The main areas of research of the Estonian Maritime Museum are maritime archaeology and naval affairs. In addition, the permanent exposition and temporary exhibitions focus also on navigation, famous maritime journeys, and passenger ships.
The maritime archaeology working group studies the heritage related to maritime archaeology both in the Estonian waters and on land, following the contemporary research principles of their field and the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The purpose is to use exhibitions, educational activities, and communication to bring memorable stories about findings and treasures laying at the bottom of the sea to the wider public.
The area of research of naval affairs is wide and is mainly focussed on working through and publishing materials from Estonian and foreign archives, as well as on analysing the materials in the collections of the Maritime Museum itself. Recent research topics have been Naval Strategies on the Baltic Sea from 1920 to 1940 and The Estonian Navy in the War of Independence from 1918 to 1920.
Alumni of higher education institutions whose thesis deals with Estonian maritime history are invited to apply for a financial prize of the Estonian Maritime Museum. They have to submit the thesis to the according competition which is held once a year. The statute of the competition is available HERE. Overview of the ongoing competition can be found HERE.