The course of our maritime education
From the first navigation classes on the Caspian shore to the modern Academy — the names, decisions and turning points.
1867 — 2026 · 14 milestones
- 1867Foundation
The statute of the navigation classes
In the nineteenth century the shift from wooden sailing vessels to steam-powered metal ships made the training of qualified crews urgent. A commission formed in 1864 drafted the Statute on Navigation Classes and the Rules of Examination for the Ranks of Skipper and Navigator; the statute was approved on 27 June 1867.
- 1870Foundation
The decision to open a school in Baku
Given the large number of Azerbaijani seafarers on vessels registered at the port of Baku, and the favourable attitude of the city's public towards maritime education, a decision was taken to establish a School of Deep-Sea Navigation in Baku.
- 1881Foundation
The Baku navigation school opens
Under a special statute of 27 June 1877, a first-class navigation school with three departments opened in Baku on 8 November 1881. Admission required no specialist knowledge — literacy was sufficient. Its first director was N. M. Filippov, senior lecturer in marine geography and a second-class master mariner.
- 1896Foundation
The school for marine engineers
Courses in marine engineering — the School for Marine Engineers — were founded by the engineer A. A. Maslov. Baku thus gained training for engine-room crews alongside navigation.
- 1902Foundation
The Baku School of Deep-Sea Navigation
On 1 July 1902 the three-year Baku School of Deep-Sea Navigation was established on the basis of the Baku navigation classes, with preparatory courses attached. Of the 945 people who completed the navigation classes between 1881 and 1902, 126 were Azerbaijani.
- 1920Development
The Baku Water Transport Technical College
The Baku Water Transport Technical College was founded on the basis of the School of Deep-Sea Navigation. Vikenty Pavlovich Korolevich, a 1910 graduate of the school who did much for the training of seafarers, was elected its director. Full-time and evening departments opened on 1 October 1921.
- 1924Development
Transfer to the Caspian Shipping Company
On 1 October 1924, by order of the Central Directorate of Maritime Transport and the People's Commissariat of Transport, the college was renamed the Baku Waterways Technical College and placed under the education department of the Caspian Shipping Company. An Azerbaijani-language department opened in 1925.
- 1930Development
The Baku Maritime Technical College
Following the government decree on the reorganisation of industrial technical colleges by sector, the college was renamed the Baku Maritime Technical College on 1 September 1930.
- 1933Development
The first Azerbaijani director
In October 1933 the 24-year-old Agha Gasym Karbalayi Kazim oglu Gulahmadov — known as Gasym Gul — became the college's first Azerbaijani director. His first significant decision was to restore the Azerbaijani-language department.
- 1944Development
The Baku Maritime School
By decision of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR, the Baku Maritime Technical College was renamed the Baku Maritime School.
- 1958Development
Named after Gafur Mammadov
From 23 September 1958 the school bore the name of Gafur Mammadov, a courageous son of Azerbaijan. It operated until 1996, led in those years by Aghaisa Mustafayev (1945–1954), Majid Kardashov (1954–1973), Mammad Yagubov (1973–1991) and Hasan Aliyev (1991–1996).
- 1996Modern
The Azerbaijan State Marine Academy
On the recommendation of national leader Heydar Aliyev and with the Caspian Shipping Company as founder, a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of 15 July 1996 established the Azerbaijan State Marine Academy on the basis of the Baku Maritime School. Its aim was to train crews qualified to work not only in the Caspian but in the world's waters.
- 2000Modern
The diploma on the White List
From its first day the Academy built its programmes around the 1978 STCW Convention of the International Maritime Organization. Its curricula and state standards won international recognition: in 2000 the Academy's diploma was accepted by 170 countries and entered the White List of the world's maritime universities.
- 2026Modern
Thirty years and a global network
Today the Academy is a member of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) and other respected university bodies. Its international work spans bilateral partnerships, participation in international programmes and the recruitment of international students, with Erasmus+ projects playing a particular role.