The British government is set to double the amount of funding support for cadet training in the UK, the UK’s Maritime Minister has said.

Support will be increased to £30m ($42.4m) from the current £15m under the UK’s Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) imitative.

Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani said the move would enable the annual intake of SMarT cadets to rise from 750 to 1,200.

Shipowners, including Carnival UK, BP, Shell, Maersk and Stena Line, have also pledged to create an extra 450 training positions on board ships.

“These positions will give SMarT cadets the experience at sea that will help them gain internationally recognised qualifications, setting them in good stead for future careers both within and outside the sector,” said the UK Department of Transport (DoT).

“By doubling the funding for cadet training, we will help make sure that our engineers and captains of the future can access the right opportunities to reach their full potential,” said Ghani.

“It will also strengthen the UK maritime sector’s position as a world leader and ensure people have the skills they need to help the industry flourish after we leave the European Union (EU).

“By supporting young people wanting to get into maritime, we will boost a growing sector, ensuring that the UK remains the first port of call for shipping companies seeking highly skilled officers.”

UK Chamber of Shipping Chief Executive Guy Platten claims that UK taxpayers see “a £5 return on every £1 it invests in seafarer training”.

“Nothing will prove that the UK is open for business quite like seeing more British seafarers arrive in the world’s ports,” he added.

“We already recruit people from all backgrounds and all corners of the country, and with this new investment we will be able to create thousands of new opportunities in the years ahead.”

The DoT said training places are open to anyone across the UK who has an interest in becoming a navigation officer, engineer or an electro-technical officer.

Places will be available at training colleges including Warsash Maritime Academy in Southampton, City of Glasgow College, Lairdside Maritime Centre in Liverpool, South Shields Marine School and the Fleetwood Nautical Campus.