BREMEN In its 2025 annual report, the Maritime Shipping Vocational Training Office (BBS) presented a differentiated, but overall stable, assessment of developments in maritime training in April 2026. Last year, 135 apprenticeship contracts were concluded for training as a ship mechanic, of which 120 are still in place. “The training figures show that maritime training is holding up even under challenging conditions,” said Sabine Zeller, Managing Director of the BBS. “While we recorded a slight decline compared with the previous year in some areas, such as training for ship mechanics, there has been a significant increase in the number of nautical officer assistants.” In her view, this is a “clear signal of the continuing need for qualified seafaring junior staff”.
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