Ports of Tema and Takoradi host floating university

A one-of-a-kind passenger cruise ship MV World Odyssey, has visited Ghana’s ports carrying close to 500 students from around the world.

The Bahamas-flagged, 175-meter-long vessel serves as a floating university campus for undergraduate and postgraduate students, allowing them to travel the world while earning academic credit.

The last port of call was Cape Town before spending 3 days in Tema and Takoradi respectively. It was en route to Tanger Med in Morocco when last checked.

It is the sixth-ever ship under Semester at Sea, a program run by the Institute for Shipboard Education in association with Colorado State University in the USA.

Semester at Sea offers a variety of academic programs, including courses in liberal arts, environmental studies, international business, and more.

In addition to academics, students also engage in various extracurricular activities and cultural immersion experiences while on board the ship. These may include field trips, guest lectures, community service projects, and cultural exchanges with locals at port stops.

The captain of the ship, Jan Christiansen, the Executive Dean for the Semester at Sea Program, Marti Fessenden, and a few students told Eye on Port more about this unique academic experience.

The Captain said “We stay very long in the ports, mostly we stay up to six days in the different countries. We try to balance the educational part of the program with the maritime experience so that the students have enough time to explore the different countries, and the different cultures, and also to meet the local population of the countries. That is the idea behind Semester at sea.”

“All of these students will tell you that they interact with students from around the globe. Another thing I think is important for you to know about this program is, as we sail from different countries we bring on a university student from that country. So we just sailed from Cape Town to Ghana and on the ship with us was a student from the University of Ghana, Legon. She spent the week in different classes talking with these students and interacting with our faculty,” the Executive Dean added.

Benjamin Amoh touched on why OMA Ghana has gained prominence in providing ship agency and husbandry services for the budding cruise sector in Ghana.

"What makes us special is the experience and the personal touch of hospitality we provide to all of our guests, including the students, and some have even familiarized with our brand. OMA always wants to give you the best. We hope that more passenger ships will visit Ghana since it is a wonderful country and we want people to come and experience our culture. This specific ship, the MV World Odyssey, will surely return in October.”