Dalian Maritime University (formerly Dalian Maritime College) is a national key university affiliated to the Ministry of Transport, a key university under the national "211 Project", a national "double first-class" construction university, and a university jointly built by the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Education, the State Oceanic Administration, the National Bureau of Defense Technology and Industry, the People's Government of Liaoning Province, and the People's Government of Dalian. The university is known as the "cradle of navigators". It is a famous institution of higher navigation in China and one of the few maritime institutions in the world recognized by the International Maritime Organization as "internationally renowned".