Meriturva was established under the National Board of Education by a decree passed in March 1997 through the merging of a fire training unit (founded in 1976) at the Helsinki Maritime College and a ship simulator unit (established in 1984). It was joined by the survival training unit, a new institution completed in Lohja in 2002. Our current operations are based on laws and decrees pertaining to vocational education passed in 2017, the training mission declared by the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the ordinance of Meriturva.
The ship simulator unit and its operations were transferred to the organisation of Yrkeshögskolan Novia (Aboa Mare) at the beginning of 2010. This action reduced overlap in functions in maritime training, and now Meriturva focuses on its area of core competence, safety training.
Meriturva today consists of two units offering maritime safety training. Annually we train over 4000 people; professional mariners, maritime students, authorities, aviation personnel, etc. Meriturva's operations are subject to Meriturva's Board that consists of the most important maritime interest groups in Finland. Our training fulfils the requirements of the authorities of Finland and the EU, as well as those of the international STCW Convention and the International Maritime Organisation's IMO Requirements. Our quality management system adheres to the STCW Convention and the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 standard. From the year 2018 Meriturva has trained also wind power personnel by GWO standards.
Meriturva's fire training unit in Upinniemi, Kirkkonummi, has trained the majority of Finnish seafarers since 1976. The training includes fire-fighting attacks, smoke diving and rescue from tanks. The unit has numerous fire simulators, including a tilting cabin simulator, where you can experience how it becomes more difficult to operate when the ship is tilting. In 2010, a gas-fuelled training facility was commissioned, including a car deck fire simulator and engine room. The outdoor training ground was renovated in 2020 and at the same time the training ground was also upgraded to gas-fuelled training equipment.
Meriturva's Survival Training Unit is located in the city of Lohja. The large (27 m x 43 m) inside training pool is a superb place for survival training with its simulated weather conditions and a wide selection of modern survival and evacuation equipment. One of our specialities is a rare winching rescue helicopter located indoors. Meriturva also offers Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET). For GWO training purposes the unit has versatile equipment and gear. At our life boat training station at Ojamo mine lake it is possible to train life boat operations around the year.
The simulated, realistic circumstances combined with sufficient theoretical knowledge and practice with repetitions, provide good learning results that can then be applied to real life situations. Individual needs and customer orientation are important to us. Our aim is that all our students feel they have learned something valuable at Meriturva.
Meriturva offers an excellent research field for the development of maritime safety in collaboration with various enterprises, research institutes, colleges, and universities. We are happy to take part in diverse projects in the industry and put our expertise at the disposal of research. We are also involved in legislation and strategy projects, aiming for seafaring that is safer than ever.
We engage in continuous collaboration with Finnish and foreign educational institutions. We have an opportunity to participate in international co-operation through our active operations with the International Association for Safety and Survival Training (IASST), as the national representative of Finland.
Meriturva welcomes foreign seafarers, wind power workers, aviation personnel, and other maritime actors. We provide training in Finnish, Swedish, and English.
Meriturva contributes to the development of seafaring and safety at sea – now and for the future.
