Curriculum & Structure
Four Semesters. Twenty-Two Subject Areas.
The PGD in Maritime Studies is delivered across two years, covering maritime law, chartering, marine insurance, oil & gas, port development, the blue economy, and more — taught in one board, in-depth diploma.
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2 Years / 4 Semesters
Duration
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₦100,000 / Semester
Course Fee (₦400,000 Total)
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Module Assignments & Examinations
Assessment
Year One
S1
Semester One
Foundations of Maritime Law
Grounding in maritime law, contracts, chartering, cargo carriage, and ownership & registration.
Maritime Law
- Introduction to maritime law
- The law of contract
- The law of tort
- Liability in contract and tort
- Responsibilities
- Admiralty law and jurisdiction
- International maritime law
- Flag state
- Collision, salvage and wreck
- Chartering
- Pilotage and towage
Charter Parties
- Charter parties
- Basics of chartering
- Owner (manager and/or master) obligations
- The fixing of ship for charter
- The charter party
- Lay time
- Demurrage
Carriage of Goods by Sea
- The importance of Bill of Lading
- The contract of carriage
- Cargo claims
- Terms of the Bill of Lading
- Statutory terms of the Bill of Lading
- The Hague and Hague-Visby Rules
- INCOTERMS 2020
Ownership and Registration
- Ownership
- Shipowners' obligations
- Registration
- Nigeria Ship Register
- UK Ship Register
- Liberia Ship Register
Personal Injury at Sea
- Passenger claims
- Employers' liability
- Claims procedure
S2
Semester Two
Regulation & International Frameworks
International conventions, admiralty jurisdiction, the law of the sea, and maritime security frameworks.
International Conventions
- SOLAS
- MARPOL
- COLREGS
- Tonnage
- Load line
- International codes of practice
- Directives, resolutions, circulars, guidelines, regulations, acts and manuals
Admiralty Jurisdiction
- Admiralty law and practice
- Federal High Court (Civil Procedure Rules) 2009
- Exercise of admiralty jurisdiction
- The Admiralty Marshal
- The Merchant Shipping Act 1990
- Limitation of liability in maritime claims
Law of the Sea
- Evolution and sources of modern law of the sea
- Baselines
- Generation of maritime zones
- Delimitation of maritime boundaries
- Methods of maritime boundary delimitation
- Technical considerations in generation and delimitation of maritime boundary
- Protection and preservation of the marine environment
- Navigation and shipping
- Mechanisms for settlement of law of the sea disputes
Marine Insurance and Average
- The marine insurance contract
- Other relevant statutes
- Terms of the contract
- Types of marine insurance
- Claims
- Subrogation
Maritime Security
- Definition of maritime security
- Terrorism at sea
- Armed robbery at sea
- Sea piracy
- Port facility security
- Global maritime geography and sea power
- Contemporary national and international security threats
Overview of International Maritime Security Legal Framework
- International conventions, codes, and guidelines associated with the ISPS Code
- The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
- The IMO Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation and Protocols on Fixed Platforms
Year Two
S3
Semester Three
Commercial Operations & Logistics
Freight forwarding, ship sale & purchase, terminal operations, and port development.
