Articles

Types of Marine Fuel and Their Properties: A Guide Quality parameters, energy and emission values of conventional and alternative marine fuels, and the rules that apply to them. 21 min read IMO 2020 Sulphur Limit and How It Applies The legal basis of the rule that cut the global sulphur limit in ship fuel to 0.50%, how it applies by region, how it is enforced and its effect on climate. 10 min read Mediterranean ECA and the 0.10% Sulphur Limit The timetable and coordinates of the Mediterranean emission control area, the position in Turkish waters, ways of complying, records and cost. 9 min read Scrubber Systems and Their Use on Ships How exhaust gas cleaning systems work, the main types, washwater bans and the investment case. 7 min read Marine Fuel Management How ships measure and use fuel data for speed, maintenance, bunkering and compliance. 5 min read Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and How It Differs from LPG How LNG is produced and carried, how it differs from LPG and CNG, 2025 trade figures, the Qatar disruption, Turkish infrastructure and its case as a marine fuel. 13 min read LNG-Fuelled Ships and the Methane Slip Problem Dual-fuel engine types, what methane slip does to the carbon calculation, the FuelEU limit timetable, fuel tanks, the rules and the limits of LNG as a transition fuel. 10 min read Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Its Uses LPG's chemistry and physical properties, where it comes from, how it differs from LNG, storage and shipping, global demand, autogas in Türkiye, safety and environmental effects. 9 min read LPG as an Alternative Marine Fuel Which ships burn LPG, what the emission gains really amount to, the ME-LGIP engine, tank arithmetic, IMO interim guidelines, bunker supply and the long-term carbon targets. 9 min read Base Oils and API Groups API's five base oil groups, the saturates, sulphur and viscosity index criteria, production routes and the move to Group II in marine oils. 7 min read Mass Flow Meters (MFM) in Bunkering How a Coriolis meter works, a worked comparison with tank measurement, port requirements, verification and what a buyer should check. 7 min read Container Ship Fuel Capacity and Daily Consumption Tank capacity by class, worked figures for Emma Mærsk and Triple E, the SFOC formula, the cube rule, a range example and converting volume to tonnes. 7 min read Protection Against Marine Fuel Price Risk Fixed price, swaps, calls and collars compared on one assumed scenario, with worked figures for basis risk, over-hedging and cash flow. 8 min read

Petroleum Formation, Production and Transport What crude oil contains, how it forms and is graded, how much a field gives up, what a refinery makes of a barrel, and how it moves by sea. 12 min read Oil Well Drilling and Production The structure of an oil well, how mud weight keeps it under control, how it is completed and produced, how deep wells go, and where the first ones were. 10 min read Drilling Rigs and Rig Types How rotary drilling works, the parts of a rig, how the hoist is sized, the three offshore types and their water depths, and Türkiye's drillships. 9 min read Oil Refineries and the Refining Process Distillation and conversion units, product yields, refining margins, the Nelson complexity index, the source of marine fuel and refineries in Türkiye. 10 min read Brent Crude and How It Differs from WTI Where the name comes from, how the basket grew, how the price forms, the layers of the Brent complex, and what really separates it from WTI. 9 min read OPEC, Its Members and OPEC+ How OPEC is run, who has belonged, how production targets are calculated, OPEC+, the 2026 Hormuz crisis and the UAE's exit. 9 min read Pipeline Transport and How It Compares with Tankers How pipelines work, when they beat a tanker, the lines through Türkiye and what the 2026 Hormuz crisis did for the bypass routes. 9 min read Green Hydrogen and How It Is Produced Electrolysis, the energy balance, the cost arithmetic, the volume problem and the ammonia and methanol route for ships. 8 min read Renewable Energy and Its Main Sources How solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass work, the 2025 figures, Türkiye, grid limits and the link with shipping. 8 min read Carbon Capture and Storage Capture methods, how CO₂ stays underground, operating projects and the tank arithmetic of onboard capture. 8 min read Carbon Neutral and the Difference from Net Zero Carbon neutral against net zero, CO₂ equivalent, the tests for credits, the EU's 2026 ban, Türkiye's 2053 target and the shipping sums. 8 min read

