His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday, as part of his tour of the south, officially inaugurated the internationally accredited Aqaba Centre for Maritime Education and Training affiliated with Balqa Applied University.
 
King Abdullah toured the centre and was shown its various simulators and workshops, joining part of a lecture on marine surveying and speaking to the supervisors and students, who stressed the importance of the centre in tying the theoretical to the practical.
 
The Aqaba Centre for Maritime Education and Training, which had previously been a department at Aqaba University College, provides practical training for bachelor’s degree students, offers a diploma degree, and provides training for marine workers.
 
Trainees from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Kenya are also enrolled at the centre.
 
Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Khasawneh, and Adviser to His Majesty for Policies and Media Kemal Al Nasser attended the centre’s inauguration.