The author examines the issue of teaching vocabulary to maritime students. The goal of conducting the research was to design and pilot materials for maritime vocabulary teaching in order to promote vocabulary memorisation and reception and enhance its consequent generative use, thus, raising the students' competitiveness on the international maritime market. The conducted action research entailed two questionnaires for data collection, materials design and piloting, observation and an interview used to reveal the students' progress by means of self-evaluation. The results of the study have proved that explicit teaching of vocabulary activities which correspond to the students' professional needs and command of English provides the basis for subsequent incidental learning and raises the students' awareness of the subject.