Maritime education started in the Faroe Islands by private institutions in late 19th century.

The first maritime school which was built for the same purpose opened on 1 November 1905 by the two Danes Viggo Ryving-Jensen and Andrias Nielsen.

They restored the school building, Sjómansskúlin, of Ryving-Jensen and Styrmand Nielsen, which at that point had stopped teaching and used it for the new maritime educations.

[1] In 1962 a new building for the maritime educations was built in Tórshavn and the same year the first sea captain class (ship master, in Faroese called Skipsførari) started.

[5] The firefighting school is a part of the Centre of Maritime Studies & Engineering, while it also offers individual courses.

[4] Admission requirements include a lower secondary education diploma, while the navigation programs ask for seafaring experience and the engineering programs require the attendance of classes in physics, mathematics and chemistry plus some working experience.