The article analyzes the existing problems of maritime personnel in Russia at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Overall, from 1896 to 1914 the Russian fleet increased from 
157 to 3,734 vessels, and net tonnage grew from 528.9 to 796.7 thousand tons. In terms 
of its capabilities, the Russian merchant fleet could in principle have claimed one of the leading roles on the world market; however, the general state of the national economy and the outbreak 
of war hindered its further development and technical improvement. Taking into account the great need for navigators for foreign voyages, at the beginning of the 19th century the Russian government adopted certain measures for training domestic navigators, skippers, and shipbuilders for the merchant fleet. The article provides examples of solutions aimed at eliminating the problems associated with restructuring maritime education. Reforms in the field of maritime education became an important stage in the progress of Russia’s maritime transport. The new curricula brought personnel training much closer to the real and significantly increased demands of the fleet, and the general educational and professional level of fleet commanders rose considerably. Funding for colleges and schools stabilized, and the material and technical base improved. Owing to the availability of training vessels, including sailing ships, it became possible to bring the process 
of educating young sailors as close as possible to the real situations they might encounter throughout their future service. Highly qualified instructors, as well as practicing navigators and marine engineers, were successfully involved in the training process.