The Mariner's Blog

How to Properly Wear a Life Jacket: Step-by-Step Guide for Mariners
  • Jul 1, 2026
  • Charles Hays
How to Properly Wear a Life Jacket: Step-by-Step Guide for Mariners

A life jacket stowed in a locker cannot save anyone. According to the U.S. Coast Guard's 2024 Recreational Boating Statistics, 87% of drowning vict...

Understanding Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI)
  • Jun 24, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Understanding Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI)

When a vessel sends a distress alert at the press of a button, the first thing rescuers see is a nine-digit number. That number, the MMSI, identifi...

Strait of Malacca: Why It's the World's Most Important Shipping Lane
  • Jun 23, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Strait of Malacca: Why It's the World's Most Important Shipping Lane

A single narrow channel in Southeast Asia carries a huge share of the goods, oil, and gas that keep the global economy moving. The Strait of Malacc...

What Is Gross Tonnage vs Net Tonnage? Explained
  • Jun 22, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
What Is Gross Tonnage vs Net Tonnage? Explained

Tonnage decides how much a ship pays in port, how many crew it needs, and what it costs to transit a canal. Yet two of the most important figures, ...

Understanding Ship Draft: Measurements, Marks, and Calculations
  • Jun 18, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Understanding Ship Draft: Measurements, Marks, and Calculations

Before a ship sails, an officer reads a set of numbers painted on the hull at the waterline. Those numbers, the vessel's draft, determine whether i...

What Is Marine Insurance? A Guide
  • Jun 17, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
What Is Marine Insurance? A Guide

Moving goods across the ocean has always carried risk. A storm, a collision, a grounding, or a fire can destroy a vessel and its cargo in hours, an...

Louisiana State Flag: History, Symbols, and Pelican Meaning
  • Jun 16, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Louisiana State Flag: History, Symbols, and Pelican Meaning

Few state flags carry an image as striking as Louisiana's. At its center, a mother pelican pierces her own breast to feed her chicks with drops of ...

What Is a Ship's Bridge? Types and Architecture
  • Jun 15, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
What Is a Ship's Bridge? Types and Architecture

On a ship, decisions that keep the vessel, crew, and cargo safe are made in one place: the bridge. People often picture a captain at a large wooden...

Hawaiian State Flag: History, Colors, and What It Represents
  • Jun 12, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Hawaiian State Flag: History, Colors, and What It Represents

Look closely at the Hawaiian state flag, and something seems out of place. There, in the upper-left corner of a flag representing the 50th state of...

Best Marine Binoculars in 2026
  • Jun 11, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Best Marine Binoculars in 2026

Choosing marine binoculars comes down to a few decisions that matter more than brand or price. The water is a moving, salty, low-light environment,...

Understanding Notices to Mariners: Importance in Safe Maritime Navigation
  • Jun 10, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
Understanding Notices to Mariners: Importance in Safe Maritime Navigation

A nautical chart is only as safe as its most recent correction. The seabed shifts, wrecks appear, buoys move, and depths change. A chart printed la...

What Is STCW? Complete Guide to Maritime Safety Training
  • Jun 9, 2026
  • Maya Deiss
What Is STCW? Complete Guide to Maritime Safety Training

Anyone planning to work at sea will run into four letters before they ever step aboard: STCW. The certificate proves a seafarer is trained to work ...