Marine Society

Marine Society








Contact details

Website: https://www.marine-society.org/ 

General enquiries:
  • Telephone: +44 (0)20 7654 7000 
  • Email: webenquiries@ms-sc.org
Books and library enquiries:
  • Email: books@ms-sc.org 
  • Telephone: +44 (0)20 7654 7008 
Coming Ashore Programme:
  • Email: comingashore@ms-sc.org 
Contact page:

What this organisation does

Marine Society is one of the UK's longest-running maritime charities and focuses on learning, professional development and career support for seafarers. Its aim is to help aspiring and serving seafarers gain skills, qualifications and career opportunities throughout their maritime careers.  
The organisation provides education, training, professional development, scholarships, bursaries, mentoring and career transition support for people working in the maritime sector. 

Who can use the service

Support varies depending on the programme.
The organisation may be relevant to:
  • Aspiring seafarers entering the maritime industry. 
  • Serving seafarers seeking further training or qualifications. 
  • Maritime professionals looking to develop their careers. 
  • Seafarers planning to move from sea-based employment into shore-based maritime roles. 
For scholarship and bursary funding, applicants generally must be:
  • British seafarers or maritime professionals.
  • Permanently resident in the UK for at least three years.
  • Aged 18 or over, with some funding streams requiring applicants to be 21 or over. 
Individual schemes have additional eligibility criteria which should be checked before applying. 

Support available

Training and professional development

Marine Society offers:
  • Maritime training opportunities.
  • Marine apprenticeships.
  • Learning and professional development support.
  • Career guidance and study advice. 

Scholarships and bursaries

Funding support may be available through several schemes, including:
  • Nautilus Slater Fund for ratings progressing towards officer qualifications, electro-technical officers, yacht crew and workboat crew requiring certification. 
  • Green Skills Bursary for training and qualifications related to offshore and renewable energy careers.
  • Worcester Scholarship for higher academic or professional maritime qualifications. 
  • Hanway Scholarship for essential maritime qualifications and continuing professional development. 

Coming Ashore Programme

A dedicated programme designed to help seafarers transition into shore-based maritime careers. Support can include:
  • Structured career transition planning.
  • Career resources and guidance.
  • CV development support.
  • Online networking assistance.
  • One-to-one mentoring.
  • Access to webinars.
  • Personality profiling tools (subject to availability).
  • Industry placements (subject to availability).
  • Temporary access to learning resources.
  • Financial support towards some professional qualification fees.

Books and crew libraries

The organisation also operates a specialist maritime book service and provides crew libraries that support professional development and personal learning. 

Features and benefits

Using Marine Society may help seafarers to:
  • Gain recognised maritime qualifications. 
  • Access funding that may reduce training costs. 
  • Develop skills needed for career progression. 
  • Obtain mentoring from maritime professionals. 
  • Prepare for a successful move into shore-based employment. 
  • Access specialist maritime learning materials and resources. 
  • Build long-term professional development pathways within the maritime sector. 

How to get help

  1. Visit the Marine Society website and identify the service or programme that matches your needs. 
  2. Review the eligibility criteria for training, funding or mentoring programmes. 
  3. Contact the organisation by telephone or email to discuss your circumstances. 
  4. Submit any required application forms or supporting documents through the relevant programme page. 
  5. For career-transition support, contact the Coming Ashore team directly at comingashore@ms-sc.org. 

Things to check before contacting them

Before making an application, consider:
  • Which training course, qualification or career pathway you are seeking support for.
  • Whether you meet the residency, age and occupational requirements for a specific funding scheme.
  • Whether your employer already provides financial support for the training you need.
  • Any application deadlines or funding limits applicable to the programme.


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