Freight Forwarding (11 Modules)
- Module 1 — Logistics terminology and glossary of industry terms
- Module 2 — Logistics and global trade, global routes, import/export rules
- Module 3 — International trade law and sales contracts
- Module 4 — Incoterms 2020
- Module 5 — International payments, documentary collection, letters of credit, UCP600
- Module 6 — Logistics in the economy and organisation, green logistics
- Module 7 — Importing, exporting and transportation (sea, air, road, rail)
- Module 8 — Warehousing and inventory management
- Module 9 — Purchasing and materials flow management
- Module 10 — Management and control of logistics, information systems
- Module 11 — Supply chain management, strategy and security
Finance and Mortgages
- Finance
- Mortgages
Ship Sale and Purchase
- Introduction to ship sale and purchase — parties, roles and contracts
- The ship broker and formation of the sale and purchase contract
- The memorandum of agreement — details, descriptions, price and inspections
- Physical inspection, documentation and delivery
Stevedoring and Terminal Operation
- Ship dimensions and stevedoring terminologies
- Marine orders relating to stevedoring
- Handling of ship's gear in ports
- Ship loading considerations and responsibilities
- Master, stevedore and planners
- Information flow and requirements prior to receipt of cargo
- Cargo handling
- Container and non-containerised lashing requirements
- Container problems
Port Development
- The port — definition, types/models and users
- Stakeholders and port development trends
- Planning, uncertainties and resilience
- Forecasting cargo volumes
- Port financing and investment
S4
Semester Four
Specialised Sectors & Strategy
Oil & gas, marine insurance, shipping management, HSE, entrepreneurship, and the blue economy.
Oil and Gas
- Technical background and petroleum geology
- Origins and properties of petroleum
- Exploration for petroleum
- Mechanics of oil and gas production
- Environmental impacts of exploration and production
- Ownership of oil and gas
- Trends and challenges for the international oil and gas industry
- International law and ownership of natural resources
- World energy supply and demand
- Refining, tax regime and state participation
- Oil and gas pipelines
- Petroleum Industry Act 2021
- Dispute resolution
Ocean Marine Insurance
- Fundamentals of shipping
- Trading partners and terms of sale
- Law and regulations
- Cargo insurance
- Liability and loss control
- P&I insurance policy, protection and indemnity clauses
- Exclusions and loss control
- Hull insurance
Maritime Shipping Management
- Introduction to the shipping industry and ship management today
- International best practices in levy on freight
- Emerging issues in cargo monitoring and reconciliation
- Legal environment and management of international trade
- Freight derivatives
- Functions and problems of the Bill of Lading
- Carriers' liability and limitations
- Port state control and cabotage enforcement
- Safety and enforcement
- The Hague Rules, Hague-Visby Rules and Hamburg Rules
- Procedures for successful claims handling
- Benchmark rate and risk management
- Interpretation of manifest
- Fraud and related challenges in cargo billing
- Ship management, customs and maritime intermodal transport
Health, Safety and Environment
- Background on health, safety and environment
- Concepts of environmental health and safety
- Health, safety and environmental hazards
- Hazard identification techniques
- Tackling hazards at work
- Environmental, health and safety laws and standards
- Future strategy
Entrepreneurship Development and Small Business Management
- Introduction to entrepreneurship and small business
- Critical success factors in entrepreneurship
- Identifying business opportunities and location
- Technical, strategic and marketing components of a business plan
- Managing manufacturing- and service-based operations
- Raising capital and accounting records for small business
Blue Economy
- Introduction and background to the blue economy
- Origins and definitions of the blue economy
- Components of the blue economy
- Blue economy policy
- Regulations under international, regional and national frameworks
- Blue economy and maritime security
- Blue finance
Career Opportunities
Where the PGD Can Take You
The economic potential of the blue economy is enormous. Our Post-Graduate Diploma offers a pathway into a diverse and dynamic sector, with significant prospects across the following areas.
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Oceans Law & Policy, Maritime Law
Progress into admiralty legal practice, regulatory affairs, or oceans law and policy work.
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Marine Insurance
Move into marine insurance underwriting, claims, or risk management roles.
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Ship Sale & Purchase
Advance into ship broking, vessel sale and purchase, or fleet transaction work.
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Maritime Research & Environmental Management
Pursue maritime research or marine environmental management careers.
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Coastal Tourism, Oil & Gas
Explore opportunities in coastal tourism development or the oil and gas sector.
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Port Development & Terminal Operations
Move into port development, terminal operations, or health, safety & environment roles.
Check Your Eligibility for the Next Intake
Review admission requirements, fees, and the application pipeline before you apply.