Mission Statement

Northeast Maritime Institute is a private, co-educational institution that offers its students an opportunity to pursue maritime career-oriented education. The trade program was established to provide required marine safety education, ship operation courses, Coast Guard license and document courses, as well as programs that provide students with a certificate and Merchant Marine Document upon completion. The Northeast Maritime Institute certificate program will offer a unique curriculum of classroom instruction and experiential learning at sea. The mission of the Institute is to equip our graduates with that combination of knowledge, critical thinking, problem solving, ethical decision making, and confidence which will enable them to safely and efficiently operate, maintain, and manage the ships of today and the maritime industry of tomorrow. The programs at Northeast Maritime Institute, which embody the pursuit of excellence in maritime education, uphold the centuries old New Bedford tradition of providing skilled seafarers from around the world. The Professional and Continuing Education Division of Northeast Maritime Institute consists of professional development courses for those people who have worked at sea and are looking to upgrade their license and/or receive endorsements on their licenses. The professional development courses are also geared towards those students who have previous sea experience and are interested in obtaining a merchant marine license and/or document.

Program Overview

Northeast Maritime Institute provides a comprehensive range of courses needed for employment in the maritime field as well as to acquire the necessary skills, abilities, and attitudes. Northeast Maritime Instutute recognizes that mariners come with diverse maritime experience and education as well as varied goals. Below is a brief summary of the different types of learning opportunities available. Students are encouraged to talk with Northeast Maritime Institute staff or faculty to determine the appropriate program or courses that meet their goals. Admissions requirements and some policies vary depending upon the specific program.

History of Northeast Maritime Institute

Northeast Maritime Institute began in 1981 as a New England branch of the Tidewater School of Navigation based in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1987 Capt. Adrian L. Lonsdale, USCG (Ret.), USMM (U.S. Merchant Marine) with experience as Mate and Master on merchant ships, captain of Coast Guard cutters and as a U. S. Navy Task Group Commander in Vietnam assumed ownership and changed the name to Northeast Maritime, Inc. The school became affiliated with Houston Marine Training Services with the objective of preparing mariners for U. S. Coast Guard license and document examinations.

In 1995, Eric Dawicki, USMM Third Mate and Ship Management Consultant, and Angela Dawicki took ownership of Northeast Maritime and Captain Lonsdale became Director of Education. Mr. Dawicki began developing new programs independent from outside affiliations. The quality and effectiveness of Northeast Maritime’s programs were recognized by the National Marine Fisheries Service when it awarded three grants to the school. The purposes of the grants were to train displaced fishermen for new careers in the merchant marine.

In 1996, the school changed its name to Northeast Maritime Institute (NMI) and moved into larger quarters in downtown New Bedford. The facility included an indoor pool for training, larger lecture and classroom space, engineering laboratory space, and a gravity davit lifeboat model. The institute also obtained the M/V Morgan, a 65 foot vessel for use as a training facility, but unfortunately the United States Coast Guard, which uses the same vessels for training, advised the Institute that the vessel was too small to meet its training objectives. Since its expansion in 1996 numerous U.S. shipping companies have chosen Northeast Maritime Institute to provide safety courses for their employees. Northeast Maritime Institute has also been recognized in the industry for its excellence in maritime education and for the quality of its graduates.

Northeast Maritime Institute has since grown into one of the largest privately held maritime education facilities in the United States. The institute has further developed its facilities and equipment to include a damage control simulator on-site and a full-size gravity davit and lifeboat mounted on New Bedford’s Pier 3. The institute has educated over 3,000 students between 1997 and 1999 at all levels of U.S. Coast Guard licenses and documentation. Safety courses are a major focus of the school. The institute now offers a broad spectrum of instruction including: workshops, courses, customized courses and programs, and rating and licensing programs. The Institute is currently preparing and planning to implement a Qualified Maritime Ratings certificate program and a degree program.

In 2001 the Institute relocated to Fairhaven, Massachusetts, in an award winning restored historic Federal style building. The building, originally a church, was built by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s grandfather, and more importantly to maritime history buffs, was the church that hosted Japan’s first Ambassader to the United States, Manjiro Nakahama (John Manjiro). John Manjiro translated the Bowditch Navigational Tables into Japanese.

The institute is active with the International Maritime Organization and the International Maritime Lecturer’s Association.

In addition, the institute hosts the Seafarer’s Employment Association. 1999 saw the start of international outreach and off-site training with programs delivered for the Military Sealift Command on Guam, as well as various programs for Cyprus, Dominica, Tortola, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Malta and more.