Maersk, WMU Join in Corruption Awareness Project

The Danish shipowner Maersk Line and the Sweden-based World Maritime University (WMU) have joined forces in a higher education project on corruption awareness known as CORA.

The corruption awareness project is co-funded by the A.P. Moller Support Fund and Maersk Line.

As part of the CORA project, WMU will design, test, and deliver a Master’s level course focused on business integrity issues and corruption awareness, both of which are growing areas of interest for shipowners and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The course contains five modules: corruption awareness, maritime security and safety, leadership, change and communication, negotiation techniques and a mentoring module where WMU and Maersk representatives will provide mentoring for selected candidates after they return to their home countries. In addition to supporting the development of the course, CORA provides a full fellowship for a student to join the WMU MSc programme in Malmö.

“Corruption is a real issue in many parts of the world, and one that we face daily in the shipping industry. Maersk has a zero-tolerance policy on fraud and corruption, but the battle is not won overnight and requires that we work together. As the largest container carrier we have an obligation to help resolve the issue more widely, and by partnering with WMU we believe we can take another step towards a maritime industry free of corruption,” Maersk Line Chief Operating Officer, Soren Toft, said.

CORA will be launched on December 15, 2015 and is expected to conclude on September 30, 2016.

Case studies provided by Maersk Line will support the project, as will the experiences of WMU faculty that will be sailing on Maersk ships in order to acquire first-hand knowledge regarding best practices for both public and private actors in the shipping industry.

“The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Transforming our World, is informing all the University’s activities. The joint initiative with Maersk Line responds directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels,” says WMU’s President, Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry.