DeepDraft navigation analysis looks at how ships are actually handled, monitored, and kept safe at sea. This section covers bridge decision-making, electronic navigation, passage execution, watchkeeping discipline, situational awareness, and the operational traps that turn small navigational assumptions into serious incidents.
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The Barnacle Problem Waiting Behind Hormuz
My first serious encounter with biofouling was at Teluk Semangka, Indonesia, where my vessel, a modern VLCC, was deployed as a storage tanker for 1.5 months. On paper, it was…
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MSC 111 and the 2028 IMO Compliance Shift: What Ships Must Prepare For
MSC 111 sets a 2028 compliance wave across GMDSS, VDES, RIT, lifeboats, IP Code, IMDG, alternative fuels and MASS.
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Hormuz to Malacca: How Chokepoint Risk Reaches the Bridge
The industry keeps asking if ships can pass Hormuz. The better question is what happens before they try. By the time a Master receives revised voyage instructions, the real decision…
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ECDIS Certification Is Not the Same as ECDIS Competence
The Certification Paradox ECDIS carriage requirements were introduced through 2009 SOLAS amendments that entered into force on 1 January 2011 and were phased in by ship type and build date…
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UAE Leaves OPEC: From Quotas to Chokepoints in the New Gulf Crude Map
The UAE’s exit from OPEC is being read as an oil market headline. That is too narrow. For the maritime professional, it may mark a structural shift in the Gulf’s…
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VDES and AIS: What Actually Changes on the Bridge
There is a familiar sequence in shipping whenever a new system enters the bridge environment. The technology is positioned as a solution, the regulatory framework follows, and equipment begins to…
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HORMUZ STRAIT – Routing Shift, Mine Risk, and the Cost of Transit in 2026
Hormuz transit now reflects altered routing, limited detection, and elevated risk, where movement depends on operational and commercial acceptance.
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Inertial Navigation Systems: Why Merchant Ships Still Don’t Have Them
Modern ships rely on GNSS as the single source of truth. When that signal is manipulated, the entire bridge remains consistent but wrong. This article examines GNSS vulnerability and argues…
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GNSS Interference at Sea: Navigating GPS Spoofing in the Strait of Hormuz
GNSS jamming and GPS spoofing are disrupting merchant navigation across the Strait of Hormuz. This analysis explains how bridge teams detect interference, manage sensor failures, and maintain safe navigation when…
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Lessons from the Tanker War of 1980’s: Why Dark Transits Risk Modern Shipowners
Update Note – 11 Mar 2026 – The analysis addressed independent “dark transit” decisions by commercial operators. Military-coordinated escort operations operate under a different risk structure, where navigation and situational…