African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Vol.

12, 2016

The Role and Relevance of Mathematics in the Maritime Industry

G. S. K. Akakpo
Education must begin with mathematics for that well-designed brain form that is able to reason
properly. It is even recognized that those who have studied mathematics during their childhood must be
trusted, because they have obtained a solid basis for debate which becomes a kind of second nature to
them Gouba (2008).

Industrial mathematics

Industrial mathematics is an established field in the mathematics science community. Industrial

mathematics refers to all manufacturing and service sectors, including business and engineering; and is a
branch of applied mathematics. Applied mathematics always leads to important discoveries and gives
birth to new disciplines. The creation of mathematical and statistical modeling and the development of
numerical methods and / or algorithms for computers to get solutions to problems in industry has come
to be called industrial mathematics or, simply, industrial mathematics. Many reports and studies
conducted by professional organizations show that there is an increase in the workforce needs for
mathematics graduates with practical skills to work with managers, engineers, and the like (SIAM, 2016).

Maritime activities occupy more than three-quarters of the world's space and provide a large
employment industry for humanity. This study aims to investigate the relevance (utility value) of
mathematics in the changing trends in Maritime Business, Education and Training.

Mathematics and the Maritime Industry

The maritime and offshore industry uses sophisticated mathematical methods in ship design and
mechanical analysis of offshore structures. Such as the dynamic behavior of the floating structure under
the effects of wave force and wind conditions. The maritime industry includes all companies engaged in
the business of designing, building, producing, acquiring, operating, supplying, repairing and / or
maintaining ships, or their component parts: managing and / or operating shipping lines, and customs
brokerage services, shipyards, dry dock, sea train, marine repair shop, freight forwarding and shipping
services and similar companies. This developing industry also includes significant components of
traditional oil and gas and renewable energy (mainly wind, but also marine turbines) (Monfardini, et al,
2012).

The Concept of Industrial Mathematics

Cipra (2004) reports that in 2002, Virginia Concrete, the seventh largest concrete company in the
country, began using optimization software to schedule deliveries for its drivers. The company has 120
trucks, which have been assigned to 10 concrete plants. Cement trucks have about two hours to deliver
their cargo before it begins to harden inside the truck. Also, the construction business is very unexpected;
usually, 95 percent of company orders will change in one day. For testing purposes companies use
software to make all scheduling decisions; however, since the system installation, the operator has been
allowed to overwrite the computer. This system has enabled Virginia Concrete to increase the amount of
concrete delivered per driver by 26% (Cipra, 2004).
 SIAM (2016) reports that research involving 203 mathematicians (102 masters and 101 doctoral
graduates from 1988-1992) and 75 managers shows that mathematics is a major factor in many job
recruitments in the non-academic sector. According to Heilio (2004) the approach of presenting real
industrial problems and their mathematical modeling as motivation to develop mathematical methods
needed to solve problems.

Mathematics and Job Prospects

According to BLS (2015), American jobs and the Health Care industry are expected to have the
fastest employment growth and add the most jobs between 2014 and 2024. With an increasing proportion
of the population in the older age group, more people in the workforce will enter the main retirement
age. As a result, the labor force participation rate is projected to decrease and labor force growth slows.
This slowdown in labor force growth is expected, in turn, to cause growth in the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) of 2.2 percent per year over this decade. Economic growth is projected to generate 9.8 million new
jobs in 2024; a 6.5 percent increase between 2014 and 2024. Mathematics has been called the language
of science (Stecke, 2005). Mathematics is used to solve many real-world problems in industry, physical
sciences, life sciences, economics, social and human sciences, engineering, and technology. Early
mathematics (calculations, statistics, and accounting) was applied to operations problems, in
administration and in managing technical activities, by public administrators, engineers and managers.

Glover, Klingman, and Phillips (1992) provide many examples of network flow model applications.
Some of the applications they mentioned include electrical circuit board design, telecommunications,
water management, transportation system design, metal work, chemical processing, aircraft design, fluid
dynamics analysis, computer work processing, production, marketing, distribution, financial planning,
project selection, location facilities, and accounting.

Applications of Mathematics in Industries

Mathematics is a key player in numerous success stories heard during site visits. Common themes
are the technical advantages and cost savings that accrue from clever modeling, analysis, and computation
by mathematicians working with other professionals. The mathematician's logical, problem-solving
approach is widely seen to provide a noticeable competitive edge.

Mathematics and MET Curriculum

The need for mathematics and its role in maritime industry performance is still more relevant
than ever before. The introduction of modern sophisticated equipment in operations in the maritime
industry gives credence to the statement that the mathematics curriculum must be redesigned to meet
the changing trends that occur directly, especially in the face of rapid growth from / within the industry.
Maritime Education and Training practitioners are expected to track the apparent relevance of this
mathematics in the maritime industry and make their training curriculum so as not to miss world order.