Your Career in The Merchant Navy

At SSTG our ethos is one of setting high standards in the level of training and support we provide for both
newcomers to the Merchant Navy and to established seafarers who are wanting to further their careers
both at sea and onshore.

Explore our career opportunities

 The benefits of a career in the Merchant Navy

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10 Study Locations In The UK

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Make Lifetime Friends

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Travel Around The World

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Tax-Free Salary From £25,000 P.A. Once Qualified

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Ongoing Contacts With Key Maritime Decision Makers

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Monthly Allowance Plus College Tuition Fees Paid By Sponsors

 

How to start your career

Our experienced team of recruitment and training officers can provide you with help and guidance on roles and vacancies – and support in applying for sponsorship.

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The application process

Applying is easy! Don’t have time to complete it today? You can save your application anytime and return it to complete the process within 30 days.

Step One

Choose your cadet training path.

Step Two

Select your training location.

Step Three

Apply online.

How to advance your career

There are also opportunities for candidates who have the academic ability and desire to study for a higher level of academic award above those they achieved whilst completing their cadet training programme.

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Life at sea

Learn more about your life at sea and what to expect during your time on-board while being overseen by an experienced Ship’s Deck, Engineer or Electro-Technical Officer as your appointed your mentor.

Start Your Journey Now

Whether you see yourself as a Deck or Electro-technical Officer, or an Engineer, we’ll show you the way. Merchant Navy training blends hands-on learning on board a shipping industry vessel, and college-based study. With course fees paid and a generous monthly allowance.

Deck Officer

Engineering Officer

ETO Officer

PHASES IN TRAINING

It’s Not All Classroom Work

Once sponsorship is accepted your designated traning officer will help with the enrolment at college and oversee your training throughout. Always on hand to answer your questions concerning college and sea time training.

PHASE 1

At College

Learn the basics at your chosen college

PHASE 2

At Sea

Put your knowledge into practice

PHASE 3

At College

Further studies include practical sessions at college

PHASE 4

At Sea

Practice all that you’ve learned

PHASE 5

At College

Take your final exams and qualify!

OUR PROCESS

Are You Ready To Launch Your Career?

Take a look at our steps of application below. Alternatively Start Now!

STEP 1

Your Position

Deck Officer

Engineer Officer

Electro-technical Officer

STEP 2

Your Location

1. Plymouth University
2. Warsash Maritime School
3. East Coast College Lowestoft
4. Liverpool John Moores University
5. Humber Maritime College
6. Fleetwood Nautical College
7. South Shields Marine School
8. City of Glasgow College
9. Peterhead College
10. NAFC Marine Centre

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STEP 3

Submit Your Application

Applying is easy! Don’t have time to complete it today? You can save your application at any time and return to complete the proccess within 30 days.

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TESTIMONIALS

Cadet Life

Read about the experiences of SSTG cadets as they progress through their training and enter into full service at sea.

“We’re learning a lot from the very supportive tutors who have prepared us with a good understanding of the basics for our sea phases of the course.”

“The crew onboard the ships could not have been more helpful to me.”

“It is a life experience you wouldn’t get in a shore job.”

Conversation with George Ineson
Engineer Officer Trainee

“My time as an SSTG cadet was amazing and quite an experience. I received constant support and help from SSTG and my sponsoring company.”

Submitted by Arnold De Souza
ETO Cadet

My en-suite cabin, my home for the next four months, was a spacious with plenty of room to relax and study in comfort with good air conditioning and, of course, a sea view!

Submitted by Owen Morgan
Deck Cadet

Boston Putford Offshore Safety Ltd

Operates standby support vessels.

Careers at sea with Boston Putford Offshore Safety Ltd.

Based:
Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of Support Vessels in both the North Sea and other areas providing Emergency Response, Supply and Underwater Exploration/Construction services for the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry.

Ship Types Operated:
Standby

Company website:
www.bostonputford.com

Britannia Aggregates Ltd

Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.

Train as a deck cadet with Britannia Aggregates Ltd.

Based:
Northfleet, Kent.

