Marine pollution prevention is an important aspect of nautical studies. Today the basic level of knowledge is provided by IMO Model Course 1.38 called Marine Environmental Awareness. This initial training is aimed to stimulate seafarers of all ranks to participate in marine protection and develop a certain sense of involvement in the process. The syllabus covers diversity and vulnerability of marine environment, the way shipping industry affects it, consequences of even accidental pollution and simple protection techniques. Marine Environmental Awareness course tends to become mandatory in many companies.

Other popular basic trainings are Marine Environment Protection, MARPOL Familiarization Training and Meeting MARPOL Standards (CBT) course. The last two are designed to familiarize with regulations of MARPOL convention and teach how to comply with them. The MARPOL 73/78 has 6 Annexes devoted to different categories of pollutants; so trainings provide easy navigation in the standard.

Advanced environmental management is studied during such trainings like Environmental Pollution and Control, Introduction to Environmental Disasters Management, Oil Spill Response (IMO Level I) or Oil Spill Crisis Management (IMO Level III). The latter, for instance, would include topics like causes and consequences of oil spills, government involvement and international cooperation, legal framework, liabilities and compensation claims, communication with the media and other important aspects of emergency response.

A separate, but not least important branch of Marine Environmental Awareness courses is Ballast Water Management. It is a common knowledge that water which is used to stabilize vessel at sea is dangerous due to spreading invasive alien species and pathogens.  To consolidate efforts of many scientists and organizations around the world, BWM Convention came into force on 8 September 2017. As a result, Ballast Water Management/Regulations Course grows in demand. It inducts about all convention requirements including implementation schedule and USCG specific rules. Course program also describes various BW technologies operations and their limitations, provides scenarios of complying with BW legislation, etc.