Sjónám is a maritime college, a merger of the Klaksvík Sjómansskúli (Nautical College) the Trygdarmiðstøðin (Maritime Safety Centre) under the management of the Technical College of Klaksvík.

Klaksvíkar Sjómansskúli, which began as a private school in 1947 and became a public school in 1975, has been offering a wide variety of internationally approved courses since its early days, enabling seafarers to navigate coastal waters as well as deep sea waters.

Since its start, the college has focused on providing a good blend of high quality and variety, including a wide range of navigational courses along with additional programmes such as radio officer, ship’s cook and various safety courses.

In October 2012, the merger with the Trygdarmiðstøðin was complete and all this activity moved under one roof by Klaksvík’s west quay, and Sjónám was established as the city’s maritime college.

Sjónám is approved by the Faroese Ministry of Culture as a maritime college in compliance with the STCW convention and as the Faroese national representative of the International Association for Safety and Survival Training (IASST), granted ISO 9001 certification on 5 September 2008 and Achilles certification in December 2013.