Murmansk sea Captains Association was founded in 1989 The idea of creating an organization to assist the master in matters of maritime safety and impact on international marine policy, as an advisory body to the IMO, appeared in 1971. As a result of three years of correspondence, organization of preliminary meetings of representatives of national organizations, captain of Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway and South Africa, was officially registered in 1974, non-governmental organization captain IFSMA with its main headquarters in London.Currently IFSMA brings together 30 national associations have in their ranks 8,479 captains, 178 individuals and 7 honorary members, representatives from 47 countries. The motto «Unity for safety at Sea» ("Unity for Safety at Sea") is the main activity in IFSMA on protecting the legitimate rights of the captain in his daily activities, in terms of increased requirements for environmental protection, while reducing crew size, increased physical and moral loads at ports and challenging sailing conditions. As a non-governmental international organization, since 1975, IFSMA gained consultative status with IMO. The main objective of this status is to provide full support to the International Maritime Organization in its quest to improve safety at sea.

In 1989, IFSMA were taken of the Association of Masters of the USSR - Estonia, Odessa, Murmansk, 1990 - Vladivostok, in 1991, Samara, the organization appeared in the perestroika period.

Organizational meeting of the Association of Masters of Murmansk was held March 23, 1989, which was preceded by nearly a year of the Action Team captains: Vibaha ZA, Galkin VN Igritskogo RB, Lena L., Cherepanov AA to develop a charter, governance structure, financing issues. President was elected captain Lena L. City Public Organization "Association of Murmansk captains was registered on May 24 this year, the judicial authorities of Murmansk, and November 2, accepted as a member of the International Federation of Associations of the captains.