Get Involved

How to get involved with the Maritime Volunteer Service

The MVS offers the following types of membership:

You must be aged 18 or over. There is no upper age limit, providing you are fit to carry out the duties for which you have volunteered.

List A: Operational Members

Most people join the MVS as operational members on List A.

You will attend training nights, courses and exercises as often as practical and are asked to sign a volunteer agreement.

List A members wear uniform

The Annual subscription includes MVS personal accident insurance.

List B: Professional and Technical members

Open to those who wish to contribute to the service and who may, for example, have completed a maritime career, been a senior member of the MVS or other similar organisation and can bring practical experience in seamanship, marine engineering, operations or communications to the service that they are prepared to pass on to others.

Like those on list A you attend training nights, courses and exercises are asked to sign a volunteer agreement.

List B members wear also wear MVS uniform with distinctive insignia.

The annual subscription includes MVS personal accident insurance.

List O: Operational Support

Open to those who are unable to fulfil the level of commitment required by List A or B by any reason but nevertheless wish to offer an active but constrained service to their unit by attending training and assisting with land-based events.

You will attend training nights and will receive training commensurate with local duties and are asked to sign a volunteer agreement.

List O members wear uniform and the distinctive OS badges. 

The annual subscription includes appropriate MVS personal accident insurance.

List S: Unit Friends & Supporters

Open to those who are unable to fulfil the level of commitment required by List A or B but nevertheless wish to play their part in the life of the unit by attending social functions, assisting with fundraising events and generally raising the profile of the MVS in the locality.

Supporters do not usually wear uniform. Their annual subscription includes limited MVS personal accident insurance.

You will not be covered by insurance to go afloat, instruct, participate in ship-keeping or otherwise take part in training or exercises except to support active members by undertaking such roles as catering, manning fundraising stalls at events, street collections, organising fundraising events etc.

List T: Temporary

This membership is required for those who join for the duration of one course only.

A small subscription payable is to cover the cost of the MVS personal accident insurance.

List C: Corporate

For those organisations that wish to actively support the MVS and who encourage their staff to become members. Any organisation, company or group may become a Corporate member – just enquire through the Secretary. Those organisations, companies or groups who wish to sponsor their employees or members to become MVS members should.