Hot Work Safety
Welding and cutting cause some of the worst fires at sea. Here is how the permit, gas tests, and fire watch keep a single spark from taking the ship.
Edward Caine
Maintaining and Inspecting Personal Protective Equipment at Sea
Salt, sun, and damp wear protective gear out faster than it looks. Here is how to inspect, service, store, and retire it, from everyday deck kit to SOLAS survival equipment.
Maneuvering a Ship in Heavy Seas: The Hidden Dangers
Heading and speed are the only two levers you have in a storm. Used well, they keep your ship clear of the resonance and broaching that capsize vessels and part lashings.
Firefighting at Sea: A Seafarer’s Guide to Emergency Response
Fire behaves differently inside a steel hull. Here is how to read it, which agent fights which class, and the drills that turn panic into procedure.
Permit to Work System: How High-Risk Jobs Are Controlled at Sea
A permit to work is the controlled process behind every high-risk job at sea. It does not make work safe; it proves the work was made safe before anyone starts.
Enclosed Space Entry: The Hazards and the Procedure That Keeps You Alive
Oxygen vanishes and toxic gas collects unseen; the procedure that prevents disaster is exact, and most deaths come from skipping a single step of it.
Personal Protective Equipment at Sea: What Protects You, and When to Wear It
Learn the essentials of personal protective equipment at sea, including helmets, gloves, safety shoes, lifejackets, harnesses, and safe PPE practices for seafarers.
COLREGs: The Rules of the Road at Sea
No lanes, no traffic lights, just one ruleset that decides who gives way and who holds course. A working guide to the COLREGs and the judgment behind them.
Buoys and Markers: How to Read the IALA Buoyage System
Learn how to identify and understand buoys and markers, including lateral marks, cardinal marks, danger marks, and navigation aids essential for safe seamanship.
Reading Nautical Charts: What a Chart Actually Tells You
A nautical chart is not a picture of the seabed but a conservative model of it. What soundings, drying heights, and datums mean, and why the sea is almost always deeper than the printed figure.