Maritime Knowledge Base
Browse questions and answers across marine machinery, merchant navy careers, shipboard operations and maritime glossary terms.
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Marine Machinery
Troubleshooting guides for pumps, boilers, purifiers, compressors and auxiliary systems.
Merchant Navy Careers
Questions about joining the merchant navy, exams, cadetships, ranks and sea-time.
Maritime Glossary
Plain-English definitions of shipping, engine-room, navigation and regulatory terms.
Shipboard Operations
Practical Q&A for watchkeeping, safety, maintenance routines and onboard documentation.
Results for "Breathing apparatus"
What is the correct enclosed space rescue procedure?
Enclosed space rescue must never be attempted by rushing in — it demands raising the alarm and using a trained team with breathing apparatus and retrieval equipment.
Shipboard OperationsWhat must be checked before enclosed space entry?
The core precautions before entering an enclosed space — atmosphere testing, permit, ventilation, standby and communications — because these spaces still kill seafarers.
Merchant Navy CareersWhat medical and eyesight standards are required to join the merchant navy?
Seafarers must pass a seafarer medical examination covering general fitness, eyesight and colour vision, and hearing — the standards protect safety at sea.
Merchant Navy CareersWhat are the four STCW basic safety training courses?
Before joining a ship, every seafarer must complete STCW basic safety training — four short courses covering survival, firefighting, first aid and personal safety.
Shipboard OperationsWhy are enclosed spaces on ships so dangerous?
Enclosed spaces kill because their atmosphere can be oxygen-deficient, toxic or flammable with no outward sign — and rescuers who rush in become the next victims.
Shipboard OperationsHow does a fixed CO2 flooding fire-extinguishing system work?
A fixed CO2 system extinguishes a fire in a protected space such as the engine room by flooding it with carbon dioxide, which displaces the oxygen the fire needs — after everyone is evacuated.
