Weather Preparation on Deck
Why ships are lost after the weather arrives — not before Estimated read time: 80–95 minutesAudience: Cadet → AB → Junior Officer → Chief Mate Introduction – Weather doesn’t sink ships, preparation does Severe weather rarely appears without warning. Forecasts, satellite imagery, and routing advice give crews time to prepare. Yet ships continue to suffer […]
Housekeeping & Drainage
Why slips, flooding, and pollution start small — and end careers Estimated read time: 70–85 minutesAudience: Cadet → AB → Junior Officer → Chief Mate Introduction – The work nobody wants to own Housekeeping is often treated as background noise on deck. It is what happens between “real jobs”. Washdowns, clearing scuppers, tidying lines, removing […]
Deck Machinery: Faults & Troubleshooting
Why machines fail quietly — and people get hurt fixing them Estimated read time: 75–90 minutesAudience: Cadet → AB → Junior Officer → Chief Mate Introduction – When machinery problems become human problems Deck machinery rarely fails without warning. What fails first is usually interpretation. Strange noises, minor leaks, intermittent behaviour — these are often […]
Cargo Securing & Lashing
Why cargo shifts long before it looks dangerous Estimated read time: 75–90 minutesAudience: Cadet → AB → Junior Officer → Chief Mate Introduction – The quiet phase before things go wrong Cargo failures at sea are rarely dramatic at the start. There is no bang, no immediate alarm, no visible catastrophe. What happens instead is […]
Manifolds & Hose Handling
Why spills and injuries happen after the hose is connected Estimated read time: 70–85 minutesAudience: Cadet → AB → Junior Officer → Chief Mate Introduction – The illusion that the danger is over Once a hose is connected and valves are lined up, many crews feel that the risky part of bunkering or cargo transfer […]
Ship-to-Ship (STS) Operations
Why STS failures escalate faster than crews expect Estimated read time: 70–85 minutesAudience: Cadet → AB → Junior Officer → Chief Mate Introduction – When two ships become one unstable system Ship-to-ship operations are often described as controlled, planned, and procedural. Checklists are extensive, communications are formal, and equipment is purpose-built. This creates the impression […]
Working Aloft & Overside
Why falls at sea happen even when everyone followed the permit Estimated read time: 70–85 minutesAudience: Cadet → AB → Junior Officer → Chief Mate Introduction – Height removes second chances Working aloft and overside combines three unforgiving elements: gravity, exposure, and false confidence. Tasks are often routine — painting, inspections, minor maintenance — and […]
Pilot Transfer Arrangements
Why “ladder rigged” is not the same as “ladder safe” Estimated read time: 65–80 minutesAudience: Cadet → AB → Junior Officer → Chief Mate Introduction – One of the deadliest routine tasks at sea Pilot transfer is one of the most deceptively dangerous operations carried out on deck. It happens close to the waterline, often […]
Boat Launch & Recovery
Why davit failures kill crews who did everything “by the book” Category: ON DECK → Launch & RecoveryEstimated read time: 65–80 minutesAudience: Zero knowledge → competent AB → junior officer → senior deck officer Introduction – The most dangerous routine job on deck Launching and recovering boats is one of the most hazardous routine operations […]
Cranes, Davits & Safe Working Load (SWL)
Why lifts fail when nothing breaks — and why numbers don’t protect people Category: ON DECK → Lifting OperationsEstimated read time: 65–80 minutesAudience: Zero knowledge → competent AB → junior officer → senior deck officer Introduction – The danger of believing the plate Every crane, davit, and lifting appliance on board carries a plate. On […]