IMO Number and How to Verify It The format of an IMO number, a worked check digit example, which ships need one and how to look it up, plus the organisation behind the name. 10 min read Port State Control and Ship Detention The legal basis of port state control, how inspections and risk profiles work, what detention means, and the Paris MoU's latest figures. 8 min read Flag State and Flags of Convenience The legal basis of the flag, what a flag state must do, the genuine link debate, the share of open registers and the false flag problem. 8 min read Classification Societies and Ship Class What a classification society does, the survey cycle, what a class certificate does not prove, liability in the courts and the members of IACS. 9 min read Lloyd's Register and the Origins of Classification How Lloyd's Register grew from a coffee house, where A1 comes from, the 1834 merger, the Foundation and the many institutions named Lloyd's. 8 min read P&I Insurance and How It Works How P&I differs from hull cover, how clubs run, what the cover includes, pay to be paid, the International Group pool and rules in Türkiye. 9 min read Basic Concepts of Maritime Law The public and private sides of maritime law, UNCLOS zones, ship arrest and liens, salvage, general average and time bars under Turkish law. 9 min read Continental Shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone The geological and legal shelf, how the Article 76 outer limit is calculated, payments beyond 200 miles, how it differs from the EEZ, and neighbouring seas. 10 min read Sanctions in Shipping and How They Apply Types of sanctions, sources of authority, Russia and Iran measures affecting ships, false flags and a screening table. General information, not legal advice. 8 min read Cabotage Rights and Their Application in Türkiye The concept of cabotage, Türkiye's Law No. 815 by article, examples of where the line falls, US and EU rules, and cabotage in the air and on the road. 7 min read Ship Registration and Its Practice in Türkiye The legal basis of a ship's nationality, the registration steps, open register data, the two Turkish registers and the problem of fraudulent registration. 8 min read Incoterms 2020 Delivery Rules The ICC's eleven delivery rules explained in a table and individually, with the risk point, cost split, 2020 changes and a worked price build-up. 10 min read Sea Freight and How It Is Calculated Pricing sea freight by cargo type, with worked W/M, TCE and Worldscale examples, the ETS surcharge, Turkish law and the main market indices. 7 min read Baltic Dry Index (BDI) and Its Calculation The BDI formula step by step, reference ships and a worked example, its history since 1985, and how to read it as an economic indicator. 7 min read Breakbulk Cargo and Shipping Breakbulk defined and compared with bulk and containers, with the ships used, a stowage factor example, contract terms, securing and project planning. 7 min read Maritime Transport and How It Works The units that measure sea trade, UNCTAD data, liner and tramp shipping, ship types, cost structure, chokepoints and the regulators. 8 min read

