AT just over 70 miles from the nearest stretch of coastline, Oxford is about as far as you can get from the sea in the UK.

Yet despite that apparent hurdle, the City of Dreaming Spires is home to a company which describes itself as ‘the world’s number one ship tracking service’.

Based in offices off St Aldate’s, MarineTraffic helps companies and ordinary members of the public track ships anywhere in the world.

In total, the web service tracks an average of 163,000 ships a day and is used by six million visitors each month.

What’s more, landlocked Oxford, it turns out, has proved an ideal location for the world’s biggest ship tracking service.

With the city’s world-renowned reputation for scientific research, MarineTraffic staff have been able to tap into Oxford’s rich innovation resources, working with Oxford University and even the Satellite Applications Catapult hub at Harwell science campus.

Ricky Nilsson, one of the Oxford-based sales team, says: “Oxford may be about as far as you can get from the sea in the UK, but it’s an important hub.

“I love my job as we’re at the forefront of the new technology and big data industry as well as part of the hugely historical world of shipping.”

Mr Nilsson and his colleagues, who would not normally toot their own foghorn, have decided to shout about their work as part of Seafarers Awareness Week, June 23-30.

This annual initiative aims to be a celebration of the importance of the maritime industry to the UK’s economy and 'the range of exciting shore-based careers it offers' –including here in Oxford.

Having said that, Mr Nilsson's job also takes him around the world, visiting clients and promoting the company’s services at conferences and trade shows.

Aged 38, Mr Nilsson is originally from Sweden but made Oxford his home eight years ago when he met his English partner.

He admits that before working for MarineTraffic that he had no idea how big and important the maritime industry was to both the British and the global economy.

Now, it seems, he is an expert.

“About 80 per cent of all international cargo moves by sea at some stage in its journey,” he enthuses.

"Our service really brings this to life: you can see all the world’s ships on our screens, where they’ve been and where they’re going, not to mention photos of the ships, technical details, their nationality and much more.

“It’s hugely popular for the relatives of the millions of seafarers who can track where their loved ones are. We also work with governments to help track illegal fishing as well as support the work of charities and NGOs.”

Mr Nilsson insists that the UK’s maritime sector offers a 'huge number of interesting careers' and said he would recommend any young person consider it as an option.

“It’s not just about going to sea – in my case, it’s all about combining the latest developments in big data and analytics with the ships at sea.

"Data is a fast-growing business – MarineTraffic has doubled year on year since I’ve been working here – and there will always be ships at sea."

Mr Nilsson is one of an estimated 957,300 people across the UK whose jobs are 'supported' in some way by the maritime industry.

Some 120,000 people from the UK work at sea and 1.65 million seafarers are employed by the global shipping industry.

Around the world, the maritime industry is bigger (£47 billion) than aerospace, pharmaceutical and road freight combined (£29.5 billion).

Seafarers Awareness Week aims to highlight the regional businesses and economic contribution of an industry that is largely out-of-sight and out-of-mind in the modern world.

Commodore Barry Bryant, director general of Seafarers UK – the charity which organises Seafarers Awareness Week – says: "As an island nation with a long and proud maritime history, we are ideally placed to make the most of the forecast growth predicted across the industry in many sectors.

"The UK has unrivalled expertise, a highly skilled workforce and many exceptional organisations and businesses contributing to the flow of global seaborne trade that few of us fully appreciate."

Looking at the wider picture, UK Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani says: “Our highly skilled maritime workers, both at sea and onshore, play a crucial role in making the UK a world leader in maritime business.

“Seafarers Awareness Week shines a spotlight on the breadth of career opportunities the sector has to offer - from captains and engineers, to dockers and deep-sea divers.

“This year we have doubled the funding for Merchant Navy Officer Cadet training so that more young people can pursue exciting, rewarding careers in maritime.”

What's more, over the next 12 years some estimates have said the 'global ocean economy' is set to double in size to £3 trillion.

For an island nation such as the UK, the economic opportunities are vast.

Commodore Bryant adds: “There’s so much more to maritime than most people realise.

"Every year 95 per cent of the UK’s imports and exports – that’s much of the food in our shops and our fuel – arrive by ship.

"Our fishing fleet is the second largest in Europe and 27.2 million people will take a cruise this year."

“The UK has an exceptional work force, a long maritime heritage, unrivalled expertise and an opportunity to lead the world once more.

Find out more about the UK maritime industry at maritimeuk.org