Profile:
Operates a Marine Aggregate Dredger engaged in the mining of sand and gravel from the sea bed in licensed areas of the open sea around the UK & the Continent of Europe for delivery to UK and other European ports.

Ship Types Operated:
Aggregate Mining Vessels

Company website:
www.brett.co.uk

CEMEX Marine Ltd

Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.

CEMEX, an SSTG Member for 10 years.

Based:
Southampton, Hampshire.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of Marine Aggregate Dredgers engaged in the mining of sand and gravel from the sea bed in licensed areas of the open sea around the UK & the Continent of Europe for delivery to UK and other European ports.

Ship Types Operated:
Aggregate Mining Vessels

Company website:
www.cemex.co.uk

CMA-CGM Ltd

Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.

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Based:
London, UK.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of container vessels on worldwide routes transporting a wide variety of cargoes.

Ship Types Operated:
Container

Company website:
www.cma-cgm.com

Alcedo Shipping Ltd

Operates bulk carriers worldwide.

Alcedo Shipping Ltd.

Based:
London.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of Bulk Carriers on worldwide routes transporting a wide variety of cargoes.

Ship Types Operated:
Bulk Carriers

Company website:
https://www.alcedoshipping.co.uk

Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd

Operates container vessels for cargo transportation.

Deck Cadet Training with Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd.

Based:
London.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of container vessels on worldwide routes transporting a wide variety of cargoes.

Ship Types Operated:
Container

Company website:
www.evergreen-marine.co.uk

Gardline Ltd

Operates survey and research vessels.

Deck and engineer cadet training with Gardline Ltd.

Based:
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Profile:
Best in class provider of Marine Geophysical, Geotechnical and Environmental Surveys.

Ship Types Operated:
Survey

Company website:
www.gardline.com

Global Marine Systems Ltd

Global Marine Systems Ltd Operates a fleet of Cable Repair and Installation vessels.

Based:
Headquartered in Chelmsford, Essex.

Profile:

Global Marine is part of the Global Marine Group and is a market leader in subsea cable installation and maintenance solutions to the telecoms sector, with a history dating back to 1850. We have a fleet of five Dynamically Positioned vessels that operate worldwide with one Charted vessel that predominantly installs fibre optic cables.

Dynamically Positioned (DP) vessel means that they hold position under their own power utilising main propulsion and thrusters.

Each vessel is equipped with a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) which is used to locate and bury the cable once repaired or laid.

Our vessels are located in the Far East, Europe, Caribbean and the US with operations run out of Washington in the Northeast of England.

Through Safety Leadership, Operational Excellence & Stability we aim to continually drive industry acceptance and commitment to common goals and a path to a sustainable future for global subsea communications.

Ship Types Operated:
Cable Repair

 

Company website:
https://Globalmarine.co.uk/global-marine-cadetships/

Hanson Aggregates Marine Ltd

Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.

Hanson Aggregates Marine Ltd, an SSTG Member for 10 years.

Based:
Southampton, Hampshire.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of Marine Aggregate Dredgers engaged in the mining of sand and gravel from the sea bed in licensed areas of the open sea around the UK & the Continent of Europe for delivery to UK and other European ports.

Ship Types Operated:
Aggregate Mining Vessels

Company website:
www.heidelbergcement.com

John H. Whitaker (Holdings) Ltd

Operates oil tankers.

Careers at Sea with John H. Whitaker (Tankers) Ltd.

Based:
Hull, North Humberside.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of oil tankers in the European area transporting fuel and oil products for ships and storage depots.

Ship Types Operated:
Tankers

Company website:
www.whitakertankers.com

Saga Shipping Ltd

Operates cruise ships.

Saga Shipping Ltd, an SSTG Member Company for 15 years.

Based:
Folkestone, Kent.

Profile:
This company operates the following types of vessel. Click on vessel for more information:

Ship Types Operated:
Cruise

Company website:
www.saga.co.uk

Tarmac Marine Ltd

Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.

Tarmac Marine Ltd, trains Deck and Engineer Cadet with SSTG.

Based:
Chichester, West Sussex.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of Marine Aggregate Dredgers engaged in the mining of sand and gravel from the sea bed in licensed areas of the open sea around the UK & the Continent of Europe for delivery to UK and other European ports.

