Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre (MSSTC) is owned by Icelandic Association of Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR) and was founded in 1985. A wide wariety of different courses are provided by the Centre which aims on maritime safety.

Most of the training centre students comes from the fishing fleet. No international requirements are for safety training for fishermen but national law force all fishermen to participate in safety course before they go out to sea for the first time.
   
Icelandic merchantmen participate in the MSSTC courses though their vessels are not flying the Icelandic flag. They are trained by STCW requirement. 
 
On board the training vessel Sæbjörg there are well equipped classroms and space for practical exercise. Average numer of students on courses are 25 but on special courses the numer is lower. Among the course subject is first aid, sea survival, fire-fighting and personal safety.
 
Among the subjects on the courses is Basic sea survival where the students learn how to use liferafts, lifejackets, survival suits, flares, MOB and personal safety equipment. 
 
Fire onboard is the most frightening thing a seafarer can think of. At the centre the courses include basic fire-fighting with use of all the equipment needed for that purpose. Onboard the training vessel is a modern space used for BA training.
 
The Icelandic Coast Guard helicopters play a role on every basic course as the seafarers are trained in methods used with rescue by helicopters as well as they are winched into the helicopter from ship, liferaft and from water. 
   
A course at MSSTC makes the difference if your ship runs into a emergency. Don't let your ignorance make you and your shipmates difficulty's in emergency situation.

Shortly after the establishment of the MSSTC an old coast guard vessel was bought for 1.000 IKR (abt.$ 12) from the Government of Iceland to be used as a safety training vessel. She was renamed Sæbjörg and converted into a school with class room and training area. The purpose having a training centre on board a ship gave the possibility to go out on the coast to warious fishing places for training.

Midsummer of 1998 the Government of Iceland gave the National Life-saving Association of Iceland, now ICE-SAR, the ferry Akraborg to replace the old training vessel. She was renamed Sæbjörg and converted into training vessel. The first course started in October 1998.