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 "Sump"
What should be checked during engine-room watchkeeping rounds?
How to make an engine-room round count — comparing live readings against normal ranges and catching trends before they become failures.
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.
Marine MachineryWhy is the main engine lubricating oil pressure low?
Low lubricating oil pressure is a serious alarm that threatens the bearings — the cause is usually in the pump, the filters, the oil itself, or a leak.
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 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 marine radar and ARPA work?
Marine radar detects other ships and land by transmitting radio pulses and timing their echoes; ARPA automatically tracks targets and calculates the risk of collision.
Shipboard OperationsWhat 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.
Marine MachineryWhat is the stern tube and stern tube seal on a ship?
The stern tube is the tube through which the propeller shaft passes out of the hull; it carries the aft bearing and a seal that keeps seawater out and lubricant in.
