The Mariner's Blog

How to Maintain and Store Paper Charts on Ships: Corrections, Storage, and Record-Keeping
  • Oct 5, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
How to Maintain and Store Paper Charts on Ships: Corrections, Storage, and Record-Keeping

American Nautical Services, an ISO 9001-certified ADMIRALTY chart agent in Fort Lauderdale, supplies paper charts corrected to date at the moment t...

Nautical Almanac 2027: What's New and Why You Need the Current Edition
  • Oct 2, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Nautical Almanac 2027: What's New and Why You Need the Current Edition

The US Naval Academy dropped celestial navigation from its curriculum in 1998, convinced GPS had made it obsolete. In 2015, the Academy brought it ...

What's Next for E-Navigation: ENC Licensing, S-100, and the Connected Bridge
  • Oct 2, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
What's Next for E-Navigation: ENC Licensing, S-100, and the Connected Bridge

Three dates now frame the next phase of e-navigation. From 1 January 2028, SOLAS permits ships to carry the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). From 1...

UK ETS Shipping Compliance: What the UK Emissions Trading Scheme Requires of Ship Operators
  • Oct 1, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
UK ETS Shipping Compliance: What the UK Emissions Trading Scheme Requires of Ship Operators

Shipping has been inside the UK Emissions Trading Scheme since 1 July 2026, and the first verified emissions report is due on 31 March 2027. Most c...

Admiralty List of Radio Signals (ALRS) Explained: Volumes, SOLAS Carriage, and Digital Options
  • Oct 1, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Admiralty List of Radio Signals (ALRS) Explained: Volumes, SOLAS Carriage, and Digital Options

A chart shows where a ship can go. The Admiralty List of Radio Signals tells the bridge who to call on the way, on which channel, and when. Pilot b...

GNSS Spoofing vs. Jamming: What It Means at Sea
  • Sep 30, 2026
  • Charles Hays
GNSS Spoofing vs. Jamming: What It Means for Bridge Navigation

The blue dot on the ECDIS can lie. In several of the world's busiest waterways, a receiver can display a confident, stable position that is wrong b...

Strait of Hormuz Transit Guidance 2026 Explained
  • Sep 25, 2026
  • Charles Hays
Strait of Hormuz Transit Guidance 2026: What Changes When the U.S. Advisory Expires

Every U.S. maritime advisory for the Strait of Hormuz carries a printed expiry date. When one lapses, it is not the end of the guidance, but the st...

Paper Chart Withdrawal 2026: What UKHO Really Said
  • Sep 24, 2026
  • Charles Hays
Is Paper Chart Withdrawal Actually Happening? What the 2026 UKHO Update Really Says

Word went around the fleet in 2026 that ADMIRALTY paper charts are "here to stay." The reality in the UK Hydrographic Office's own statement is mor...

ECDIS S-100 Compliance: "Ready" vs. Type-Approved
  • Sep 22, 2026
  • Charles Hays
ECDIS S-100 Compliance: Why "S-100 Ready" Doesn't Mean Type-Approved

Walk a boat show or read a bridge-equipment brochure in 2026 and the same phrases appear on ECDIS units everywhere: "S-100 ready," "S-100 compatibl...

MARPOL Annex VI Explained: Air Pollution Rules for Ships
  • Sep 18, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
MARPOL Annex VI Explained: Air Pollution Rules for Ships

Of the six annexes that make up MARPOL, one governs what comes out of a ship's funnel rather than what goes over its side. MARPOL Annex VI controls...

Best Celestial Navigation Books: A Mariner's Reading List
  • Sep 17, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Best Celestial Navigation Books: A Mariner's Reading List

The best way to learn celestial navigation is still a well-chosen book and a sextant in hand. Online courses and apps exist, but the discipline rew...

STCW 2026 Changes: New Requirements Every Seafarer Must Know
  • Sep 16, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
STCW 2026 Changes: New Requirements Every Seafarer Must Know

On January 1, 2026, the training that every seafarer must complete before working at sea changed. For the first time, the foundation of Basic Safet...