NAVTEX, MSI and Navigational Warnings
How Marine Safety Information is generated, transmitted and — critically — how it must be actioned against the passage plan, not merely read.
Bridge Focus in Port State Control Inspections
What PSC inspectors actually examine on the bridge, from document checks to competence demonstrations, and why the bridge sets the tone for the entire inspection.
Watchkeeping at Anchor
Anchor watch is a distinct discipline with its own failure modes. Position monitoring, machinery readiness, and the decision to heave up — examined without compromise.
Lookouts and BNWAS
STCW demands a proper lookout by sight and hearing. BNWAS proves nothing except that someone pressed a button. These are not the same thing.
Compass error checks in practice
The watchkeeping discipline of checking compass error: azimuths, transits, deviation cards, and why a discovered error mid-watch is a passage planning problem.
Pilot ladder and pilot transfer safety
SOLAS V/23, rigging requirements, and the documented failure modes that continue to kill pilots and crew during transfer operations.
GMDSS Fundamentals
What GMDSS actually does, where it fails, and why equipment carriage compliance is not the same as distress readiness.
Search and Rescue Obligations for Merchant Ships
What SOLAS V/33 and UNCLOS Article 98 actually require of a merchant master, and what happens when those obligations are not met.
COLREGs – Restricted Visibility
Rule 19 dismantles the give-way/stand-on framework. Understanding why changes everything about radar-era collision avoidance.
UKC Calculator: Under-Keel Clearance from First Principles
A full working breakdown of under-keel clearance calculation, exposing why fixed percentage rules are dangerous and what a proper UKC assessment actually requires.