The Deep Draft

Independent maritime analysis on trade, risk, regulation, and operations.

Insight and Analysis

  • Flettner Rotors in Shipping

    Flettner Rotors in Shipping

    What They Are, How They Work, and Why Owners Are Installing Them Part 1 of 2 Tall rotating cylinders are now appearing on the decks of commercial ships. They stand out because they do not resemble anything traditionally associated with…

  • Amplitude: Understanding Horizons, Visual Cues, and Practice

    Amplitude: Understanding Horizons, Visual Cues, and Practice

    Amplitude remains one of the oldest techniques still taught and used in navigation. It survives because it is simple, quick, and independent of electronics. A rising or setting Sun gives the navigator a direct check on compass error using nothing…

  • Understanding Sanctions in Maritime Trade

    Understanding Sanctions in Maritime Trade

    The Question That Always Comes Next In my previous article, I explained how sanctions enforcement, particularly through OFAC, reaches the ship and why the Master becomes involved. https://thedeepdraft.com/2025/12/15/ofac-sanctions-ship-master/ What almost always follows is a different assumption, especially from readers ashore…

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