The School of Maritime Training was established in 1980 under a bilateral agreement between the government of the People’s Republic of Germany and the government of Samoa. The Maritime School was named the Marine Training Center (MTC), and was administered by the German Shipping Company called the Hamburg Sued. The MTC was operating at its initial location at Toloa Mulifanua on the western side of the main Island of Upolu. In 1986, the government of Samoa took over the administration of the MTC, under the Ministry of Transport (MOT), governed by a Board of Directors. The MTC was merged with the Samoa Polytechnic in 1998 when the government reforms were implemented. The Samoa Polytechnic (SAMPOL) had three schools. The School of Business and Entrepreneurship, School of Engineering, and the School of Maritime Training. In 2006, the SAMPOL was then amalgamated with the National University of Samoa (NUS). Since the establishment of the School of Maritime Training in 1980, hundreds of Samoan Seafarers have traveled around the world serving aboard Cruise Ships, Cargo Vessels as Deck and Marine Engineer as Ordinary Seafarers (OS) and as Watch-keepers.

The SOMT has three (3) departments

1. Deck Department (Nautical Studies)
2. Marine Engineering
3. Fisheries