Maritime is a term used to refer to that which is connected with the sea, especially in relation to seaborne trade or naval matters. For example:

1. Maritime Regions – these are countries in the world that have coastline or seashore or seaside.
2. Maritime Mammals – are animals living or found in or near the sea, e.g. dolphins, whales, hippopotamus, etc.
3. Maritime business has to do with business connected with water or the sea, e.g. seafaring, seagoing, or ocean-going, shipping, ect.
4. Maritime Law – law connected with the sea.

Maritime Industry includes all enterprises engaged in the business of designing, constructing, manufacturing, acquiring, operating, supplying, repairing and/or maintaining vessels, or component parts thereof: of managing and/or operating shipping lines, stevedoring and customs brokerage services, shipyards, dry docks, marine railways, marine repair shops, shipping and freight forwarding services and similar enterprises.

Maritime Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that embraces the liberal arts as the foundation for exploring humankind’s critical and continually evolving connections with the world’s waterways and watersheds. Maritime Studies highlights the social and cultural side of the human/water relationship, but recognizes and explores the links between human activities and the composition and the condition of the coastal and marine environments. Some of the institutions like universities, providing maritime studies combine a broad grounding in technical and scientific coursework with the study of courses in arts and humanities.

While Maritime Academies who run nautical or navigational courses prepare cadets for careers in the Merchant Marine or Navy, others who run maritime educational course, like shipping management, ports operations, etc, prepare candidates, for the shipping industry and other maritime services. Maritime studies programs prepare students for a variety of careers in the maritime industrial and service sectors. They are a lot of maritime academies that offer nautical and maritime management courses all over the world including Nigeria. One of such schools, is the Global Maritime Academy, Nigeria. Make sure you choice the right academy for your career.

Maritime transport is the means of carrying or affreightment of goods and persons by water, whether inland waterways or seas and oceans. It can be domestic trade which is done in the inland and coastal waters supported with boats, ferries, coastal vessels of less than 500 gross tonnage or ocean transport with big vessels of over 500 gross tonnage in size, the types which support international trade. Maritime transport is the backbone of international trade and a key engine driving globalization. Around 90 per cent of global trade by volume and over 80 per cent by value is carried by sea and is handled by ports worldwide.

Maritime training are programmes, courses, certificates and requirements for seafarers and people interested in working or developing a career at sea.

There is a variety of positions aboard cruise ships, merchant vessels and offshore oil rigs, such as Thr Master, The Mate, Chief Engineer, A/B Seaman, Motorman, Driller, Pumpman, Derrickman, Radio Operator, Ballast Controlman, Ratings, etc.

Some entry-level positions don’t require any previous training or experience, like the Ratings. While other positions are very particular and demanding and required a specific training and certification approved by a maritime regulatory body like the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in Nigeria.

There are different maritime academies that offer courses and certificates for people who want to apply for a seafaring job, or ambitious personnel who aspire to be more qualified so as to be promoted to better paid and more interesting positions onboard vessels. The length of time of these courses varies from some days to a few weeks or months. The length of time of these courses varies from some days to a few weeks or months, and is being regulated by the International Maritime Organization.

Some of the courses and certificates available for seafarers are:

1. Nautical Course
2. A/B Seaman Course
3. Certificate of Competence
4. Sea Service Approved by Harbour Master
5. Endorsement to C.O.C. (Certificate of Completion)
6. Elementary First Aid Certificate
7. Medical First Aid on Board Certificate
8. Medical Care on Board Certificate
9. SCMT (Ship Captains Medical Training)
10. Fire-Prevention Certificate
11. Fire-Fighting Certificate
12. Advanced Fire-Fighting Certificate
13. BST (Basic Safety Training) Certificate
14. Aquatic Rescue Certificate
15. EEBD (Emergency Escape Breathing Device) Training
16. Course on Personal Survival Techniques
17. Advanced Course on Personal Survival Techniques
18. Course on Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities
19. Sea Survival First-Class Certificate
20. Sea Survival Second-Class Certificate
21. Lifeboatman Course
22. Certificate of Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boat
23. Certificate of Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boat
24. ISPS (International Ship and Port Facility Security) Certificate
25. Oil Tanker Safety Certificate
26. Chemical Tanker Safety Certificate
27. Dangerous Cargo Certificate
28. BRM (Bridge Resource Management) Certificate
29. Bridge Team Simulator Certificate
30. Certificate in Ships Manoeuvring Simulator
31. Certificate in Engine room Simulator
32. ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) Certificate
33. Course on GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) for Deck Officers
34. Endorsement to GMDSS
35. Radar Operator Course
36. Radar Observer Course
37. Radar Simulator Course
38. Radiotelegraph Operator Certificate
39. Restricted Radiotelegraph Operator Certificate
40. ISM (International Ship Management) Certificate
41. Certificate in Crowd Management, Familiarization and Safety on Board Ro-Ro Passenger Ship
42. Certificate in Crowd Management, Familiarization and Safety Training on Board Passenger Ship other than Ro-Ro Passenger Ship
43. Certificate in Crowd Management & Human Behaviour including Training in passenger Safety, Cargo Safety & Hull Integrity on Board Ro-Ro Passenger Ship
44. Certificate in Crowd Management & Human Behaviour including Training in passenger
45. Safety, Cargo Safety and Hull Integrity on Board Passenger Ship other than Ro-Ro Passenger Ship
46. General Tanker Operation Certificate
47. Specialized Oil Tanker Operation Certificate
48. Specialized Chemical Tanker Operation Certificate
49. Specialized Liquefied Gas Tanker Operation Certificate
50. Vapour Systems Certificate
51. EMD (Electric Motor Division) Maintenance and Operation Certificate
52. Offshore Drilling Units Course
53. Crude Oil Washing Certificate
54. And others

If you want to apply for a job in a particular position onboard a vessel, you will have to check out the specific requirements of the available positions with a maritime regulatory body like the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in Nigeria and compare them with your own personal qualities and aspirations and then do the required training. The demand for qualified seamen is high all over the world and the pay is attractive, so also is the risk or danger at sea.