Welcome To
Maritime English Part One

Having a solid foundation in Maritime English and being able to understand and clearly communicate is essential to all shipping careers. We’ll make sure you get the language skills used by the most powerful communicators in the industry!

After completing this module, you’ll be able to:

• Practise your newly found talent with an English speaker
• Communicate in different maritime situations, whether you’re on board a ship or in a classroom
• Build a specific vocabulary of working phrases and sentence structures you can use in conversation
• Be able to deepen your understanding of written texts in maritime English
• Prepare and give presentations on multiple maritime topics
• Be able to talk about a wide range of marine subjects

Whatever situation you find yourself in, whether it’s working or day to day, you’ll feel confident you’ve got an excellent grounding.

This module provides you with a series of 16 intermediate-level units to boost your current language skills, improve your Maritime English and give you some background to key aspects of the industry.

Progressing from general to more specialized subjects, each unit is in two parts:

Part 1 – The Topic: A narrative passage built around one of four key themes, which are:

• Maritime History
• Maritime Explorers
• Maritime Geography
• Navigational Aids

This section is designed to engage and develop your:

• Reading and listening skills
• Give you an understanding of the maritime topic being studied
• Allow you to reflect and expand your expertise

Part 2 – Activities: A set of tools designed to deepen your newly gained language skills and expand on them. With a strong emphasis on comprehension, you’ll find:

• Reading challenges
• Ways to make tricky grammar rules more clear
• A professional vocabulary of key maritime terms
• Writing advice
• Tips, tools, recommended topics and other fabulous resources

Theme I: Maritime History
The shipping industry has a rich history. This theme will introduce you to the principal milestones that shaped the sector. You’ll discover what activities the early shipping nations engaged in, the types of craft used, the trade they developed, the early trading empires that emerged, plus much more.

Unit 1: Early Voyages
Unit 2: Ancient Trading Empires
Unit 3: The Viking Expansion
Unit 4: The Hanseatic League

Theme II: Maritime Explorers
As the maritime industry grew so did the passion to explore and develop more profitable trade routes. In this theme, you’ll learn about the main states engaged in exploration, such as Venice, Spain and Portugal. You’ll also learn about the great explorers of the day like Marco Polo, Prince Henry the Navigator, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama.

Unit 5: Venice & Marco Polo
Unit 6: Prince Henry the Navigator
Unit 7: Christopher Columbus
Unit 8: Vasco da Gama

Theme III: Maritime Geography
Geography plays a pivotal role in the maritime industry. From map-making, longitude and latitude, time zones, to streams, rivers and lakes, tides, seas and oceans. This theme will give you a solid foundation in how each of these aspects are interconnected and relate to maritime geography.

Unit 9: The Earth’s Grid System
Unit 10: Rivers, Streams and Lakes
Unit 11: Seas and Oceans
Unit 12: Currents and Tides

Theme IV: Navigational Aids
Any understanding of the maritime sector isn’t complete without a knowledge of navigation. From the horizon at sea, position, direction and speed, to astrolabes and measuring time, in this theme you will learn the key features that make up navigation and some of the tools essential to it.

Unit 13: The Horizon at Sea
Unit 14: Position, Direction and Speed
Unit 15: The Mariner’s Astrolabe
Unit 16: Measuring Time

We are one of the few online providers offering pioneering techniques to expand your Maritime English skills and deepen your industry knowledge at the same time.
 
On completion, we will award you with a Certificate of Achievement to support your continuous professional development.

Q: Are there any module prerequisites?
A: We expect you to have a reasonable knowledge of the English language. We strongly recommend that you attain at least an English level B1, according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), before enrolling in this module.

Q: Can you tell me a bit more about the activities in the units?
A: Sure!
 
The Game of Words
Gives you practical, yet simple specialised Maritime English terminology. This activity enables you to acquire specific vocabulary related to the topic of each unit by highlighting target words, establishing links to their synonyms and testing your ability to use and reproduce their correct English form.
 
Prof. Xue and Luk’s Conversation
This exercise presents influential ideas in a simple, straightforward manner. The conversation is designed to make you question your understanding of previously mentioned concepts as the characters’ dialogue takes you on an intellectual voyage.
 
An Active Reader
This activity engages your language skills with active reading strategies as we delve into more complex issues.
 
Asking Questions
Practice asking questions – knowing how and when to ask an inquisitive question is among the most essential communication skills you need to master.
 
Language Knots
It’s of fundamental importance to improve your linguistic ability, and this section is devoted to helping you do just that. You’ll expand your vocabulary with the help of word families and learn how to properly use different parts of speech through interactive tasks.
 
QUIZ   
Evaluation is an essential element of any learning process.  By assessing your understanding of various aspects of the English language with a specific focus on certain grammar structures, we aim to review your knowledge by providing an effective testing and feedback process.

Q: What type of maritime careers is this relevant for?
A: In a word … all. Once you’ve been introduced to the fascinating and diverse world of maritime trade you can decide to pursue:

• Further education in any field of shipping
• Follow a career path in professional legal and shipping practice
• Work in international and EU organisations and governments
• Get a job in transport, management, insurance or finance
• Work at sea, from navigation and engineering to ‘able seamanship” or onboard support staff
• Become an academic or researcher

Q: Is this only offered online?
A: Yes, it is. You can access your topics and activities 24/7 via the web or on mobile.

Q: How long do I get access for?
A: Your access is based on your preferred subscription option.
There are three options to subscribe for each module: 3 months, 6 months and 1 year to complete and review all the units at your own pace.

We recommend an annual subscription plan. This will give you plenty of time to practice and really embed your learning.

 
Q: Can I keep the content of the module I paid for?
A: Technically speaking, our subscribers pay only for access to the educational content of the chosen module.

In addition, the non-subscription parts of the platform offer full access to new content that’s added periodically.

 
Q: How is the assessment conducted?
A: Each unit contains practical tasks and a final exercise that evaluates your reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary skills. The results are delivered instantly.

 
Q: How do I get my certification?
A: We award a Certificate of Achievement to each participant on completion of the module.

 
Q: Who is the team behind creating the module?
A: We are an international team of professionals, passionate about breaking down the barriers to accessing the exciting world of maritime trade:

D.D. Hornet – Module Coordinator, Design & Research
Harry R. Horner, D.D. Hornet, A.M. Taranu, F. Colomada, J.R. Rogers – Contributing Authors
Kit Brookman – Contributing Editor
Etienne Durandt – Narrator

 
Q: Why choose QARTHA?
A: We are one of the first all-around educational platforms for the maritime industry. Designed for would-be students, current maritime students and professionals looking for continuous professional development.

QARTHA is an immersive, engaging learning experience. You’ll find the platform is constantly updated, with interactive modules designed to develop and inspire your maritime career.