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Maritime Knowledge Base

Browse questions and answers across marine machinery, merchant navy careers, shipboard operations and maritime glossary terms.

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Results for "Container ship"

Shipboard Operations

How is cargo secured and lashed on a ship?

Cargo is secured against the forces of the ship's motion using lashings, twistlocks and dunnage, in accordance with the ship's approved Cargo Securing Manual.

Shipboard Operations

What precautions does a ship take in heavy weather?

In heavy weather a ship reduces speed and adjusts course to ease its motion, secures everything for sea, manages ballast and stability, and guards against dangerous rolling.

Maritime Glossary

What is a TEU?

TEU explained — the twenty-foot equivalent unit used to measure container-ship capacity and container throughput.

Marine Machinery

How does a marine diesel engine work?

A marine diesel engine converts the chemical energy of fuel into rotary motion through compression ignition — here is the working principle and the two-stroke and four-stroke cycles.

Marine Machinery

What is the difference between a two-stroke and a four-stroke marine engine?

Two-stroke and four-stroke marine engines differ in how many strokes complete a cycle, their speed and size, and the roles they play aboard ship.

Merchant Navy Careers

Can women join the merchant navy and what roles can they hold?

Yes — women can and do serve in every department and rank of the merchant navy, from cadet to Master and chief engineer, and the industry is actively working to recruit more.

Merchant Navy Careers

What is the difference between the merchant navy and the (military) navy?

The merchant navy is the commercial fleet that carries cargo and passengers for trade, crewed by civilian seafarers, while the navy is a country's military maritime force.