WELCOME

to our website

We welcome you to the new website of the Merchant Marine Academy of Syros for Marine Deck Officers, in the hope that it will offer you explicit information about our Academy, its activities and curriculum. The Merchant Marine Academy offers students a high level of education that fits graduates to the modern requirements of Merchant Shipping with strong cognitive supplies.

"We have land and home, when we have ships and sea",

said Herodotus in ancient times, thus providing a part of the definition of Hellenism and Greece itself: that of Seamanship.

Ever since the contemporary Greek state was established, Merchant Shipping has been one of the key ingredients for its survival and progress. The Maritime educational system  is a key factor for the development of the Greek Economy since the seafaring profession is ‘‘extrovert’’ by definition and contributes to the greek economy in multiple ways.

The Merchant Marine Academy of Syros was founded five decades ago under the decision number 10477/268/04-02-1961of the Ministry of Mercantile Marine / MC 2nd and during the term of minister G. Andrianopoulos. It was then named ‘‘Public School of Merchant Navy Captains’’ and has ever since been housed in the historic building that housed the British Telegraph company during the nineteenth  century. This company belonged to CABLE AND WIRELESS LIMITED, which had succeeded the famous EASTERN TELEGRAPH COMPANY LIMITED, based in London.

Perhaps the semantics of the location of the building which houses the Merchant Marine academy  is not accidental. This neoclassical building, which carries great historical and architectural value is located at the edge of the port of Syros, at the part of the town called "Waves", overlooking the island of Tinos, Mykonos and the deep blue Aegean Sea.

Starting its operation in 1962 and during the intervening 52 years to date, the M.M.A has been a pioneer through its 1,550 (and more) graduates that sail the seas of all continents. It is a common secret among all sailors that the degree of M.M.A / Syros is in itself a powerful and important graduate qualification that ensures its holders respect and appreciation because of  the knowledge they have already received during the first years of their seamanship.

Throughout the 52 year old existance and history of our Academy its graduates  have put themselves out into unknown seas and new horizons, ‘shipping’ Greek thought, Greek culture and Greece itself, all over the world, along with the merchandise their vessels transport. It is known that the island of Syros, and through it the whole island chain of  the Cyclades, have a long maritime tradition. The presence of our Academy  enhances seamanship in all the traditional shipping areas of the Cyclades as well as of the entire central and southern Aegean Sea, reviving the historical role of Syros in the development of Greek shipping significantly.

All the students of MMA/ Syros contitute a living cell of society, having an active role in many educational, social and religious events. Their participation in the celebrations of national holidays and local festivals (such as the celebration of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of all seafarers as well as of the island of Syros) has been established and is always expected with pride by the society of Syros. Throughout these last few years our Academy has made progress, both in its curriculum that is always being updated following the changes to the STCW (Manila 2010), as well as in the upgrade of the quality of education it offers through the provision of grants, the renovation of the building, the workshops’ equipment, etc.

In the meantime, the Academy does not fail to show its ‘‘social face’’, as our Student Association provides their life-giving assistance to the Association of Blood Donation of Syros, with alacrity and a major sense of duty.

Today, the Merchant Marine Academy of Syros has been ranked in the top positions of all Naval Training Schools in terms of its productivity and profitability, according to a survey conducted in 2012 by the Athens University of Economics in cooperation with the Eugenides Foundation.