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 "Fatigue"
What does STCW mean?
STCW explained — the international convention that sets minimum training, certification and watchkeeping standards for seafarers worldwide.
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 an inert gas system on a tanker and why is it needed?
An inert gas system fills a tanker's cargo tanks with oxygen-poor gas so the atmosphere cannot support combustion, preventing explosions in and around the cargo.
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 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.
Marine MachineryWhat is cavitation in pumps and propellers?
Cavitation is the forming and violent collapse of vapour bubbles in a liquid when local pressure falls too low — it erodes metal, causes noise and vibration, and reduces efficiency.
Marine MachineryWhat is a bearing and what types are used in marine engines?
A bearing supports and locates a rotating shaft while allowing it to turn with little friction — marine engines rely on plain white-metal bearings lubricated by an oil film.
