Navigation
Watchkeeping, COLREG in practice, Bridge Resource Management, pilotage, restricted visibility, anchoring, VDR, Passage Planning in polar waters, GNSS resilience, VTS traffic management, BNWAS, icebreaker-assisted convoy navigation, datum shift and ECDIS chart reference, the STCW review on simulator training, the MASS Code for autonomous ships, VDES and NAVDAT, the Next-Generation ECDIS S-100 Framework.
Each topic below brings together, in a single place: an operational explanation, the regulatory reference, scope of application, procedure, practical example, what typically goes wrong, common mistakes, what the Port State Control Officer (PSCO) checks, operational tips, a checklist and FAQ — with the regulatory reference verified against the primary source.
Watchkeeping
The steering-gear test remains due within 12 hours before departure; a short-voyage waiver exists only when granted by the Administration and accompanied by at least weekly checks.
COLREG in Practice
COLREG applies to all vessels in the waters identified by Rule 1, not only vessels under way; the non-mandatory MASS Code was adopted at MSC 111 and took effect on 1 July 2026 without amending COLREG.
Bridge Resource Management (BRM)
It is not a course to complete once and forget: it is the discipline that explains why most navigational incidents originate from a team that fails to communicate, not from an unknown rule.
Pilotage and Under Keel Clearance in Restricted Areas
SOLAS V/34 requires the voyage plan; A.893(21) develops the UKC criterion, while minimum margin and method follow authority/port requirements, Company policy, current data and ship-specific procedures.
Navigation in Restricted Visibility
Rule 19 operates when vessels are not in sight in or near restricted visibility: when taking radar action avoid, so far as possible, port alteration for a contact forward of the beam and alteration towards a contact abeam or abaft.
Anchoring and Anchor Watch
Anchoring is not a pause from navigation: the choice of chain to pay out, monitoring for dragging, and the anchor watch itself remain safety activities in their own right.
VDR (Voyage Data Recorder)
The ship's 'black box': what it actually records, when it must be checked, and why its proper maintenance is often neglected until it is needed — too late.
Passage Planning in Polar Waters (Polar Code)
From 1 January 2026 MSC.538(107) extends Polar Chapters 9-1 and 11-1 to the new non-SOLAS categories, not the full Polar Ship Certificate and PWOM regime.
Electronic Navigation and GNSS Resilience
Multi-band, multi-constellation, RAIM, authentication and CRPA may mitigate GNSS risk but do not guarantee a valid fix during jamming or spoofing: plausibility checks and independent sources remain necessary.
VTS Traffic Management
Participating ships take information, advice and warnings into account; VTS requirements and instructions issued within the applicable framework are complied with unless contradictory safety or marine-environment-protection reasons exist.
BNWAS and Anti-Collision Alert Systems
SOLAS requires BNWAS operational whenever under way at sea; MSC.128(75) separately defines automatic, manual ON and manual OFF modes and reserves mode and dormant-period controls to the Master.
Icebreaker-Assisted Convoy Navigation
Icebreaker and convoy-control instructions are essential, but the Master and bridge team continuously assess safety against the ship's actual capabilities and conditions and immediately communicate any inability to comply.
Datum Shift and Chart Reference in ECDIS
A charted feature may be uncertain even when the GNSS fix is precise: horizontal position, sounding datum, height datum and quality/CATZOC are distinct issues to assess without improvised manual offsets.
Simulator Training: the Ongoing STCW Review
The comprehensive STCW review is in its revision phase: simulator use is under consideration, but no new universal substitution of sea service is in force without an IMO instrument and Administration requirements.
MASS Code: the New IMO Framework for Autonomous Ships
The MSC.595(111) MASS Code is a non-mandatory instrument effective from 1 July 2026; the EBP and future mandatory Code follow an expected roadmap, not already adopted obligations.
VDES and NAVDAT: the Next Generation of Digital Maritime Communications
The VHF channel we knew as voice-only becomes a data channel too: two new systems enter the SOLAS framework for ship-shore digital information exchange and safety broadcast transmission.
Next-Generation ECDIS: the S-100 Framework
MSC.530(106)/Rev.1 makes the revised S-100-capable standard voluntary for new ECDIS installations from 2026 through 2028 and required for all new installations from 1 January 2029, without universal retrofit.
Editorial revision of 9 August 2026 · page fingerprint 770b3c982edf