Maritime Knowledge Base
Browse questions and answers across marine machinery, merchant navy careers, shipboard operations and maritime glossary terms.
Browse by Category
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 "Enclosed space"
What 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.
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 OperationsWhat 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 is a toolbox talk and when is it done?
What a toolbox talk is, when it happens before shipboard work, and how it turns the risk assessment and permit into a shared plan.
Shipboard OperationsHow do I prepare for a Port State Control inspection?
How to be ready for Port State Control — certificates, drills, maintenance evidence and housekeeping — so a routine inspection does not become a detention.
Merchant Navy CareersWhat are the disadvantages and challenges of a merchant navy career?
A merchant navy career has real downsides — long separation from family, isolation, demanding work and health pressures — that anyone considering it should understand.
Shipboard OperationsWhat is a permit to work (PTW) system on ships?
A permit to work is a formal written authorisation that controls hazardous, non-routine jobs by confirming the hazards are assessed and the right precautions are in place.
Shipboard OperationsWhat is a risk assessment on a ship and how is it done?
A shipboard risk assessment systematically identifies the hazards of a task, evaluates the risk and puts controls in place before the work begins.
Shipboard OperationsWhat is a hot work permit and when is it needed?
A hot work permit controls any work involving heat, flame or sparks outside a designated safe area, confirming the space is gas-free and fire precautions are in place.
Shipboard OperationsHow is a cargo tank cleaned on a tanker?
Cargo tanks are cleaned with fixed or portable washing machines using water or crude oil, followed by draining, gas-freeing and ventilation, before a change of cargo, entry or repair.
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.
Shipboard OperationsWhat is a Safety Management System (SMS) on a ship?
A Safety Management System is the documented set of policies and procedures, required by the ISM Code, by which a company manages the safe operation of its ships and prevention of pollution.
Shipboard OperationsWhat is lock-out tag-out (LOTO) and why is it used aboard ship?
Lock-out tag-out is the practice of isolating a machine's energy sources and physically locking and tagging them off before maintenance, so it cannot be started or energised while someone is working on it.