The Suez Canal: Opening, Length, Ownership and the Red Sea Crisis A diplomat's concession, ten years of digging, Nasser's nationalisation, eight years with the Yellow Fleet, six days with Ever Given and the Red Sea attacks. 12 min read The Panama Canal: History and the Lesson of de Lesseps The Panama Canal opened on 15 August 1914. It links the Atlantic and the Pacific and is about 82 kilometres long. 8 min read The Independența Disaster at the Bosphorus, 1979 The Independenta disaster was the collision and explosion of a Romanian tanker at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus on 15 November 1979. 6 min read The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and the Oil Pollution Act The Exxon Valdez oil spill was the major spill caused when the crude tanker ran aground in Alaska on 24 March 1989. 7 min read The First Steamships Across the Atlantic: Savannah, Sirius and Great Western Savannah made the first steam-assisted Atlantic crossing in 1819, while Sirius and Great Western opened the way for crossings under steam in 1838. 6 min read The First Battle of Ironclads: Monitor and Virginia, 1862 The first battle between ironclads was fought between Monitor and Virginia at Hampton Roads on 9 March 1862. 6 min read Containerization and Its Effect on World Trade Containerization is the transport system in which cargo moves between ships, trains and trucks in standard-sized containers. 6 min read Malcom McLean and the Birth of Container Shipping Malcom McLean (1913-2001) was the American entrepreneur who started modern container shipping and founded Sea-Land. 6 min read John D. Rockefeller, the First Oil King John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) was the American businessman and philanthropist who founded Standard Oil. 6 min read Ida Tarbell and the Fall of the Standard Oil Trust Ida Tarbell (1857-1944) was the American investigative journalist known for The History of the Standard Oil Company. 8 min read The Rise and Fall of Standard Oil Standard Oil was the oil company John D. Rockefeller founded in Ohio in 1870, broken up by a US Supreme Court ruling in 1911. 8 min read Boverton Redwood, a Pioneer of the Oil Industry Boverton Redwood (1846-1919) was the English chemist known for his petroleum consulting work and the Redwood viscometer. 6 min read Women in the Oil and Gas Industry From a method a professor said could not be done in 1921 to the 22% of oil and gas workers who are women today, and the under 1% who reach the top. 6 min read The 1973 Oil Crisis and the First Oil Shock The 1973 oil crisis was the global energy shock caused by the Arab oil exporters' embargo of October 1973 and rapid price rises. 7 min read The Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz The Persian Gulf is the inland sea between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, opening to the Gulf of Oman through the Strait of Hormuz. 7 min read Big Oil and the Supermajors Big Oil is the name used for the world's largest listed oil companies, such as ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron and TotalEnergies. 7 min read Dutch Disease and Oil-Producing Countries Dutch disease is the weakening of manufacturing and export industries when natural resource income strengthens the national currency. 6 min read The Belt and Road Initiative The Belt and Road Initiative is the global programme China launched in 2013, covering infrastructure investment along land and sea routes. 6 min read Maritime Rules Born from Disasters Much of today's maritime regulation grew out of disasters. Titanic led to SOLAS and Torrey Canyon opened the way to MARPOL. 7 min read The Marine Chronometer and John Harrison John Harrison (1693-1776) was the English clockmaker whose marine timekeepers solved the problem of finding longitude at sea. 6 min read Nuclear-Powered Ships From Nautilus to Today A nuclear-powered ship gets its propulsion from heat produced in a reactor. The first was the submarine USS Nautilus, which went to sea in 1955. 7 min read Wind-Assisted Propulsion: Rotors, Wings and Kites Wind-assisted propulsion reduces a ship's fuel use by harnessing wind through systems such as rotors, wings or kites. 5 min read Hemp in the Age of Sail: Rope, Oakum and Navies Hemp was a basic maritime material in the age of sail, used for rope, sailcloth and caulking. 6 min read Maritime Piracy, Past and Present Maritime piracy is an unlawful act of violence or detention committed for private ends by one ship against another on the high seas. 6 min read Arctic Sea Routes and the Northern Sea Route The Arctic shipping routes are the sea lanes through the Arctic, chiefly the Northern Sea Route off Russia and the Northwest Passage through Canada. 6 min read Autonomous Ships and the MASS Code An autonomous ship can carry out some or all of its navigation and operating decisions without human intervention. 6 min read Seafarers in the Pandemic and the Crew Change Crisis During Covid-19, travel restrictions halted crew changes and hundreds of thousands of seafarers stayed aboard beyond their contracts. 6 min read

Floating Garbage Patches in the Oceans The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the area of the North Pacific where ocean currents concentrate plastic waste. 6 min read Ghost Nets and Their Effects at Sea A ghost net is a fishing net lost or abandoned at sea that keeps catching marine life. 6 min read Mucilage and Its Causes in the Sea of Marmara Mucilage, also known as sea snot, is the sticky layer formed when organic matter secreted by marine organisms builds up. 6 min read Floating Solar Power Plants A floating solar power plant has its panels mounted on floats on the surface of a lake, reservoir or the sea. 5 min read