Container Lashing and Twistlocks
A practical guide to container securing systems: twistlock types, lashing sequences, pattern selection, and the errors that put stacks at risk.
Mooring line failure modes
Why mooring lines fail, what the failure looks like, and the wear patterns that predict catastrophic parting before it happens.
Mooring Winch Operation and Brake Testing
The mooring winch is a safety system first. Brake holding capacity, rendering behaviour, and proper testing define the line between a controlled slip and a fatal parting.
Tug Operations from the Deck
Tug work looks routine until a towline parts or a quick-release hook jams. What the deck team must actually control during tug operations.
Anchor Work from the Deck
A practical guide to anchor operations for the forecastle team: letting go, heaving, reading the chain, and why the bridge depends on your eyes.
Emergency Towing Arrangements and Procedures
ETA gear required by SOLAS II-1/3-4 on tankers, pickup procedures, and the reality of connecting a tow in heavy weather without propulsion.
AHTS Anchor Handling – The Basics for Newcomers
Anchor handling remains offshore’s most dangerous routine operation. This article covers the AHTS aft deck, core operations, vocabulary, and what kills.
Cargo Gear – Cranes, Derricks and Cargo Winches
Shipboard cargo gear as an integrated system: crane and derrick types, certification, pre-use checks, SWL at radius, and the failures that actually sink operations.
Snap-back zones – where lines kill
The physics of stored elastic energy, the geometry of line failure, and why painted deck markings are not the complete picture.
Deck Rounds and Routine Inspections
A deck round that walks past the ship instead of seeing it is not an inspection — it is a liability dressed as compliance.