From the bridge
RSSPractical maritime compliance.
Plain-English writing for commercial operators — USCG rules, Sub M, STCW, cyber, and the free tools we built along the way. No regulatory fog. No SEO filler.
Subchapter M Compliance Software: What a Small Towing Fleet Actually Needs
Subchapter M turned towing into an inspected industry, and the paperwork burden lands hardest on small fleets without a compliance department. Here's what the rule actually demands day to day, and what to look for in software that carries it.
Subchapter K Small Passenger Vessel Compliance: COI, Crew, and Drills
Subchapter K covers small passenger vessels carrying more than 150 passengers or with overnight accommodations — a step up in burden from Subchapter T. Here's what the COI, manning, and drill requirements mean for a K-boat operator day to day.
Squat and Under-Keel Clearance: A Field Guide to Safe Speed in Confined Water
Squat has grounded more deep-draft ships in channels than almost anything else. Here's how squat works, the Barrass estimate pilots use in their head, how it eats your under-keel clearance, and how to back out a maximum safe speed.
Savannah River Pilotage: Dispatch on a Narrow, Winding, Fast-Growing River
Savannah is one of the fastest-growing container ports in the country, served by a narrow, winding river transit with bend after bend and strong currents. Growing volume on demanding water makes sequencing and awareness the dispatch priorities.
San Francisco Bar Pilotage: Dispatch Through Fog and the Golden Gate
San Francisco pilots board offshore at the Bar, then take ships through the Gate and a busy bay to Oakland, Richmond, and the rivers. Fog, current, and an offshore boarding ground make timing everything. Here's the dispatch challenge of the district.
Puget Sound Pilotage: Dispatch in a Busy, Multi-Port District
Puget Sound is the opposite problem from a remote inlet: not too little traffic to see, but a great deal of it, spread across many ports, threaded with ferries and a traffic separation scheme. Here's the dispatch challenge of a dense district and what helps.
Why Fleet-Tracking Software Doesn't Fit a Pilots Association
A pilots association has no fleet — it has a coverage zone and a stream of other people's ships. That single difference is why generic vessel-tracking software fails a dispatch desk, and what the right data model looks like instead.
Off the Paper Board: How a Pilots Association Goes Digital
Most pilots associations know the VHF-and-paper board has limits, but the move to a digital dispatch system feels like a project. It doesn't have to be. Here's a low-risk path that runs the new board alongside the old one until the desk trusts it.
How Pilotage Billing Works: Tariffs, Gross Tonnage, Draft, and Detention
Pilotage doesn't bill by the hour. It bills by a tariff driven by gross tonnage and draft, plus detention and standby — and the invoice has to tie back to the transit. Here's how association billing actually works and where it leaks money.
Pilot Ladder Safety: SOLAS V/23, the Boarding Check, and When to Refuse
Boarding is the most dangerous moment of a pilot's day. SOLAS V/23 and IMO A.1045 set the rules; this is the practical rigging checklist, the common non-conformities, and how to make 'refuse boarding' a documented decision rather than a judgment call.
Pilot Fatigue and Rest: Building a Rotation You Can Defend
Pilot fatigue is a leading contributor to pilotage incidents, and unlike a ship's crew, pilots are dispatched one job at a time at all hours. Here's how to think about rest rules, why 'next up' should skip an unfit pilot automatically, and how to make the rotation auditable.
OSV Compliance: The Subchapter L Operator's Requirements
Offshore supply vessels live under Subchapter L, with manning, stability, cargo, and credential requirements that reflect the offshore service they run. Here's the compliance picture for an OSV operator and where the recurring burden sits.