COLREGs – Sound Signals
Intent, warning, and why ignoring sound signals still causes collisions Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Sound Signals Still Matter Sound signals are often treated as obsolete on modern bridges. This is a serious error. Sound signals exist because there are times when: Sound cuts through uncertainty. When sound […]
COLREGs – Shapes
What vessels are telling you in daylight — and why daylight collisions still happen Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Shapes Still Matter in Modern Navigation A persistent myth on modern bridges is: “Shapes are obsolete — we have AIS and radar.” This belief has contributed directly to daylight […]
COLREGs – Lights
What vessels are telling you at night — and how misreading lights causes collisions Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Navigation Lights Exist Navigation lights exist to answer three operational questions at night: They are not decorative, and they are not optional. At night, lights are primary information, not […]
COLREGs – Principles & Conduct of Vessels
How collision avoidance actually works on a real bridge Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What COLREGs Really Is (and What It Is Not) COLREGs is not a checklist.It is not a decision tree.It is not something you “apply after identifying lights.” COLREGs is a behavioural framework governing how vessels […]
Bridge Watch Handovers
Why most navigation accidents begin at the moment nobody owns the ship Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What a Bridge Handover Really Is A bridge handover is not a conversation. It is the controlled transfer of legal responsibility, situational awareness, and decision authority from one Officer of the Watch […]
Titanic Disaster (1912)
Passenger liner collision and sinking in the North Atlantic. Structured brief covering key facts, timeline, technical context, lifeboat reality, wireless/Californian controversy, investigations, and the safety legacy that led to SOLAS, lifeboat rules, 24-hour radio watch, and ice patrols. Passenger linerNorth AtlanticMajor accidentSOLAS legacy On this page Key facts At a glance Vessel: RMS Titanic (White […]
Permits to Work & LOTO
The System That Physically Prevents People Being Killed by Machinery Why Permits and Isolations Exist at All Every fatal machinery accident at sea shares the same root cause: Energy that should have been controlled was not. Not misunderstood.Not unknown.Not mysterious. Simply present when people believed it was not. Permits to Work (PTW) and Lock-Out / […]
ISM / SMS & Risk Assessment
The Safety System That Governs Every Engineering Decision Onboard Why ISM Exists in the Engine Room The International Safety Management (ISM) Code did not emerge from paperwork culture.It emerged from catastrophic failures — fires, groundings, flooding, explosions, and pollution incidents — where equipment failed, people adapted informally, and management systems were absent or ignored. For […]
Documentation & Forms
Control, Compliance, Proof & Operational Memory Introduction Shipboard documentation is not bureaucracy for its own sake.It is legal authority, operational evidence, safety memory, and liability protection. Every certificate, logbook, checklist, and form exists for one of four reasons: From a Chief Engineer or Master’s perspective, documentation is a control system — poorly managed paperwork is […]
Cybersecurity & Networks
Design Reality, Operational Risk & Engine-Room Consequences Introduction Cybersecurity at sea is no longer an IT problem. It is an engineering safety problem. Modern ships and offshore units operate as floating industrial plants. Navigation, propulsion, power generation, cargo handling, ballast, DP, drilling, safety systems, and environmental compliance are all controlled, monitored, and optimised through networked […]