Global cadet programme opens doors for seafarers from developing countries
A second phase of the NextWave Seafarers initiative will give at least 30 cadets the seagoing experience they need to qualify, while shipowners are being invited to help expand the pool of training berths
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has opened nominations for the second phase of NextWave Seafarers, an initiative that gives cadets from developing countries the onboard experience they need to qualify as officers.
Run in partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the country’s national shipping line, Bahri, the programme is now being scaled up from its pilot phase into what the IMO hopes will become a lasting global model for seafarer training.
Finding a training berth is one of the biggest hurdles facing young people who want a career at sea. Cadets working towards certification as deck officers, engineer officers or electro-technical officers must complete a period of seagoing service, and in many developing countries those placements are hard to come by. NextWave Seafarers sets out to remove that barrier and, in doing so, to help address seafarer shortages by building a more diverse and resilient pipeline of future officers.
Wider reach and a strong focus on women
The pilot was open to cadets from small island developing states and least developed countries. Phase Two extends eligibility to other developing countries, including landlocked developing countries. At least 30 more cadets will be trained, with the aim that half of them are women. Each eligible country may nominate up to two candidates, and the IMO is strongly encouraging administrations to put forward one man and one woman.
Selected cadets will spend up to six months on board Bahri-operated ships. Saudi Arabia and Bahri are covering the full cost of the programme. The shipping line will provide the placements, pay a monthly stipend and arrange and pay for flights and visas, while the IMO will provide a daily subsistence allowance for cadets in transit as they join and leave their ships. Before embarking, each cadet will sign a trainee contract directly with Bahri.
Nominations must be submitted through each country’s maritime administration and be endorsed by a senior official before the deadline of 31 December 2026. The IMO’s Technical Cooperation and Implementation Division will coordinate the programme and collect feedback from the cadets every month to assess its impact and how far it can be expanded.
Candidates must be over 18 and enrolled on an approved training programme. They also need a passport and seafarer’s identity document each valid for at least a year, a seafarer medical certificate, basic safety training, security awareness training and a pass in the Marlins English Test. Yellow fever vaccination is required. The closing date for nominations is 31 December 2026.
Global workshop in London
To drive this expansion, the IMO will host a global workshop at its London headquarters on Friday 20 November 2026. The event will present what the initiative has achieved so far, share practical lessons from the pilot and explain how shipping companies can take part.
It will also mark the official launch of the next stage of NextWave Seafarers, with the IMO hoping to build a broad coalition committed to strengthening the next generation of seafarers and a future-ready maritime workforce.
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