A Mariner’s Notebook – Page 2 – Professional Mariner

01 Mar

Russia flexing its muscles, outflanking US as Arctic heats up

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook

In 2020, temperatures in parts of the Arctic were an unbelievable 14 to 18 degrees above normal, with the region recording its second-highest yearly average since 1900. Readings were so extreme that a Siberian heat wave caused wildfires on the tundra, a biome that is normally too wet or too frozen to burn. Extraordinarily high temperatures and melting ice in…

22 Dec

Cheap rain gear? Penny wise is pound foolish when going to sea

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebookgear, mariner, rain gear, sailor, weather gear

From painful rashes due to skin rubbed raw to life-threatening hypothermia, mariners have long been plagued by having to work in clothes wet from rain, snow, fog and ocean spray. In the days of sailing ships, sailors smeared tar on their clothes to make them water-repellent, an unsatisfactory solution that overheated the body and made the garments stiff and hard…

01 Dec

New year in a new world: Navigating COVID’s maritime realities

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's NotebookCOVID, COVID-19, pandemic

In a matter of days, the decorative time balls will drop, “Auld Lang Syne” will fill the air, and ships at anchor will sound their horns as the world welcomes in the new year. 2021 hasn’t even started, but it already has made the history books. It will be the first time since humans walked the earth that a year…

01 Oct

Technology helps shoreside eyes monitor every maritime move

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebooktechnology

During the summer between our sophomore and junior years at the California Maritime Academy, we were required to do an internship at a maritime company or organization to get a glimpse of how things worked shoreside. Being from Washington state, I was assigned to the Port of Seattle, and under the tutelage of Mr. Fox learned a lot about the…

26 Aug

Sharpen your listening skills to avoid conflict and danger at sea

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Publication > Professional Mariner

I had joined the 890-foot crude oil tanker at Swan Island, Ore., the week before, and since coming aboard had been busy as the ship neared the end of its scheduled yard period. It had been a very long day, with lots of going in and out of cargo tanks, and I was on deck heading back to the house…

03 Aug

Mariners, Coast Guard adapting to coronavirus risks and realities

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Publication > Professional Mariner

On my birthday in early February, my wife and I celebrated the day with a fish-and-chips lunch at a favorite local restaurant, followed by a pleasant hike along a waterfront preserve on the south end of the island we live on. Halfway through the walk, we sat down on a log to enjoy a cup of coffee out of our…

29 Apr

Sitting down on watch? Tradition aside, it’s the smart option

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Publication > Professional Mariner

I remember the day my letter of acceptance to the California Maritime Academy (CMA) arrived at my apartment in Spokane, Wash. I called my dad with the good news, and accepted his offer of a celebratory pitcher of something cold and a large combo with extra cheese at our favorite pizza place that night. My dad sailed as an able…

22 Apr

Hirst: Are COLREGS still fit for purpose with rise of automation?

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Industry News

There has been much debate about the COLREGS over the last 12 months or so, with many suggesting that it is now time for not just some amendments but a total revision of the rules. So are the COLREGS still fit for purpose? The future: autonomous ships Many believe that in the not so distant future, the fundamental changes in…

05 Apr

Christopoulou: On board but not alone during COVID-19

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Industry News

Our seafarers are on board but they must not feel alone! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the maritime industry once again faces a great challenge to overcome this unprecedented situation for stranded seafarers. As a high priority, shipping companies, trade organizations and governments need to collaborate to protect the hundreds of thousands of seafarers confined on board vessels scattered all…

01 Apr

Hammond: Fact suppression or careless underreporting on COVID-19?

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Industry News

It is now time to tell the whole truth, including the good, the bad and the ugly of the ramifications of COVID-19 on the silent heroes who will keep us supplied and alive in this unprecedented global crisis. Reporting for seven years without fear or favour, Human Rights at Sea continues to independently highlight the detailed plight of seafarers and…