Insights and Analysis
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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 more than a bearing and a table. Even on modern bridges fitted with integrated electronic…
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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 – “Surely the crew knows where the vessel is trading.”“Surely the Master knows what kind…
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The WhatsAppisation of Ship Operations.
By Capt. Raghu Sharma There was a time when by design, ship–shore communication was used sparingly. Messages came through telex, and they came infrequently. Urgent navigational warnings. Critical operational or voyage instructions. Every message carried weight and if a message arrived, it mattered. As technology improved, communication expanded. Email systems became reliable, efficiency improved, and…
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