About the Commercial Marine Industry

The commercial sector of the marine industry consists of ship owners and operators, ship agencies, port operations, maritime legal services, marine insurance and shipbuilding and repair services.

The shipping aspect of the industry is known as the Merchant Navy and is made up of shipping companies who operate all different types of ships from tankers and container ships to cruise ships and ferries and many more specialised vessels.

There are three main operational departments on board ship. The deck department, the engineering department and the catering or hotel department, which provides the crew and any passengers with catering and domestic services.

The port of Felixstowe welcomes 3,000 ships each year, including the largest container vessels afloat today, it has around 30 shipping lines operating from the port which offer approximately 90 services to and from 400 ports around the world.

There are many different and interesting career paths that you can take within the industry and they are looking for young people to join. A good place to start is by visiting the Merchant Navy Training Board Careers at Sea website which will provide information on where to start and what options are available.