Maritime Conventions Visuals
One place for interactive, cartoon-style visual guides to the core conventions every seafarer must understand. More conventions and topics are being added.
SOLAS 1974
Safety of Life at Sea
The cornerstone safety treaty: 14 chapters covering construction, fire, life-saving, GMDSS, navigation, ISM, ISPS and Polar — with focused deep-dives on fire fighting, personal survival, navigation, GMDSS and SAR.
- Interactive fire triangle (Ch II-2)
- Abandon-ship drill timeline (Ch III)
- GMDSS Sea Areas A1–A4 (Ch IV)
- APEM passage planning + SAR chain
- FSC vs PSC compliance matrix
STCW 78 (1995 & 2010)
Training, certification & watchkeeping
The two halves of the STCW Code (Part A mandatory, Part B guidance), with animated certification paths for every rank — Deck, Engine, ETO and ratings (RFPNW, RFPEW, ETR, Able Seafarer).
- Code A vs Code B side-by-side
- Ranks table linked to animated paths
- Study + sea + exam + CoC stages
- Why both Codes apply worldwide
COLREGs 1972
Rules of the road at sea
Visual walkthrough of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea — lights, shapes, sound signals and encounter geometry.
- Interactive lights & shapes simulator
- Head-on / crossing / overtaking diagrams
- Sound & light signals player
- Self-test quiz
MARPOL 73/78
Prevention of pollution from ships
Story of the six Annexes — legal applicability, discharge standards, special areas and the practical actions seafarers must take onboard.
- All six Annexes panel-by-panel
- Decanting diagram (tankers & non-tankers)
- Special areas & discharge tables
- Zone-by-zone compliance helper
UNCLOS 1982
Law of the sea & maritime zones
Rights and obligations of coastal states across maritime zones, plus the doctrine of innocent passage rooted in Grotius' Mare Liberum.
- Interactive maritime zones cross-section
- Hugo Grotius — freedom of the seas
- Innocent passage (Arts. 17–25)
- 10-question randomized quiz
Load Lines 1966
Plimsoll mark, zones & freeboard
International Convention on Load Lines as amended — the Plimsoll mark, world load-line zones, reserve buoyancy and the watertight integrity standards that keep ships afloat.
- Interactive Plimsoll mark (TF, F, T, S, W, WNA)
- Load-line zones world map
- Reserve buoyancy visual
- Watertight & weathertight integrity
BWM Convention 2004
Ballast water & invasive species
Why ballast water became a global biosecurity crisis, how D-1 exchange gave way to D-2 treatment, the most popular BWMS technologies and how GESAMP-BWWG approves them at the IMO.
- Invasive species case studies
- D-1 exchange vs D-2 performance standard
- Top BWMS technologies (UV, EC, chem, ozone)
- GESAMP-BWWG approval pathway
More coming soon
SOLAS, STCW, ISM/ISPS, BWM, Hong Kong & more — cartoon-style visual guides being built.