The Regional Maritime University (RMU) in partnership with the Dar es Salaam Maritime Institute (DMI), University of Ghana (UG) and Nigeria Maritime University (NMU) has secured another prestigious research grant from Lloyd’s Register Foundation, thanks to the project team’s strong research capacity, expertise and commitment to advancing maritime safety, sustainability and knowledge development.
The grant will support a research project titled “Repository Centre of Excellence on Shipwrecks and Maritime Disasters: Advancing Safety, Sustainability, and Heritage (ReCESMaD)”, aimed at preserving and harmonising maritime heritage records while strengthening maritime safety research and evidence-based policymaking across Africa. It was awarded as part of the Foundation’s focus on learning, which aims to increase understanding of maritime safety and its importance to the past, present and future ocean economy.
The award is a significant milestone in RMU’s efforts to enhance maritime research, improve safety learning from historical maritime incidents, and promote sustainable management of Africa’s blue economy through knowledge generation and regional collaboration.
The project is being led by Dr Amy Pascalia Abra Asimah (RMU) as Principal Investigator with Dr Isaac Owusu-Nyarko (RMU) serving as Co-Principal Investigator, in partnership with Mr Aloyce S. Mpazi (DMI), Prof Wazi Apoh (UG) and Dr Fatimah J. Abduldayan (NMU).
Shipwrecks and maritime disasters have shaped the development of the global maritime industry for centuries. However, records relating to these incidents across Africa remain fragmented, scattered among museums, archives, regulatory institutions and academic repositories, limiting their accessibility and usefulness for research, policy development, environmental risk management and maritime safety improvements.
The RMU-led project seeks to address this challenge by establishing a Repository Centre of Excellence that will consolidate shipwreck and maritime disaster records from West and East Africa spanning 1760 to the present.
The initiative will harmonise fragmented datasets into structured, accessible, and interoperable open-access digital platforms, including a Geographic Information System (GIS), to strengthen maritime safety learning, environmental risk awareness and research capacity across the region.
According to the project team, the repository will support evidence-based policy formulation, enhance collaborative research and promote equitable access to maritime heritage knowledge.
Through regional governance and technical standardisation, the project is expected to transform dispersed historical maritime records into a sustainable knowledge system that advances maritime safety, environmental sustainability, and heritage preservation.
The RMU has expressed gratitude to its key stakeholders and collaborators for their support towards the successful acquisition and implementation of the project. These include Ocean Centres Ghana, Naval Headquarters Ghana, the National Hydrographic Agency of Nigeria, the Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (TASAC), the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB), and Coral Reefstoration Ghana.
Lloyd’s Register Foundation is an independent global charity dedicated to supporting research, innovation, and education that make the world a safer place. The Foundation works with partners across the globe to address critical safety challenges through evidence-based solutions, helping communities focus on tackling some of the world’s most pressing safety issues.