History

Our founding foundation, the Turkish Maritime Education Foundation (TÜDEV), was established with the goal of meeting the demand for seafarers in Turkey, assisting existing maritime education institutions, and operating a maritime education institution. As stated in the foundation’s charter, it also aims to establish a university (when conditions permit). To achieve these goals, TÜDEV has primarily provided financial support to Maritime Faculties and other maritime education institutions, and this support continues to this day.

Our founding foundation established its own training center, the TÜDEV Maritime Training Center, in March 1995, and to date, 2,100 officers have been trained at this center.

On December 4, 2003, in an extraordinary general assembly meeting, TÜDEV decided to continue its operations as a higher education institution under the name “Turkish Maritime University” and started the necessary preparations.

After long efforts, on February 8, 2008, with the law published in the Official Gazette, Piri Reis University gained legal entity status and was established, contributing to Turkish and global maritime industries.