Sustainable development in maritime education and training; trends, challenges and the way forward

As a run-up to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in 2013, adopted the concept of "a sustainable maritime transport system". The concept stresses the role of maritime education and training (MET) in realizing a sustainable maritime transport system. Maritime education and training institutions (METIs), therefore, have to integrate sustainable development (SD) into MET. This paper investigates the concept of an SD-based MET system vs. the business-as-usual STCW-based system. Trends within MET relating to SD are discussed while associated challenges are identified. Means of achieving an SD-based MET system are proposed while shedding light on a number of ongoing initiatives to integrate SD into MET. Finally, the possible contributions of MET institutions to the UN’s forthcoming "Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)" are considered.