Students from GMU Faculty of Navigation Visit University of Montenegro in Kotor
During the week of 11-18 May, 3rd-year students in the GMU Faculty of Navigation, Paulina Wolska and Aleksandra Żywuszko, visited the Faculty of Maritime Studies at the University of Montenegro in Kotor.
An important part of the trip was a three-day voyage from the port of Tivat around the Adriatic Sea on board the training ship S/V Jadran. Also taking part in the excursion on the historic triple-masted schooner were 27 students from Montenegro and 5 lecturers. Cadets participated in navigation classes and on several occasions the ship passed through waters which are difficult to navigate, such as the Strait of Verige and the Kumbor Strait, and dropped anchor. Interestingly, the Jadran visited Gdynia in July 1939 which was the last visit of a ship flying a foreign flag to Gdynia before the outbreak of WWII.
During their visit to Montenegro, the students also took part in classes at the University with local students. Activities also included exercises in the University’s navigation and manoeuvrer simulator, and a visit to the Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Centre at the University’s Faculty of Maritime Studies. The trip, which was the first stay of our students in Montenegro as part of cooperation with the university, also enabled the students to get to know Montenegrin culture, visit the historic sites in Kotor and Podgorica, and make new friends.
It is worth mentioning that a proposal is currently being submitted for wider cooperation within the ERASMUS+ programme between GMU and the University of Montenegro at both academic and student levels.
Special thanks for the organisation of the trip go to the Dean of the Faculty in Kotor, Professor Tatijana Dlabač, the Deputy Dean for Development and Communication, Dr Zorica Djurović, and the Deputy Rector for Education at GMU, Professor Sambor Guze.
The coordinator of the entire project was Dr Piotr Kopacz of the GMU Department of Navigation, who laid the ground for effective cooperation between GMU and the University of Montenegro’s Faculty of Maritime Studies during an International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) audit conducted in Kotor in February 2023.
