Tag: Do you know

Professionals across the shipping industry may be familiar with the terms like “gross tonnage”, “deadweight tonnage”, “net tonnage” and many more terms we regularly meet in shipping-related sources, but those are not always easy to distinguish, especially when being new in the industry. Have you ever wondered what is the difference between gross and deadweight tonnage?  

SOLAS is considered one of the three pillars of international instruments regulating the maritime industry, along with MARPOL and STCW.

Shipping is a globalized, particularly multicultural industry with the English language being typically the main communication tool.

A minimum under keel clearance is one of the major factors required to provide safe passage for a vessel as it helps mariners avoid ship grounding, especially in challenging navigation conditions such as in narrow channels. But what does this technical term exactly refer to?  

From wind, to steam, to diesel engines and autonomous ships, vessels’ propulsion is a constant struggle to innovate.

The International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet or the ICAO phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used radiotelephone spelling alphabet and was developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), to ease communication via radio or telephone. Spelling alphabet is a set of words used to stand for the letters of an alphabet in oral communication.

What would happen if an emergency took place onboard a ship in the 19th century? Probably the sailors would send a Morse code to indicate any kind of distress to the coast or nearby ships. As you can understand, such a message is not easy to decipher. Luckily, modern shipping has the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) to rely on. Let’s take a look at its history and how it can be used.

Lately, shipping faces more and more pressure to reduce its emissions. Responding to this pressure, the sector is trying to come up with new ideas and solutions to improve the green footprint of ships. From new fuels, to slow steaming it seems that ships have many options, but how about ports? Well, ports can also play a significant role in reducing shipping’s emissions, by using one method: cold ironing. 

Ships are extraordinary designs, which even with just their size can amaze. But there is one specific element of a ship’s design that stands out, and what is more, not many know what it does exactly. We are talking of course, about the bulbous bow. The bulbous bow is that strange protrusion at the ships’ forward end, sticking out below the water. It serves a very important role for the ship, and in this article we are going to analyze it. Disclaimer: The article contains a little bit of maths, but don’t worry we will keep it simple.

After the 9/11 attacks that changed the world, IMO requires every ship above 500 GT sailing the world’s oceans to have a Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) to enhance security. Have you ever wondered what this system is and how it works?