Dalian Maritime University (simplified Chinese: 大连海事大学; traditional Chinese: 大連海事大學; pinyin: Dàlián Hǎishì Dàxué) is a university located in Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is a key maritime institution under the Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China. The long history of the University can be traced back to 1909, when the Nanyang Institute in Shanghai established a Shipping Management Section. DMU was founded in 1953 through the merger of three merchant marine institutions: Shanghai Nautical College, the Northeast Navigation College and Fujian Navigation School. At that time its name was Dalian Marine College, and it was the only maritime college in China. In 1960, DMU was designated a national key institution of higher education. Later in 1983, the Asia-Pacific Region Maritime Training Center was established at DMU by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the IMO, and in 1985, a branch of the World Maritime University (WMU) was established. In 1994 the University’s name was changed to the present one. In 1998 it was the first maritime university in China to receive the ISO 9001 Certificate.