The Merchant Marine

The Merchant Marine has remarkably contributed to the progress of mankind. Its participation in the history of humanity started when Man, adventurer and eager to increase trade exchange, looked for a way which enabled him to surpass the limiting barriers – the sea. From that moment on, the conquest of the sea has become essential to the coastal nations.

To Brazil, which occupies an outstanding geographical position, with a long coastline, the conquest of the sea, or more precisely, the control of marine communications, is essential. The modern merchant ships need capable seafarers to operate them, crews of well formed, trained and disciplined professionals.

Other nations’ knowledge and the direct contact with other peoples’ cultures are bound to contribute so that the youths, when joining the Merchant Marine, enlarge their humanistic and cultural universe. When aboard, the officer, on his service duties, will deal with advanced technologies, enriching his technical culture and permitting him to achieve his professional realization. Either travelling or transmitting his knowledge to other future officers, the Merchant Marine Officers will be taking part in the effort to consolidate Brazil1’s position among the developed nations. The seaman’s career on the sea is plenty of realizations!

CIAGA - EFOMM
In october 1892, in Belém of Pará (northern Brazil), The School of Engineers and the Nautical Course were created, aiming at graduating officers for the Merchant Marine. Those educational institutions were fused into one, the Merchant Marine School of Pará (active since then).

The youths of those times, who found it difficult to travel as far as Belém to their admittance, first graduated in Rio de Janeiro, having private classes administered by Navy Officers, and practical classes aboard merchant ships. By the end of 1939, the southern region was favored by the creation, by the Decree 1766 on November 10th, of the Brazilian Loyd’s Merchant Marine School of Rio de Janeiro. Located downtown, it operated in one of the stairs of the Loyd’s main office and had, as an extension of its installations, the School Ship Allegrete, a standard general cargo ship, adapted with classrooms; Its first Director was the Admiral Graça Aranha, who also ran the Company.

Because of the 2nd World War, the Navy troops were mobilized to the adequate preparation of the Naval Forces, arousing the necessity of the creation of the Brazilian Lloyd’s Merchant Marine School and, as we have already seen, the first Director of which was Admiral Graça Aranha.

CIAGA is founded

In June 1955 the old Lloyd School was extinct and the Merchant Marine School of The Navy Secretary was founded, on a proper 97.500 m2 seaside site, in Avenue Brasil 9020, Rio de Janeiro.

Up to 1964 the graduation of Officers to man our Merchant Marine Ships was satisfactory enough, the market adequately absorbing those officers forged in the new School. Due to the development of the Merchant Marine and the expansion of the naval construction and the operation of new specialized terminal and export corridors caused immediate and irreversible consequences on the Maritime Commerce and Nation Economy.

Out of that, in order to man the large modern ships which were constructed, it turned necessary to better qualify our seafarers to maneuver them, and to provide specialized knowledge enough to cope with the development of the naval technology.

Based on a decision of the Brazilian government, the most appropriate solution for the education of capable personnel was assigned to the Brazilian Navy, through the Directory of Ports and Coast, which has been responsible for the technical and professional education of all seamen, including the lower categories and, at that moment, had no school for that.

The answer to that challenge was the construction of Instruction Center Admiral Graça Aranha, a true University of the Sea, which has been looked with pride by the whole maritime community since then; its construction began in 1973 and it was inaugurated on January 12th 1971.

In 1980, the center for the graduation of Navy Reserve Officers (NFORM) was created, subordinated to the Commander of Ciaga, the main purpose of which is to educate Efomm cadets with the necessary instruction to exert military duties.

In 1988, Ciaga was recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) a Regional Center and, by agreement with that Organization, started to regularly educate foreign students.

Since then, thanks to EFOMM, Ciaga has been graduating Officers, updating and specializing them, during the various phases of their careers, as well as administering a vast program of maritime special courses.