by Anastasia Parali, Crewing Account Manager EMA Marine GmbH
Ethiopia may be landlocked, but it has quietly emerged as one of the most promising new sources of marine engineering talent for the global shipping industry. At the centre of this development is the cadet program operated by YCF Manning through two closely linked entities: the Ethiopian Maritime Training Institute (EMTI), a purpose-built academy located on the shores of Lake Tana at Bahir Dar University, and EMA Marine GmbH, the group’s manning agency headquartered in Hamburg with a commercial office in Piraeus.
Since its establishment in 2011, more than 3,000 students have completed EMTI’s training. Today, over 70 percent of the program’s active seafarers serve as officers, while more than 95 percent of graduates are placed as cadets, making it one of the most complete maritime career pathways available from any emerging seafarer supply nation.
The program’s strength begins with its selection standards. Every cadet holds a five-year BSc degree before maritime training starts: mechanical engineering graduates enter the Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (OICEW) pathway, while electrical engineering graduates follow the Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) track. Candidates are selected from the top engineering talent across more than 29 Ethiopian universities and undergo written examinations, interviews, psychometric assessment and medical screening. With English as the language of instruction throughout Ethiopia’s higher education system, graduates join vessels with strong technical knowledge and professional maritime communication skills.
The academy phase runs for eight to nine months at the Lake Tana campus, an ABS-certified ISO 9001:2015 facility equipped with modern engineering workshops, high-voltage laboratories, firefighting and survival training facilities. EMTI is also an approved Advanced IGF Training Facility, preparing graduates for LNG-fueled, dual-fuel and gas carrier fleets as shipping moves towards decarbonization.
After completing their academy training, cadets undertake sea service — twelve months for OICEW and nine months for ETO — with client shipping companies arranged through EMA Marine. They then return to Addis Ababa for examination preparation and the Certificate of Competency examination conducted by the Ethiopian Maritime Authority. Ethiopia is included on the IMO White List, received formal EMSA approval in 2017, and its certificates are recognized by more than 26 flag states, including Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Panama, Liberia and the Marshall Islands.
The career pathway extends beyond cadet training. Since 2018, EMTI has delivered Management Level courses, with more than 100 qualifications issued, and Ethiopian Chief Engineers and Second Engineers are now serving across container, tanker, gas and cruise fleets. The academy also applies the same
rigorous standards to female marine engineers, creating one of the industry’s most active pipelines of certified women officers.
More than 70 shipping companies across Germany, Greece, Norway, Japan, Singapore and other major maritime centres now employ engineers from the program. Client feedback consistently highlights the same qualities: strong technical capability, discipline, professionalism and high retention. Ethiopia’s strategic location, combined with Addis Ababa’s international connectivity and Ethiopian Airlines’ global network, supports efficient crew changes to major shipping hubs.
The program is now entering its next phase of growth. EMA Marine expanded with a Cyprus office in April 2026, with Singapore, India, Türkiye and Dubai planned for future development, while the Bahir Dar campus is increasing capacity from approximately 500 cadets annually towards more than 1,000. For shipowners, the proposition is clear: a cadet selected today can become a qualified officer within 18 to 24 months and develop into a long-term senior engineering officer in the years ahead.
For more information on the cadet programme, contact EMA Marine GmbH, Hamburg / Piraeus.