Ship Types Operated:
Aggregate Mining Vessels

Company website:
www.tarmac.com

North Star Shipping (Aberdeen) Ltd

Operates support vessels for offshore oil and gas exploration.

North Star Shipping (Aberdeen) Ltd, an SSTG Member for 10 years.

Based:
Aberdeen.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of support vessels in both the North Sea and other areas providing emergency response, supply and underwater exploration / construction services for the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry.

Ship Types Operated:
Standby

Company website:
www.northstarshipping.co.uk

P & O Ferries Ltd

Operates vehicle and passenger ferries.

P & O Ferries Ltd, trains Merchant Navy Seafarers with SSTG.

Based:
Dover, Kent.

Profile:
Operates a fleet of large Roll-on Roll-off Vessels between the UK and ports in Europe transporting passengers, their cars, and freight vehicles.

Ship Types Operated:
Ferries

Company website:
www.poferries.com

Seajacks UK Ltd.

Operates specialist jack-up vessels for offshore wind industry.

Seajacks UK Ltd, trains Merchant Navy seafarers with SSTG.

Based:
Great Yarmouth, UK.

Profile:
Seajacks UK are an East Anglian based offshore installation company committed to building the world’s most advanced and versatile fleet of self-propelled jack-up vessels equipped to service the demands of the offshore wind industry. Our on and offshore crews work in full conjunction with all of our clients, looking to provide the most cost-effective solutions in the safest environments possible.

Seajacks has a fleet of 5 GustoMSC designed vessels, all capable of installing and maintaining offshore wind farms in harsh conditions. Seajacks fleet includes; Seajacks Kraken, Seajacks Leviathan, Seajacks Hydra, Seajacks Zaratan and Seajacks Scylla.

Seajacks utilise DP2 positioning for fast and efficient rig moves, with no need for tugs means there is year round operating ability in the harsh conditions of the Southern North Sea. The DP2 systems make all of the vessels fully capable of driving their four legs into the seabed, providing them with a steady platform and ensuring they remain uncompromised by the conditions of the sea below.

Seajacks Scylla is equipped with a 1500t leg-encircling crane, incorporate useable deck space of up to 5000m², and has 8000t of available variable load. Sailing at speeds of 12 knots or over, Scylla is outfitted with 105m long legs that have the ability to install components in water depths of up to 65m.

Ship Types Operated:
Jack-up

Company website:
www.seajacks.com

CldN RoRo Ltd.


Operates freight vessels for Irish Sea crossings.

CldN RoRo Ltd, trains ETO Officer cadets with SSTG.

Based:
Heysham, Lancashire.

Profile:
As a UK cadet you will complete your sea service whilst under training on the UK based vessels serving between the UK and Ireland. The company has a fleet of modern vessels concentrating on the freight market.

Ship Types Operated:
Ferries

Company website: 

www.cldn.com

Women's UK Shipping & Trading Association

WISTA UK ( Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association, UK) 
www.wista-uk.net

Profile:
UK networking organisation whose mission is to attract and support women, at the management level.

WISTA UK are pleased to announce a joint venture initiative with the Maritime Educational Foundation for the sponsorship of up to three candidates to train and qualify as Merchant Navy Officers commencing in September 2024.

The training will involve studying at one of the specialist nautical colleges in the UK, and completing sea service on a range of ship types. The training will follow one of the established programmes and lead to a degree level-based qualification in addition to all the necessary professional training.

The available sponsorship will include all tuition fees paid, the cost of training at sea and a generous allowance paid throughout the training.

Successful candidates will need to support the aims and objectives of WISTA UK. Attendance at a small number of WISTA UK events interspersed throughout the training will be required to promote this initiative to the current membership and assist in the promotion that this opportunity will provide candidates in future years.

Interested candidates should apply here at SSTG in the first instance quoting WISTA UK as your choice of sponsor.

Company website:
www.wistainternational.com

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Ship Safe Training Group Ltd
The Precinct Office
The Precinct
Rochester
Kent
ME1 1SR

We’d love to
hear from you!

Tel: +44 (0) 1634 820 820
E-mail: recruitment@sstg.org

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