The Antwerp Maritime Academy (''Dutch'': Hogere Zeevaartschool Antwerpen; ''French'': École supérieure de navigation d'Anvers) is a university college in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, located in the north of Antwerp. The academy trains future officers of the Merchant Navy and Belgian Navy. The Antwerp Maritime Academy is the only

Vocational university A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic d ...

allowed to teach in both

Vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

s, being Dutch and French. There are two sections at the academy: Nautical science and

Marine engineering Marine engineering is the engineering of boats, ships, submarines, and any other marine vessel. Here it is also taken to include the engineering of other ocean systems and structures – referred to in certain academic and professional circl ...

: results in a

Bachelor's Degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Marine Engineering after a three-year cycle. To obtain a

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Marine engineering a second, one-year cycle is required. Nautical science: results in a

in Nautical Sciences after a three-year cycle. To obtain a

in Nautical Sciences a second, one-year cycle is required. The Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Nautical Sciences are multidimensional: technical subjects combined with languages, economics, (maritime) medicine and (international) law. The courses do not only have to comply with regulations set by the local education authorities, they have to meet stringent international and quality-standard requirements set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Antwerp Maritime Academy is, because of her specific profile, the smallest academy in Flanders with ca. 670 students.

History

14th century marine officers have been trained in Antwerp since at least the 14th century.

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

founded an academy in 1800. Journal de Bruxelles nr 167 mentions sending a professor Mongy to Antwerp in 1800 to start a maritime academy Napoleon's plan was to make Antwerp a base of operations against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, together with major changes in the harbor, a renewed training for his officers was part of making ''"

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

and Antwerp, a gun pointed at the heart of England."'' In 1834 the academy was refounded under the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

regime. Initially the courses were given only in French. The school fell under the Ministry of Transport because " the rules of the road" were a major part of the curriculum. Starting from 1907, each class of first year students in Nautical Sciences is named after a distinguished maritime personality. From 1977 on, this is also done for the Marine Engineering department. In 1919 courses were resumed after suspension during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. During the

Interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...

motorized sea-traffic increased and a separate Dutch section was created at the academy. These changes created the need for a bigger school and a new building in the Van de Velde-style was inaugurated in 1932. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the German army occupied the building and courses were given at th
seamens' house
In 1948 lessons were resumed at the school.

References

External links

Hogere Zeevaartschool Antwerpen
{{Coord, 51.2405, 4.3983, type:edu_region:BE, display=title Colleges in Belgium Education in Antwerp