 One of the most common and critical operations on any vessel is the anchoring. It is felt, however, that in some cases the designs of the anchoring arrangement that are currently in use, do not fully satisfy the demands of the modern shipping industry. When performing the identification of the challenged normally associated with the ship anchoring, it become clear that there is a need for the review of the current standards governing the construction of the windlasses, considering the fact that the ships tend to get anchored at the water depths well above their lifting capacities.
It is therefore very important to mitigate the safety risks involved, as well as to do the best for eliminating any possible risk to the human life and environment pollution. This document was released by the Intertanko with the intention to highlight the major concerns together with the recommendations including but not limited to the system designs which is considered the most vulnerable part.
The identification of the above stated challenges complements the available guidance with respect to the operation ad routine maintenance of the subject shipboard equipment. Through mainly targeted at operators, these guidelines will also be of practical use for all people engaged in the design, manufacturing, operation and technical maintenance of the shipboard anchoring systems.
 According to the author, the present volume was written with the ultimate intention to provide merchant seafarers as well as the other mariners with the formulae they may need during their work. Unfortunately, most of those formulae tend to get forgotten by the people if not used every day. It should not be looked at as the complete list of all formulae to solve all possible problems, but rather to give the list of commonly applied ones.
One of the great features of the publication is the coverage of the different areas, from navigation calculations to the ship stability electricity related calculations and so many others. After the introductory part, the volume gives the general information about the key functions of the calculator machines, and trigonometrical functions. The navigation related calculations include rectangular to polar conversion, ETA, Mercator sailing, great circle, amplitude, azimuth, altitude, and others.
Then, there are many practical calculations covered including, but not limited to the visibility of the navigation lights, fuel conservation, draft change caused by the density, volume and area, bearing problems, cargo handling etc. Several conversion tables conclude the volume.
 The present information paper was officially released by OCIMF with the ultimate goal to provide necessary information on the heading control on the FPSOs, standing for the floating production, storage and offloading units. It shall be used in with, and supplement, the main documents governing the heading control. The recommendations contained in the document pertain to the safe management of the control operations.
Such operation normally takes place in order to allow for the installation and survey activities, as well as the necessary technical maintenance works. It is a common mistake to underestimate the bollard pull that would be required to safely and effectively maintain the heading, and this can eventually result in the unwanted position loss. In addition, more attention shall be paid to the operational limits.
The analysis of the numerous incidents involving the loss of heading control shows that the crew members are not sufficiently aware of the risks, and these guidelines, when properly applied, will contribute in the increase of the awareness. The content of the publication shall be conveyed to the personnel directly engaged in handling the FPSOs and proper understanding of all provisions shall be ensured.
 The description of the LMP, standing for the line management plan, is referred to in the Mooring Equipment Guidelines. The subject plan shall cover all applicable requirements on the maintenance of the lines, as well as their periodical inspection and retirement. Moreover, each of them should be duly detailed in the plan.
The manufacturer’s guidance shall be taken into account, as necessary, and be referred to at every stage. The typical components addressed would usually include but not be limited to the records of their working hours and reports on tests and inspections, plans for the inspection of the lines, retirement criteria etc.it shall be noted that the ship operator is responsible for the development and subsequent proper and timely implementation of the line management plans.
This document shall be regularly update, be readily available at all times, and also embedded into the document control system of the vessel. The compliance verification shall be regularly conducted, together with the appropriate training of the personnel. The publication will beneficial for all above listed people due to its compact size and the amount of the useful information contained.
 This is an influential and very comprehensive guidebook on the marine emergencies commonly taking places, and the current strategies that should be applied in order to deal with the ramifications and after-effects of the marine disasters. Many seafarers get involves in the maritime emergencies of different kinds during their working careers – it can be ship collision, failure of the shipboard machinery, fire on board, etc.
That is the reason why the crew shall be fully aware of the appropriate actions to be taken in emergencies, since the timely reaction could save their lives. The text of the publication is intended to provide them with a good insight on the recently occurred incidents and includes, but is not limited to the relevant case studies, useful checklists to be used in such situations, as well as the fire and collision related aspects.
The book was written by the recognized expert with long seagoing career and author of nearly twenty other popular titles. The publication will of course be beneficial to all crew members; however, it will also make sense for all people planning to join any vessel to go through the content of this book in order to understand what they should be prepared to do in case of any emergency on board their vessel.
 The shipboard towing operations will generally not be carried out on most of the vessels during normal service. The tugs are in use in the harbors to assist ships entering and departing the port, but the subject tugs are the ships specifically dedicated to this particular service which is an integral part of their function.
That is why the vast majority of the seafarers can only face with the necessity to engage in towing operations in case of emergency situation, where they will offer assistance to other ship or, vice versa, where some other ships assist his own ship. The AH, or anchor handling, vessels are technically able to perform towing of the monohull vessels including barges, and mobile offshore units such as the jack-ups and semi-submersible rigs changing their location of working.
The proper understanding of the equipment used when performing these operations are of great importance for anyone dealing with the towing, from its planning to the actual operation,; one should also take into account the considerations and restrictions affecting the operations. The present training file was developed and published by the specialists of the IMOSTI, or International Maritime & Offshore Safety Training Institute.
 The present book has been treated as one of the most valuable references on shiphandling since the time when the first edition had been released; this fourth edition reflects all changes that took place since then. The author covers the major shiphandling principles together with their application to the particular problems. The essentials of shiphandling have been presented in a very clear way.
It is a perfect guidebook for all maritime professionals and future mariners. Among the topics addressed by the author there are the forces that act on the vessel, replenishment at sea, maintaining the engines, maneuvering and many others. Of course, no book can replace the practical experience, but this book will provide you with everything you need to know to handle the navy vessel safely.
Considering the attention paid to the details, we would also recommend this volume to those handling huge commercial ships and willing to brush their professional skills. All of the navy ship types have been covered including but not limited to the destroyers, small and large combatants, submarines, and ocean escorts. the author’s style of presenting the material made the publication easily accessible even for the people with little to no maritime background.
 The navigators have found this book to be an excellent guide for those sailing in the Mediterranean; it was written by the professional expert with over forty years of practical seagoing experience. In his publication, the author provides readers with the valuable insight into the aspects specific for the Mediterranean area, gives all required updates about the anchoring and berthing, dealing with the weather, navigation matters, route planning, formalities involved, and many other critical things.
He has covered every single country located around the Mediterranean. In addition to the above, there is a new section in the book that will be of particular interest to the people intending to have a tight-budgeted cruising. The readers will definitely find all practical advice and tips for the sailors as well as any other information they need to be able to make the informed and correct decisions.
In fact, we can say that the contents of the publication presents the “distilled” experience of its author, and this makes the book of great practical benefit to all those cruising or planning to start cruising in the Mediterranean area and recommended to anyone willing to be better prepared for the subject activities.
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