct and fund research and prepare feasibility studies for future projects, and provide guidance concerning communication with specialized Arab and foreign consultancy homes with the aim of providing and updating maritime information/ technical, economic and commercial statistics pertinent to the maritime transport industry.
  • To establish strong relations with the other Arab and international leagues and institutions in order to augment cooperation between the maritime transport industry and other relevant industries.
  • To encourage the participation of maritime transport experts in the design and evaluation of training and competence programmes with the aim of enabling maritime institutes to provide new specialized educational tracks that can meet the demands of the maritime labour market.

Item Five: (Forum membership)


The Forum membership consists of a number of levels, as follows:
- Working member: A working member refers to an organization that participated in the Forum foundation by signing the memorandum of understanding or submitting an application request which was approved by the Board of Directors and thus has the right to attend the Board meetings and become nominated for elections. The working member is considered a founding member in the case of signing the memorandum of understanding prior to the convention of the first General Assembly.

- Observing member: An observing member is any specialized Arab or international organization which cannot run for the Board elections and to which the conditions for working members are inapplicable.

- Honorary member: An honorary member refers to an organization or individual offering valuable services for the Forum, whether financial or moral, but does not have the right to run for the Board elections.
The Forum membership is open for all maritime institutions, organizations and companies at the international level.

Item Six: (The Forum organizational structure)


The Forum comprises the following main entities:

  1. General Assembly :

    • The General Assembly consists of all the Forum working members. Observing and honorary members can also attend the General Assembly meetings and participate in discussions without having the right to vote.
    • The General Assembly is headed by the Chairman of the Board, and the secretariat is headed by the Forum Secretary General.
    • The General Assembly convenes biannually. Meetings are considered legitimate in the case of the participation of at least 50% of the members.
    The General Assembly responsibilities
    1. Electing the members of the Board of Directors.
    2. Examining and signing the Forum plan.
    3. Setting membership fees and annual subscription fees for the Forum members.
    4. Examining and signing the annual budget, final accounts and the financial auditor's report.
    5. Examining and signing the annual Board report regarding the Forum activities.
    6. Appointing an accounting auditor for the two following fiscal years and determining their financial rewards.
  2. The Board of Directors :

    • The Board of Directors consists of an odd number ranging between 5 and 15 members selected by election from the maritime organizations, institutes and companies acting as the Forum working members. The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport is a permanent Board member.
    • The Forum membership lasts for 4 years.
    • The Chairman and Deputy Chairman are elected from the Board members in the first meeting.
    • The Board convenes at least once a year. The place and date of the following meeting is determined by the Board, which may meet upon necessity based on the suggestion of the Forum Secretary General and approval of the Chairman or upon the request of half the Board members.
    • Meetings are considered legitimate in the case of the participation of at least 50% of the members.
    The responsibilities of the Board of Directors
    1. Approval of the Forum work plan and its submission to the General Assembly for signature.
    2. Forming the permanent and temporary committees necessary for the achievement of set goals and delegating any relevant Board authorities to these committees.
    3. Approval of the Forum financial and administrative regulations.
    4. Approval of the Forum organizational structure.
    5. Appointing the Forum Secretary General.
    6. Appointing and terminating the service of the main employees of the General Assembly.
    7. Determining the means of collaboration with the organizations and entities relevant to the Forum activities.
    8. Issuing the annual report on the Forum activities and the general budget, balance sheet and final account and their submission to the General Assembly for signature.
    9. Examining the membership applications to and withdrawal requests from the Forum.
    10. The exemption of Board members, determining the vacancy of member seats and appointing new members to fill them.
  3. The General Assembly :

    • The General Assembly consists of a secretary general assisted by work staff in accordance with the Forum organizational structure.
    • The Secretary General is appointed for two consecutive years subject to renewal.
    • The Secretary General must be fully committed to accomplish the Forum work tasks.
    • The Secretary General must be appointed from the Headquarters organization upon a decree by the Board of Directors
    The responsibilities of the General Assembly
    1. Preparing the Forum plans and their execution upon approval
    2. Preparing the work agenda for the Board of Directors and General Assembly
    3. Reporting the Board decisions and recommendations to the Forum members and following up on their execution
    4. Preparing the Forum financial/ administrative regulations and organizational structure for submission to the Board of Directors
    5. Following up on the Forum administrative and daily issues

The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport caters for the costs of managing the General Assembly until the convention of the first General Assembly.

Item Seven: (Financial resources)


The Forum financial resources include:

  1. Membership fees
  2. Members' annual fees according to the system set by the General Assembly
  3. Aids and donations accepted by the Board of Directors
  4. The fees collected in return for the Forum services and the resources set by the Board to meet the Forum needs :-
    • - Organization :
    • - Name :
    • - Position :
    • - Date :
    • - Signature :