The Mariner's Blog

Fire Safety Inspections Checklist for Ships
  • 4 ago 2026
  • Charles Hays
Fire Safety Inspections Checklist for Ships

Fire is one of the most dangerous emergencies aboard a vessel. A fire that goes undetected or uncontrolled can destroy a ship faster than a groundi...

What Is a Marine Navigation Kit and What Does It Include?
  • 4 ago 2026
  • Charles Hays
What Is a Marine Navigation Kit and What Does It Include?

Even on a vessel equipped with ECDIS, GPS, and AIS, there are situations where the only thing standing between a safe fix and a lost position is a ...

What Is Maritime Law and Why Does It Matter?
  • 3 ago 2026
  • Charles Hays
What Is Maritime Law and Why Does It Matter?

Every commercial vessel afloat operates within a legal framework that is older than most nations. Maritime law, also known as admiralty law, govern...

Step-by-Step Guide to Dead Reckoning Navigation
  • 3 ago 2026
  • Charles Hays
Step-by-Step Guide to Dead Reckoning Navigation

When GPS goes down, radar fails, or the sky is too overcast for a celestial fix, a navigator still needs to know where the vessel is. Dead reckonin...

Types of Life-Saving Appliances Required on Ships
  • 2 ago 2026
  • Charles Hays
Types of Life-Saving Appliances Required on Ships

When a vessel must be abandoned, the equipment that keeps the crew and passengers alive is collectively called life-saving appliances. SOLAS Chapte...

How Do Life Jackets Work? Everything You Need to Know
  • 1 ago 2026
  • Charles Hays
How Do Life Jackets Work? Everything You Need to Know

A life jacket does one thing: it keeps a person's head above water when they cannot do it themselves. Whether the wearer is conscious and swimming,...

Digital vs Traditional Sailing Directions: Which Format Serves Modern Mariners Best?
  • 15 jul 2026
  • Charles Hays
Digital vs Traditional Sailing Directions: Which Format Serves Modern Mariners Best?

ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions have been a standard bridge reference for over a century, providing port approach procedures, coastal hazard informati...

Bills of Lading Explained: Types, Legal Requirements, and Importance
  • 15 jul 2026
  • Charles Hays
Bills of Lading Explained: Types, Legal Requirements, and Importance

A single document in maritime shipping serves three functions at once: a receipt proving the carrier received the goods, a contract setting the ter...

What Is the FSS Code? Fire Safety Systems on Ships Explained
  • 14 jul 2026
  • Charles Hays
What Is the FSS Code? Fire Safety Systems on Ships Explained

The International Code for Fire Safety Systems (FSS Code) is the IMO instrument that sets the engineering specifications every SOLAS vessel must me...

What Are ADMIRALTY Digital Sailing Directions and How Do They Improve Passage Planning?
  • 13 jul 2026
  • Charles Hays
What Are ADMIRALTY Digital Sailing Directions and How Do They Improve Passage Planning?

ADMIRALTY Digital Sailing Directions (ADSD) are a digital product from the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) that delivers the content of ADMIRALTY Sai...

How to Prevent Fires on Ships: A Maritime Safety Guide
  • 13 jul 2026
  • Charles Hays
How to Prevent Fires on Ships: A Maritime Safety Guide

Fire prevention on a commercial vessel is a regulatory obligation, not a recommendation. SOLAS Chapter II-2 dedicates three regulations (4, 5, and ...

Types of Marine Fire Suppression Systems and How They Work on Ships
  • 10 jul 2026
  • Charles Hays
Types of Marine Fire Suppression Systems and How They Work on Ships

Marine fire suppression systems are the fixed installations that detect and extinguish fires aboard ships without relying on crew intervention alon...