The Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimated that, as of 2011, there were 800 Tuvaluan men trained, certified and active as seafarers.

[5] Twelve Tuvaluan sailors were among the crew of 24 of MV Hansa Stavanger, a German container ship that was captured by Somali pirates in April 2009.

TMTI was so founded, just after independence from Kiribati, in 1978–79 to provide a training school for Tuvaluan men who are interested to be working as seaman, cooks or marine engineers in the international maritime industry with a basic level of maritime qualifications and to provide experienced seaman with revalidation and advanced training to upgrade their skills.

In 2002, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved an assistance package to upgrade the Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute.

[4] The project financed by the ADB involved a jetty extension and installation of specialized safety-at-sea training equipment, installation of a fire fighting facility, expansion of the water catchment and storage capacity, construction of new staff housing, the rehabilitation and extension of trainee quarters and training facilities.

[1] However the financial crisis of 2007–2008 impacted export/import activities with a resulting drop in job opportunities for Tuvaluan seaman merchant shipping.

The government also negotiated an extra flight a week with Fiji Link so that Tuvaluan seafarers could take up jobs on short notice.

[5] The International Monetary Fund 2014 Country Report described the effect of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 as reducing demand for the services of Tuvaluan seafarers.