On 18th February, 2026, Kenya welcomed MV World Odyssey, a floating university, which docked at the port of Mombasa. The Academic Voyage, known as "Semester at Sea," is run by the Institute of Shipboard Education in partnership with Colorado State University.
The Semester at Sea Spring 2026 voyage is a 106-day journey across Asia, Africa, and Europe, with stops in 10 countries and 11 cities. Among its ports of call is Mombasa, Kenya, where students and faculty engage in cultural immersion and academic exchange programs.
During the Kenya leg of the voyage, the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) hosted 30 students and 2 faculty members from Semester at Sea on 19th February, 2026. The visit was facilitated by the Department of Management Science and the Blue Economy Innovation Hub (BEI Hub). The visiting group represented two classes: Working with Data; and Globalization, Sustainability, and Justice.
The academic exchange program activities were designed to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and cultural understanding. Activities included joint discussions and cultural immersion. Students from TUM and Semester at Sea engaged in discussions on data-driven decision-making, sustainability challenges, and global justice frameworks. The visitors also participated in cultural exchanges and had a tour of the university. Paired up with TUM students, they were able to get a feel of how university life is like in Kenya.
The joint discussions at TUM featured current and former students who are founders of renowned startups, 2 of which were named among the 100 innovators shaping Africa´s Blue Economy (Plas-Tech Energies and Twende Green Ecocyle) by Katapult Ocean. Others included Blue Radio and VUA Solutions. The founders made presentations about their start-ups and shared experiences of their founding journeys. This was followed by fruitful discussions and feedback sessions with the students.
Beyond TUM, the Semester at Sea delegation visited four other organizations in Mombasa City: Baus Taka, Kuza Freezer, I.O.Me254 Hub and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics – Coast Regional office.
The Semester at Sea Spring 2026 exchange at TUM is expected to create lasting connections between TUM students and their international peers. It exemplified the power of global academic collaboration. By blending rigorous academic inquiry with cultural immersion, the program enriched both visiting students and the TUM community, laying the foundation for future partnerships and shared learning.
The full-day engagement fostered mutual learning and understanding amongst all participants and partnering institutions. It perfectly aligned with the ideals and core pillars of BEI Hub - #SocialInnovation #CoastalTourism #MultiDisciplinary #QuadraHelix
