About Costa del Alba
Two decades connecting seafarers with the ships that need them.
Our Story
Founded at Sea
Costa del Alba was started in 2002 by four officers — two deck, two engineering — who had between them served on bulk carriers, tankers, and container vessels across three decades. They had all used crewing agencies as seafarers. None of them thought much of the experience.
The original pitch to shipping operators was straightforward: we verify certificates properly before we submit anyone, and if a candidate does not work out in the first week, we replace them at no charge. That offer still stands. It turned out to be enough to build on.
Today we place 400-plus seafarers annually, run an IMO-accredited training centre in Southampton, and operate offices in Southampton and Hamburg. The founders are still involved — one sits on the MCA training advisory panel. Most of our crewing officers have sea service of their own.
The Vessels We Crew
From deck to engine room — every rank, every vessel type.
Our Journey
Key Milestones
Costa del Alba opens in a rented office in Southampton's Ocean Village. Four founders, one part-time administrator, and an initial focus on bulk carrier crew for two UK-managed operators.
Southampton training centre opens in a converted warehouse near the Eastern Docks. First STCW Basic Safety intake: nine cadets. Two fail, seven pass — we resit the two.
Hamburg office established following two years of placing crew for North European container operators from Southampton. The Hamburg office now handles all German and Scandinavian client accounts.
Officer pathway programme launches after three years of tracking promoted seafarers informally. First structured cohort: fourteen officers from cadet to OOW in eighteen months.
Dynamic Positioning training added following sustained demand from North Sea OSV operators. DP certification now accounts for roughly 15% of annual training revenue.
487 seafarers placed during the calendar year across 23 active shipping partners and 8 vessel types. The Hamburg office handles 38% of total placements.
What We Are Trying to Do
Put the right people on the right ships, with the right paperwork. Train seafarers properly. Track careers over the long term rather than just filling the next vacancy. That is the whole thing. It sounds straightforward but most agencies don't do all three.
487
Seafarers placed in 2025
23
Active shipping partners
12
Accredited courses
2002
Year founded
How We Actually Operate
We Check the Certificates
Every candidate we place has had their STCW certificates physically verified — originals, not photocopies. Flag state endorsements confirmed. Sea service cross-referenced. We have caught forged documents twice. Both times before deployment.
We Know the Job
Most of our crewing officers have sea service of their own. When a Master asks for a bosun who can handle a grab crane, or an operator needs an ETO with Kongsberg DP experience, we know what that actually means.
We Track Careers, Not Contracts
We keep in contact with the seafarers in our pool between contracts — not just when we have a vacancy. A number of Masters and Chief Engineers currently sailing with our partners started with us as cadets.
Ready for your next contract?
Browse open maritime positions — new vacancies updated every week across all ranks and vessel types.