Merchant ships are purposely built to carry cargo, but for safety reasons, there is a need to set a legal limit on how much cargo can be loaded onto a ship. By establishing such restrictions, the possibility of the ship sailing with insufficient freeboard and reserve buoyancy is reduced. In order to minimize overloading on…
Ships are among the oldest means of transport in the world. Although they are associated with transporting goods, modern ships are equipped to offer passengers and the crew a memorable travel experience. Most of the ships today are about 1000 feet long and carry close to 6000 passengers on average. Do we have ships bigger…
Pyrotechnics is an important part of life-saving equipment onboard. It may prove useful in the event of an emergency. There are multiple ways for people in distress to get the attention of the search and rescue team. It may be visual, sound, or radio communication. Pyrotechnics is one of the most effective methods used onboard…
The backbone of Global trade is the need to transport goods safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively by avoiding delays in ports and optimizing the combination of the different modes of transportation. Because containerization satisfied these needs it has now become the major means for transporting goods and materials around the world. Containerization is a system that…
Shipboard cargo damage can occur for several reasons. These include accidents caused by moisture, flooding, or rainwater. Moisture damage, however, is one of the most prevalent causes of cargo damage and a major source of cargo claims, for a variety of reasons. On ships, moisture that causes cargo damage is referred to as “sweat.” Sweat…
The telemotor in the steering gear is a hydraulic control system consisting of a receiver, transmitter, pipes, and a charging unit. The transmitter is located on the bridge which is built on the steering wheel console. The bridge commands the transmitter to send a signal to the receiver, which is installed on the steering gear’s…
A steering gear system is a group of equipment working together for the sole purpose of providing direction for the ship while it is moving at sea. The steering gear system allows the ship to turn from the port (left) to starboard (right), starboard (right) to port (left), or hold a certain heading to the…
The center of gravity and the center of buoyancy are both theoretical points in an object. Both these points are often used to represent individual bodies or different parts of the same body in different states of matter, in our case of floating bodies, and are used to study how the forces act on the…
Manoverboard occurs when a person falls in the water while working, is washed by big waves, or because of a simple slip at the side of the ship. Time is of great essence for the crew to respond because the victim may be injured or will most likely suffer from hypothermia due to long exposure…
Seafarers, particularly the bridge officers, always need to know the two most important information onboard a ship. The heading or the course, and position of the vessel. Sextant allows the mariners to measure the angle of a celestial body to the horizon. That attitude of either the Sun or stars and the time it was…