Tropical Cyclone Avoidance
Why tropical cyclone avoidance is a strategic decision made days in advance, and why the rules taught ashore only hold when the navigator understands their limits.
GPS Accuracy, Errors and Failure Modes
GPS positions can be wrong without triggering any alarm. Understanding how and why is not optional for safe navigation.
Man Overboard Procedures
Recovery manoeuvres, marker deployment, search patterns, and the brutal arithmetic of survival time that should govern every MOB decision.
ARPA Target Tracking
ARPA tracking degrades precisely when the navigational situation demands the most from it. Understanding why is not optional.
AIS – Fundamentals and Limitations
AIS is a self-reporting system, not a sensor. Understanding what it cannot see is more important than understanding what it displays.
Radar Plotting and Collision Avoidance
Radar plotting remains the foundation of collision avoidance at sea. ARPA assists the process but does not replace the obligation to understand what the display is actually showing.
ECDIS Fundamentals
ECDIS is a legal approval, not a guarantee of accuracy. Understanding its sensor dependencies, chart limitations, and failure modes is essential.
Bridge Resource Management in Voyage Planning: Operational Best Practice and Troubleshooting
A comprehensive chief engineer’s guide to effective Bridge Resource Management (BRM) during voyage planning, covering operational mechanisms, human factors, failure modes, troubleshooting, checks, escalation pathways, and shipboard best practices, with reference to real-world maritime operations.
Contingency Planning for Critical Navigational Areas
A comprehensive guide to practical contingency planning for critical navigational areas. Written from a chief engineer’s perspective, this article explains mechanisms, failure modes, operational checks, troubleshooting, escalation, and shipboard best practice for bridge teams, engineers, and officers.
Weather Routing Software Integration: Operational Best Practice and Troubleshooting
A comprehensive guide to the implementation, management, and troubleshooting of weather routing software aboard commercial vessels, focusing on operational reality, failure modes, checklists, and measurement protocols for Chief Engineers and technical officers.