BUZZARDS BAY, MA, APRIL 1, 2009 — Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) is pleased to announce that its Marine Safety and Environmental Protection program has received a $25,000 marine conservation grant from Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd’s Ocean Fund for a second year in a row. The Academy will use its award to underwrite cooperative education opportunities in training five future maritime safety and environmental officers. On their way to becoming future stewards of our oceans, these cadets will spend their cooperative program aboard cruise ships and commercial ships as assistants to the environmental officers.Â
“We are proud to continue our collaborations with the Academy’s cooperative training program for maritime safety and environmental officers. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. was the first cruise line to place environmental officers onboard our ships and we believe investing in the education and training of future officers is critical to the protection of our marine environment,•bCrLf said Jamie Sweeting, vice president of Environmental Stewardship and Global Chief Environmental Officer for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
According to Admiral Richard Gurnon, President of Massachusetts Maritime Academy, “The Ocean Fund grant continues to provide wonderful opportunities to MMA cadets who serve aboard cruise ships and put into practice the marine safety and maritime protection techniques they have learned in the classroom. It is the classic win-win for both MMA and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.•bCrLf.
About Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s Ocean Fund
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. established the Ocean Fund in 1996 to support marine conservation organizations in conserving the world’s oceans. The mission of the Ocean Fund is to support efforts to restore and maintain a healthy marine environment, minimize the impact of human activity on this environment, and promote awareness of ocean and coastal issues and respect for marine life. In the twelve years since its launch, the Ocean Fund has donated over $10 million on behalf of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises, to several dozen organizations around the world that are working to protect the marine environment.Â
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisières de France. The company has a combined total of 38 ships in service and six under construction. It also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Latin America and New Zealand.
About Massachusetts Maritime Academy
The mission of Massachusetts Maritime Academy is to graduate educated men and women to serve the maritime industry as licensed officers or to serve the transportation, engineering, environmental, and industrial interests of the Commonwealth and the Nation.
The Marine Safety and Environmental Protection (MSEP) program at MMA takes Environmental Science to another level. MSEP prepares students for a wide range of rewarding government, private and non-profit sector careers in the fields of marine and industrial health and safety, environmental protection and environmental management.
The program’s breadth of practical coursework and experience ensure, as an MSEP graduate, cadets successfully transition from college to career track employment in the field of environmental health and safety. An amazingly diverse array of career opportunities exist due to global challenges such as climate change, diminishing natural resources, environmental degradation, increasing demands for energy, and booming economic development in third-world nations.
MSEP majors study the causes, effects, and potential solutions to these challenges through a multi-disciplinary, integrated program.
