United States Coast Guard (USCG) vessel documentation is a national form of registration detailed in Title 46 CFR part 67 in which towboats and all vessels weighing five net tons or more are required to take part.Vessel owners will need to apply for a vessel certificate with the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC), and upon successful application, the Coast Guard will issue a vessel certification documentation number to the vessel owner. What is vessel documentation?Vessel documentation...

USCG navigation rules are the equivalent of the rules of the road for mariners. The navigational system used on U.S. waterways was created by and is maintained by the Coast Guard.Recreational boaters are encouraged to take a boating safety course to get a full understanding of the navigational rules and the aids to navigation (the “road signs” of the water). The USCG provides a small booklet, U.S. Aids to Navigation System: What You Need to Know about Markers on Water, for recreational boaters...

Major ship disasters cause far too many injuries and fatalities each year, not to mention creating financial hardship for the vessel owner or company. Many accidents can be prevented by taking simple, precautionary steps. Below, we discuss three dangerous types of accidents and ways to prevent them.Ship Disaster #1: SinkingThe sinking of a ship is downright devastating. For vessel owners, the cost of repairing the ship (plus the effect of negative press) has the potential to bankrupt a company....

CSO Alliance has been launched in an effort to provide a “real time”, coordinated approach to the progressively complex fight against maritime crime.A global digital network devoted to serving Company Security Officers (CSOs), CSO Alliance is designed to use the latest interactive and online tools to give maritime CSOs the ability to share market intelligence, meet in person to discuss issues, and assess mutual risks that their assets and crews face daily in multiple regions.The Alliance shares...