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Tideworks Technology and Manzanillo International Terminal-Panamá (MIT) have entered into an agreement with two universities to strengthen professional maritime education in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
Tideworks, MIT, the International Maritime University of Panama (UMIP) and the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) of Jamaica are signing a letter of intent for academic collaboration at TOC Americas on November 13.
As part of the initiative, Tideworks will donate its terminal operating system (TOS) to the Training Center of the Americas (TCOTA) at MIT.
The agreement will also include the promotion of technical training scholarships in the maritime port area, the introduction of a technical maritime training programme for UMIP and CMU students, and the development of degree/diploma programmes and hands-on cargo planning workshops in conjunction with MIT.
According to a statement by Tideworks, the academic collaboration is expected to strengthen the Panama and Caribbean region as a logistics hub by “bringing together world-class technologies, an immersive real-world environment through access to MIT and educational and training facilities”.
“As a strong partner in this region, we have an interest in continuing to innovate, develop and contribute to maritime education,” noted Thomas Rucker, president of Tideworks. “We are excited to provide access to our terminal operating solutions and TCOTA for the purpose of academic training in the area of port logistics, planning and execution of maritime terminal operations.”
UMIP’s rector Aládar Rodríguez said: “We believe this level of access to real-world terminal operations and the integration with hands-on TOS exposure will provide an unparalleled experience for professional development and training.”