What is Gafta? An Essential Guide to Grain and Feed Trade Association
What Gafta is, what its contract numbers mean, how Gafta arbitration works, the approved register, and how Gafta terms affect the ship carrying the grain.
Maritime Law
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What Is STCW? Meaning, Convention vs Code and Requirements
What STCW stands for, how the Convention differs from the Code, its 8 chapters, certificates, hours of rest and how compliance is checked on board.
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Modern Day Pirates: How They Operate and How Ships Respond
Modern day pirates are organized criminal groups that attack ships for money. They steal cargo and crew belongings, kidnap seafarers or hold a whole ship for ransom. They use fast skiffs, firearms and ladders, not tall ships and cutlasses. The IMB recorded 137 piracy and armed robbery incidents in 2025, the highest in four years.…
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What Is A Recognized Security Organization or RSO?
RSO stands for Recognized Security Organization. What an RSO may and may not do under the ISPS Code, RSO vs RO, ISSC certification and security levels.
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Do Pirates Still Exist? Where Pirates Attack Ships in 2026
Pirates still exist: 137 attacks on ships in 2025, Somali hijackings again in 2026. Where modern pirates operate, how they attack and how ships defend.
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Ship Registries and Flags of Convenience: How Flagging Works
How ship registration works, open vs closed registries, why owners pick Panama, Liberia or the Marshall Islands, and how to choose or change a flag State.
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What Is the Plimsoll Line on Ships? Meaning, Marks, History
The Plimsoll line shows how deep a ship may load. Learn how to read the marks and letters, where the name comes from, and how it became international law.
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Is the United States Under Maritime Law? US Admiralty Law
The short answer is no. What US admiralty law is, where it applies on seas, rivers and lakes, the main statutes and how it affects ships.
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Types of Work Permits on Ships: Hot Work, Enclosed Space, More
The 7 work permits used on ships, what each covers and who signs it, plus the permit to work process, enclosed space gas limits and what inspectors check.