Human, Cultural, Historical & Reference
Maritime History, Careers & Reference
This domain is the human and reference layer of shipping: maritime history, heritage, seafaring careers and the defined-term spine that the rest of the site rests on. History runs from engine-builder and shipyard records to casualty cases such as the Costa Concordia 2012 grounding and the MS Estonia 1994 loss. Careers and welfare sit under STCW 1978 certification and the MLC 2006 minimum rest hours of 10 in any 24 and 77 in any seven days. The reference spine holds the maritime glossary, the 127 unit-conversion calculators (knots, nautical miles, GT, TEU), and the code registries including UN/LOCODE and IMO ship numbers.
This portal covers the historical, cultural, career and reference material: history, heritage, seafaring life, recreational boating, the glossary and the unit and code converters. The live regulatory force of STCW and MLC sits in /regulation/; the engineering of the engines whose histories appear here sits in /ship-science/.
Topic clusters
Maritime History
- Engine-builder & shipyard histories
8 articles, 0 calculators
- Maritime disasters & casualty history
4 articles, 0 calculators
Seafaring Careers, Training & Welfare
- MLC, rest hours & seafarer welfare
2 articles, 2 calculators
Reference Layer & Glossary Spine
- Codes, LOCODEs & identifiers
1 article, 1 calculator
- Unit conversions (the 127 convert-* calcs)
0 articles, 131 calculators
- Tonnage, capacity & dimensional reference
2 articles, 3 calculators
Featured articles
Calculators by subject
Seafaring Careers, Training & Welfare
Reference Layer & Glossary Spine
- UN/LOCODE Decoder
- Bar to Megapascals
- Bar to psi
- Barrels to Cubic Metres
- Barrels to US Gallons
- BTU to Kilojoules
- BTU/h to Kilowatts
- Celsius to Fahrenheit
- Celsius to Kelvin
- Centipoise to Pa·s
- Kinematic to Dynamic Viscosity
- Degrees to Mils
- Degrees to Radians
- Fahrenheit to Celsius
- Fathoms to Metres
- Feet to Metres
- Cubic Feet to Cubic Metres
- Gigajoules to MWh
- Density g/ml to kg/m³
- Density g/ml to lb/USgal
- Mechanical HP to Kilowatts
- Inches to Millimetres
- Inches Hg to Millibar
- Kelvin to Celsius
- Kilocalories to Kilojoules
- Kilograms to Pounds
- Density kg/m³ to g/ml
- Kilometres to Nautical Miles
- km/h to Knots
- Kilonewtons to Kilogram-force
- Knots to km/h
- Knots to m/s
- Kilowatts to Horsepower (mech)
- Kilowatts to Metric Horsepower
- Kilowatt-hours to Megajoules
- Litres to Cubic Feet
- Pounds to Kilograms
- Pound-force to Kilonewtons
- L/s to m³/h
- Long Tons to Metric
- Metres to Fathoms
- Metres to Feet
- Metres to Inches
- Cubic Metres to Barrels
- Cubic Metres to US Gallons
- m³/h to L/s
- m³/h to US gpm
- Millibars to Hectopascals
- Metric HP to Kilowatts
- Statute Miles to Nautical Miles
- Megajoules to Kilowatt-hours
- mmHg to Pascals
- Megapascals to Bar
- m/s to Knots
- mph to Knots
- Nautical Miles to Kilometres
- Nautical Miles to Statute Miles
- psi to Bar
- Radians to Degrees
- Short Tons to Metric
- Saybolt Universal to cSt (< 1000 cSt)
- Metric Tonnes to Kilograms
- Metric to Long Tons
- Metric to Short Tons
- Tons of Refrigeration to kW
- US Gallons to Litres
- US gpm to m³/h
- API gravity to density at 60 °F
- Pressure-time integral: bar·s to Pa·s
- Barrels (petroleum) to US gallons
- Petroleum flow: barrels per day to m³/h
- Brake horsepower to kW
- Heat-transfer coefficient: Imperial to SI
- Cable length to metres (nautical)
- cSt to Saybolt Universal Seconds (low range)
- Fahrenheit to Kelvin
- CFM to m³/h (ventilation)
- CO₂ per MJ equivalence to per GJ
- Carbon intensity: nm basis to km basis
- Specific fuel consumption: metric to Imperial
- Gigawatt-hours to terajoules
- Gray to Rad
- HP-hour to kWh
- Indicated horsepower to kW
- Kelvin to Fahrenheit
- Calorific value: kcal/kg to BTU/lb
- Heat-transfer kcal SI equivalent
- CO₂ per kWh to per MJ
- Fuel flow: per hour to per day
- Density at 60 °F to API gravity
- Density: kg/m³ to lb/USgal
- Specific heat: SI to Imperial
- Molar enthalpy: SI to Imperial
- Knots to km per day
- Apparent power kVA to kW at PF 0.8
- kW to million BTU per hour
- Energy density: electrical to thermal per volume
- Specific fuel consumption: Imperial to metric
- Density: lb/USgal to kg/m³
- League to nautical miles
- Flow: L/min to US gpm
- LNG m³ liquid to kg (approx)
- LNG m³ to MMBtu energy
- Flow: m³/h to barrels per day
- m³/h to CFM
- Million BTU per hour to kW
- Base Number to Na equivalent
- Mho to Siemens
- Kinematic viscosity units equivalence
- Million BTU to GJ
- Concentration: mol/m³ to ppm at STP
- Milliroentgen to millisievert
- Megawatt-hour to megajoule
- Surface tension: SI to CGS
- Resistivity units equivalent
- Dynamic viscosity: Pa·s to centipoise
- ppmv to mg/Nm³ for NOx (as NO₂)
- ppmv to mg/Nm³ conversion for SO₂
- Rankine to Kelvin
- Specific gravity to API (petroleum)
- Shackle (chain) to metres
- Shaft horsepower to kW
- Standard to Normal cubic metres per hour (gas)
- Saybolt Universal to Saybolt Furol seconds
- Tonne-nautical mile to tonne-km (transport work)
- Fuel flow: per day to per hour
- Flow: US gallons per minute to L/min
- Heat-transfer coefficient: SI to Imperial
- Length Converter
- Power Converter
- Pressure Converter
- Just-In-Time Arrival - Economic Speed
- cbDIST - CO₂ per capacity nautical mile
- cgDIST - CO₂ per gross-tonnage nautical mile
- Mass Converter
Common questions
- What rest hours does MLC 2006 require for seafarers?
- The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 sets minimum rest of at least 10 hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any seven-day period, with the 10 hours split into no more than two periods, one of which is at least 6 hours.
- What is a UN/LOCODE?
- A UN/LOCODE is the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations, a five-character code (two letters for the country, three for the place) that identifies a port, airport or inland point; for example USNYC is New York and SGSIN is Singapore.
- What does STCW certification cover?
- The STCW Convention 1978, as amended in Manila in 2010, sets the minimum training, certification and watchkeeping standards for seafarers, defining certificates of competency for masters, deck and engine officers and ratings on internationally trading ships.