Antwerp Maritime Academy Alumni

The 6th of October 2025, Around 50 alumni gathered in our Maritime Academy to listen to Captain Michael Barbaix who shared his long life passion and knowledge on saving whales worldwide.
Michael Barbaix is a co-founder of the Great Whale Conservancy www.greatwhaleconservancy.org and the creator of the Whale Guardians™ www.whaleguardians.org program, which focuses on whale preservation and shipping safety. His work combines his background as a former professional tennis player, his extensive experience as a Master Mariner on supertankers, and his dedication to preventing lethal ship strikes on whales. The program uses real-time data and technology to create solutions like adjusting shipping routes to avoid whale habitats
After the presentation the guests enjoyed drinks and nibbles in the lobby of the Academy.

Friday, the 23rd of May 2025, about 100 alumni gathered at the “ex” Hogere Zeevaartschool in Ostend, to visit one last time the premises where some of them studied (and lived in teh boarding school!) for their first year of Maritime Academy.
In 1992, the Ostend Maritime Academy, located on Slijkensesteenweg, closed.
We now have the opportunity to visit this
It was especially meaningful to visit one last time the well-known building from 1931 in its original state before it is completely renovated.
Everybody had a great time reminiscing the good old days by sharing stories of the past…

The alumni were welcomed by Dirk Declerck, CEO of Port of Ostend, and guided tours were organized by Capt. Calbert, former Port Captain of Port of Ostend.
Hereafter, the alumni walked to the beautiful Marine Club Oostende for a reception.

🎓 Save the Date! ⚓

Ahoy Alumni!

We are thrilled to invite you to the upcoming Alumni event at the Hogere Zeevaartschool Oostende!

📅 Date: Friday, May 23rd 2025
📍 Location: Hogere Zeevaartschool Oostende, Slijkensesteenweg, Oostende

Many of us attended their first candidacy here and stayed at the boarding school. In 1992, the Hogere Zeevaartschool in Oostende, located at the Slijkensesteenweg, was closed. We now have the opportunity to visit the very famous building from 1931 again in its original state, before it is completely renovated. This is a unique and final opportunity to admire the building and travel back in time to those good old days...

We have the honor to be guided by Captain Calbert himself, former Port Captain of Ostend.

Join us for an afternoon of reconnection, reminiscing, and celebration with fellow alumni and enthousiasts. More details to follow soon!

Mark your calenders - we can't wait to welcome you back on board! ⚓

11 March 2025: Alumni get together in the Beacon

On the eight floor of the Beacon, with stunning views over the city and the river Scheldt, about sixty alumni gathered for drinks and snacks and to listen to Jan Pas, the only Maritime Expert on unmanned shipping within the Federal Public Service for Mobility & Transport. Jan elaborated on MASS, Maritme Autonomous Surface Ships, and unmanned vessels.
The crowd was interested and asked some witty questions. Jan is quite a busy man, as a lot of people in the industry want to know more about our country’s legislation on this topic. A lot of work is still ahead, certainly in an international environment.
Our group of alumni consisted out of different kind of professionals, with a special mentioning of 92 year old Frederic Lemmens, who off course studied at AMA, then sailed on board ships, to continue his career as navigator on board SABENA airplanes. When navigators were not needed anymore he became an airplane pilot. You see, you find alumni in very diverse places or functions!

🚢 Last-minute opportunity! 🚢

We are pleased to offer our alumni an exclusive last-minute opportunity to attend the Antwerp premiere of The Maritime Canon of Flanders by Prof. Dr. Eric Van Hooydonk on Wednesday, 19 March 2025, at 18:00 at Thomas More, Campus National (Antwerp).

📖 Discover the first complete maritime history of Flanders, a region with a rich nautical heritage and one of the world's most influential maritime hubs.

The event includes:
✅ Book presentation by Prof. Dr. Eric Van Hooydonk
✅ Expert panel discussion with leading maritime professionals
✅ Networking reception with industry experts
✅ Book signing session

📅 RSVP deadline: Friday, 14 March
📩 To attend, email [email protected] before the deadline!

Don’t miss this chance to gain insights into our maritime past and future!

Last chance to apply for this exciting opportunity at the Joint Nautical Authority!
A perfect next step for alumni looking to transition to a rewarding shoreside career:

Chefloods - nautisch dienstchef Heb je nautische ervaring in het werkingsgebied van de Schelde en heb je interesse in een boeiende job aan wal te Vlissingen? In deze functie bij het Agentschap Maritieme Dienstverlening en Kust speel je een cruciale rol in het waarborgen van een veilig en vlot scheepvaartverkeer. Vlaanderen en…

Thank you to all the "Friends of AMA" who widely attended yesterday's get-together!

Your presence and support are greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to meeting you again in the future!

⚠️Vacancy Alert ⚠️

For our recently graduated Alumni:
Check out these interesting traineeship positions at EMSA in Lisbon

Go for it!! 💪💪

European Maritime Safety Agency The selection of candidates will follow the EMSA Staff Recruitment Procedure. Candidates must apply for this post via the EMSA website http://www.emsa.europa.eu - vacancies. Please note that to make an EMSA on-line application you will need to create your EMSA profile using a valid e-mail address an...

Many thanks for attending past weeks event, it was great seeing you! 🥂

Nice opportunity to take part in a compensated research project at AMA the simulators!

We are Pieter Maes and Elspeth Hannaford, PhD students at Antwerp Maritime Academy (AMA) and Licensed Deck Officers.
We are looking for sailing Licensed Deck Officers and/or Pilots who hold a Master’s License to participate in one half day experiment at AMA during the dates of 09 June - 16 June. Participants will be acting as Officer of the Watch during a simulation which includes autonomous shipping at AMA's full mission bridge simulator.

> Participants who have participated in the previous simulator experiment (running from 26AUG2021 to 02SEP2021) are not eligible for participation
> Participants will be compensated and must commit to assigned time
> If you can participate, please choose the dates indicating when you are available via the link below. I will contact you to confirm the date
> Participants are responsible for own transportation to and from the Academy
> Lunch will be provided

Please find the link with the available timeslots below:
https://lnkd.in/dhSw7d8R

Thank you and we look forward to your participation. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me: [email protected]