Burchardstr. 24
20095 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 350 97-270
Fax: +49 40 350 97-310
Mail: info@stiftung-schifffahrtsstandort.de
Stiftung "Schifffahrtsstandort Deutschland"
- Support of training of seafarers
- Financial support of professional development
- Sponsorship requirements
- How the foundation is financed
The Stiftung "Schifffahrtsstandort Deutschland" (German shipping foundation) supports training
The Stiftung "Schifffahrtsstandort Deutschland" is an institution of benefit to the public, based in Hamburg, which supports training and qualification of the young generation of seafarers. The objective of this support is to ensure in the long run that the shipping know-how embodied by highly qualified seafarers is maximized in Germany as a place of maritime importance.
The foundation funds vocational training positions leading to a qualification as:
- Ship Mechanic,
- Navigational, Eletectro-technical or Engineering Officer's Assistant, and
- the qualification as Ship's Officer or Master.
Applications can be submitted in hard-copy by postal mail or digitally via a service portal after an initial registration to info@stiftung-schifffahrtsstandort.de
| Financial support of vocational training by the foundation | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Sums in Euro, extrapolated on a year (only quarterly and limited funding) |
||
|
Vocational training as Ship Mechanic (up to 12 quarters sponsorship from the beginning of the apprenticeship) |
14,000 |
|
|
Vocational training as Electro-technical Officer's Assistant (up to 6 quarters funding from the beginning of the practical part of the apprenticeship and seagoing service) |
14,000 |
|
|
Vocational training as Engineering Officer's Assistant (up to 9 quarters funding from the beginning of the practical part of the apprenticeship and seagoing service) |
14,000 |
|
|
Vocational training as Navigational or Engineering Officer's Assistant (up to 6 quarters funding from the beginning of the practical part of the apprenticeship and seagoing service) |
14,000 |
|
|
Master or Ship's Officer, either Navigating Officer or Engineer Officer (up to 16 quarters funding after successful graduation from the theoretical part of the training) |
32,000 |
|
|
Master or Ship's Officer, either Navigating Officer or Engineer Officer after preceding unemployment (up to 20 quarters funding after successful graduation from the theoretical part of the training) |
38,000 |
|
The foundation Stiftung "Schifffahrtsstandort Deutschland" compiled a 2-page overview as well as a 4-page list of the requirements for sponsorship of training as a seafarer (both documents in German only).
Financial support of professional development
The Stiftung “Schifffahrtstandort Deutschland” (German shipping foundation) supports advanced training schemes (professional development courses) which are a basis for the issuance of documents of navigational and engineering staff employed on board ships and which are authorized by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie – BSH) or the BG Verkehr. In addition, training courses as part of the training outside the training location ship for vocational training as ship's mechanic or technical officer assistent, such as metalwork and fire-fighting, are financially supported.
| Funding of advanced training schemes by the foundation | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Maximum amounts in Euro |
||
|
Advanced training schemes (Funding of fees for professional development courses) |
up to 3,600 |
|
|
Funding per beneficiary of financial support (referring to individual trainees) |
up to 4,600 |
|
|
Funding for training outside the training location ship |
up to 3,200 |
|
The foundation Stiftung "Schifffahrtsstandort Deutschland" compiled a 2-page overview as well as a 4-page list of the requirements for sponsorship of advanced training schemes (both documents in German only).
Applications for financial support of advanced training schemes can be applied for either by the company or the trainee. For the year 2024 applications can be submitted at the foundation until 28. February 2025 at 18:00 o'clock.
- Applications can be submitted digitally via a service portal after an initial registration to info@stiftung-schifffahrtsstandort.de
- Postal application form for the funding 2024 for companies (in German only)
- Postal application form for the funding 2024 for trainees (in German only)
Sponsorship requirements
Requirements for receiving support for vocational training and qualification schemes are, among others, that:
- the headquarters of the company are located in Germany,
- the trainee or master/ship's officer is employed by a German employer,
- the employer pays contributions to the statutory social security system for the trainee or master/ship's officer,
- the trainee or master/ship's officer receives a payment of not less than 850 € per month,
- the ship is operating under the German flag (not the official federal or official state flag) or under EU flag or an EER member state's flag.
The vocational training or qualification scheme must be based on:
- Maritime Vocational Training Ordinance ("See-Berusfausbildungsverordnung"), or
- "Richtlinie für die Anerkennung der praktischen Ausbildung und Seefahrtzeit als nautischer/nautische Offiziersassistent/in" (guidelines for approval of practical training and service at sea as navigational assistant officer), or
- "Richtlinie für die Anerkennung der praktischen Ausbildung und Seefahrtzeit als technischer/technische Offiziersassistent/in" (guidelines for approval of practical training and service at sea as engineering assistant officer).
A legal claim to funding does not exist.
Financing the foundation with compensation payments by the shipowners
The foundation is financed by contributions of German shipowners whose ships have been flagged out, i.e. operating under a foreign flag for a limited time. A shipowner may only flag out a ship, if he compensates for the resulting negative effects for the German maritime sector. Such compensation can be achieved by:
- either the training of ship mechanics or assistant officers on board of the flagged-out ship (primary obligation), or
- the compensation payment to the foundation (secondary obligation).
The duration of the required training on board a flagged-out ship to avoid maturity of compensation payments depends on the ship’s size. This duration lies between 1 and 5,5 months for each year the ship is flagged out. Further details are specified in the annex to § 7 Absatz 2 Satz 2 des Flaggenrechtsgesetzes (§ 7(2) second sentence of the German flag act). The period of the required training starts when the approval of flying a foreign flag for a limited time becomes effective.
If a shipowner is unable or unwilling to provide training slots, he may alternatively make a compensation payment to the Stiftung "Schifffahrtsstandort Deutschland" (German shipping foundation). The annual amount of such payment depends on the size of the ship and is published in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger). The obligation to pay such compensation is legally based on § 7 Absatz 5 Satz 4 des Flaggenrechtsgesetzes (§ 7(5) fourth sentence of the German flag act).
Further information is offered to you on the website of Stiftung "Schifffahrtsstandort Deutschland" (German shipping foundation).