Danica office in Ukraine

Ukraine fact sheet

General

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. At 603,628 sq km it is the second-largest European country, stretching from Russia in the east to Poland in the west, with the Black Sea running along its southern border.

Capital

Kyiv

Population

43.7 million

Currency

Ukrainian Hryvnia. 1 USD = 36 Hryvnia (February 2023)

Language

Ukrainian (some regions can also speak Russian)

Seafaring history and traditions

Ukraine is geographically central in Europe. It has a northern coastline on the Black Sea and in the south east borders the Sea of Azov, while the Dnipro River – one of the biggest European rivers – flows through the centre. As a result, Ukraine has strong maritime traditions stretching from the Kievan Rus period to modern times.

On May 16, 1833, the Black Sea Shipping Company was established, which operated vessels between Odesa and Istanbul. Shipbuilding and repair works were mostly performed in the Mykolaiv and Kherson shipyards.

Today Ukraine is among the top five countries which supply qualified personnel to the international maritime labour market. This is due particularly to the high-quality and modern education. There are some 16 educational maritime institutions of various levels of accreditation available in Ukraine. Of these, the two major ones are the National University "Odesa Maritime Academy" (established in 1944) and the Kherson State Maritime Academy (est. 1834). Both educational institutions not only provide a high level of training, but also honour the strong maritime traditions of Ukraine.

Number of officers

47,058

Number of ratings

29,383

Vessel types (on which the seafarers have experience)

All types of vessels (merchant and offshore fleet)

Key maritime cities / Seafarer hubs

Odesa, Kherson, Mariupol, Mykolaiv

Key maritime education and training centres

National University "Odesa Maritime Academy"

Kherson State Maritime Academy