Built by mariners. For mariners.
Beacon Maritime Training was founded by a credentialed Chief Engineer who watched too many shipmates burn off-rotations and travel budgets just to keep their credentials current. So we built the school we wished existed.
The math never made sense.
The credentialing system that the U.S. Coast Guard runs is rigorous, structured, and well-designed. The schools that train mariners to meet it, however, are largely modeled on a brick-and-mortar academic calendar.
That worked when the maritime workforce was concentrated near port cities. It doesn’t work for the modern mariner on a 28-on, 14-off rotation, often weighing every dollar of training cost against the income they’d lose to take time off.
BMT was founded by a Chief Engineer who lived this math for years. The math never came out the same way twice, but the conclusion was always the same: there had to be a better way to do this. So we built it.
Make USCG credentialing accessible to every working mariner in America.
No flights. No hotels. No off-rotations spent in classrooms. The same credential, on your schedule, from anywhere with a signal.
Mariners coast to coast. One credential.
From Alaskan tugs to Gulf supply vessels to Great Lakes freighters, BMT students earn the same federal credential as graduates of any approved in-person program. The USCG doesn’t care where you took the course. They care that the course met the standard.
The credentials behind our credentials.
John Rustin
FOUNDER • CHIEF ENGINEER • LEAD ENGINEERING INSTRUCTOR
John Rustin is the founder of Beacon Maritime Training and a licensed Chief Engineer with experience aboard commercial vessels. He created BMT to make high-quality U.S. Coast Guard-approved training more accessible through flexible, online education built specifically for working mariners.
Douglas Peak
LEAD INSTRUCTOR • DECK OPERATIONS
Douglas Peak serves as BMT’s lead deck instructor and course designer. An experienced mariner and educator, he develops practical, standards-based curriculum that prepares students for U.S. Coast Guard credentialing while emphasizing real-world seamanship and operational excellence.
Kaitlin Rustin, MSN, RN
STUDENT SUCCESS & SUPPORT
Kaitlin oversees student success and day-to-day support, helping students navigate enrollment, course access, and technical questions. She is committed to providing timely, personalized assistance so every student has the resources they need to successfully complete their training.