Main objective of the Department:
Main objective of the Department: to ensure high-quality fundamental, professional and safety training of maritime industry specialists by developing in higher education students modern knowledge, competencies and practical skills in the fields of natural sciences, information technologies, maritime law, occupational safety, life safety, maritime and cybersecurity, necessary for effective, responsible and safe professional activities in maritime transport.
Main functions of the Department:
1. Educational function
- Ensuring the teaching of fundamental, professional, general technical and legal educational components.
- Developing in higher education students the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills for further professional activities in the maritime industry.
- Organisation of lectures, practical and laboratory classes, and training sessions.
2. Teaching and methodological function
- Development and improvement of teaching and methodological support: educational component programmes, methodological recommendations, materials for independent work of higher education students.
- Preparation of knowledge assessment tools: tests and examination papers.
- Implementation of modern pedagogical technologies and innovative teaching methods.
3. Research function
- Conducting fundamental and applied research in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, maritime law, maritime safety and cybersecurity.
- Participation in scientific conferences, publication of research results, preparation of scientific articles and methodological developments.
- Involvement of higher education students in research activities and supervision of student research projects.
Department Development Programme:
Strategic development objective: Improving the quality of maritime industry specialists’ training through modernisation of the educational process, development of scientific research, strengthening of the material and technical base, enhanced cooperation with maritime enterprises, and implementation of modern safety and digitalisation technologies.
Educational development
- Updating and modernising educational programmes for the following educational components: higher mathematics, physics, chemistry, information technologies, cybersecurity, maritime law, life safety, occupational safety, security measures on board a vessel.
- Implementation of a competency-based approach in accordance with IMO STCW, international safety standards and IT standards.
- Expanding the use of simulators, VR technologies and interactive platforms in the educational process.
- Development of online courses and micro-courses for blended and distance learning.
- Creation of the Department’s electronic methodological resource base (tests, video lectures, simulators).
Scientific and innovative development
- Establishment of the Department’s research areas:
- cybersecurity of maritime transport;
- life safety and occupational safety;
- digital technologies in navigation;
- maritime law and legal aspects of information protection;
- applied research in mathematics, physics and chemistry in marine engineering.
- Increasing publications in international journals and participation in conferences.
- Development of research groups.
Development of the material and technical base
- Establishment of a modern cybersecurity and digital technologies laboratory.
- Modernisation of physics, chemistry and IT laboratories.
- Acquisition of modern simulators and equipment for modelling emergency situations on board vessels.
- Digitisation of educational and methodological literature.
- Installation of multimedia equipment in all basic classrooms of the Department.
Professional development of the Department’s academic and teaching staff
- Internships for the Department’s academic and teaching staff at maritime companies and partner universities.
- Regular internal training on:
- modern pedagogical methods;
- cybersecurity;
- legal aspects of international maritime law;
- digital skills and IT tools.
- Encouragement of certification: IMO courses, IT/cybersecurity certificates (CompTIA, ISC2), language certificates.
Areas of training provided by the Department:
List of specialities and educational programmes (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD) for which the Department is responsible.
The Department provides training for higher education students in physics, mathematics, information technologies, cybersecurity, life safety, occupational safety and law, which are assigned to it as educational components within the structure of training specialists for maritime transport under speciality J5 “Maritime and Inland Waterway Transport”.
- Function of providing physics and mathematics training for the maritime industry
- Developing fundamental and applied competencies in physics (mechanics, hydrodynamics and hydrostatics, wave dynamics, thermodynamics, electrical engineering, acoustics) and mathematics (analysis, differential equations, linear algebra, numerical methods), enabling higher education students to understand and predict physical processes, critically assess the behaviour of vessels and marine systems under real-world conditions.
- Ensuring the development of skills in mathematical modelling and numerical analysis of applied maritime problems: construction and solution of models of vessel motion and stability, assessment of loads, calculation of wave effects, analysis of control systems and measuring equipment, processing of experimental and navigational data using modern software tools (e.g. MATLAB/Python, basic CFD methods).
- Developing analytical thinking, interdisciplinary work skills and continuous professional learning: combining theoretical knowledge and practice to train specialists capable of conducting engineering analysis, innovation and scientifically grounded decision-making in maritime activities.
- Function of providing safety and legal training
- Developing comprehensive competencies in higher education students in the areas of life safety, occupational safety, security measures on board vessels and legal regulation of maritime activities, including risk prevention, response to emergencies and compliance with regulatory and legal requirements.
- Providing systematic knowledge of maritime law and regulation: international conventions and codes (SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, ISPS, COLREG, UNCLOS, MLC, etc.), national legislation, vessel classification rules, legal aspects of cargo transportation, liability and insurance, port and flag State inspection procedures, procedures for investigating accidents and documenting incidents.
- Developing practical skills in organising safety and emergency response: assessment of risks and hazards, development and implementation of a Safety Management System (ISM), planning and conducting emergency rescue operations, firefighting and water rescue, provision of first aid, measures to prevent pollution and respond to spills, access control and security procedures in accordance with ISPS.
- Implementation of documentation, reporting and legal support procedures: maintaining logs, preparing records, preparing reports for investigations and relevant authorities, preparing evidence and providing legal assessment of incidents, interaction with flag States, port authorities and insurance companies.
- Integration with other educational components: close coordination with navigation, vessel operations, engineering, physics and mathematics training, and management to ensure an interdisciplinary approach to safety and legal decision-making.
- Information technology and cybersecurity function
- Developing subject-specific competencies in higher education students that will ensure a high level of information (digital) culture when solving tasks related to information processing, its structuring, and automated processing of numerical and graphical data;
- Acquiring skills in solving problems using formal methods, the ability to formulate logical hypotheses and make decisions based on the analysis of computer model performance.
- Developing comprehensive competencies in information technologies, digital transformation and cybersecurity in the maritime industry, with an emphasis on protecting shipboard information systems, navigation equipment, operating systems and shore-based infrastructure from cyber threats and unauthorised interference.
- Providing systematic knowledge of international and national regulatory requirements for cybersecurity in the maritime sector, including IMO recommendations on cyber risk management, ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF, IEC 62443 standards, data protection requirements, and regulation of electronic document management and digital identification in maritime activities.
Integration of information technology and cybersecurity training with navigation systems, ship automation, power installations, logistics platforms and safety management to ensure an interdisciplinary approach to the digital resilience of the maritime industry.