DeepDraft Conversations

In November 2024, for the first time in over 130 years, the slopes of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji remained bare well into winter. This environmental anomaly serves as a stark parallel to the maritime industry’s reliance on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). While LNG looks clean to the eye, the atmosphere reacts to what we actually release, not what we intend. In this episode, Capt. Raghu Sharma explores...

Is the age-old maritime rule of "if you sit, you will sleep" actually keeping ships safe, or is it just a visual standard of discipline that drains seafarer endurance? In this episode of The DeepDraft , Capt. Raghu Sharma breaks down the controversial topic of standing watch versus seated bridge operations. We explore how modern bridge designs fully support seated watchkeeping, yet onboa...

In this week's DeepDraft Maritime Brief (March 22, 2026), we analyze the escalating maritime security crisis in the Persian Gulf, a region now defined by electronic warfare and controlled interdictions. Key Topics Covered in This Episode: Electronic Warfare & GPS Spoofing: How persistent GNSS interference in the Strait of Hormuz is manipulating ECDIS and AIS data, forcing vessel Masters an...

Despite moving 90% of global trade, the maritime sector accounts for just 2.3% to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, as the climate debate intensifies, shipping often faces disproportionate regulatory pressure while heavier domestic polluters like coal power and road transport avoid the same level of international scrutiny. In this episode, we dive into the operational and political reali...

In the Gulf’s high-stakes waters, GNSS spoofing, especially insidious carry-off attacks, silently drifts a vessel’s ECDIS position, mimicking tidal flow and evading RAIM checks. This triggers alarm cascades across AIS, GMDSS, and echo sounders, displacing radar coastlines by 2-3 nautical miles. Masters restore control through radar fixes, Echo Reference locks on fixed targets, manual LOPs, and dep...

In this episode, we dive into the escalating electronic-warfare environment in critical maritime chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz. With maritime intelligence reporting over 1,700 GNSS interference events in early 2026 alone, relying solely on satellite navigation is no longer a safe operational baseline. We break down the critical differences between GNSS jamming (a denial-of-service attack r...

The Erosion of Commercial Autonomy in the Persian Gulf The maritime operating environment in the Persian Gulf has escalated from a localized security crisis into a systemic disruption of global shipping norms. In this week’s DeepDraft Maritime Brief , we analyze the structural collapse of independent navigation and the rise of a bifurcated global tanker fleet driven by state-backed insurance and n...

Are your ship's electronic charts telling the truth? Tune in to this essential episode for marine professionals as we uncover the stealthy and growing threat of GPS spoofing. Drawing on authoritative insights from Capt. Raghu Sharma’s article in The DeepDraft , we break down how attackers use high-end laptops and software-defined radios (SDR) to broadcast fake satellite signals and secretly al...

Episode Summary: The Strait of Hormuz is facing an unprecedented commercial standstill. With transit volumes collapsing by over 90% and more than 150 tankers waiting outside the chokepoint, VLCC freight rates have skyrocketed past $420,000 per day. Tempted by this massive surge, some shipowners are weighing the risks of "dark transits", intentionally disabling their Automatic Identificat...

Join Capt. Raghu Sharma for the March 8, 2026, edition of the DeepDraft Weekly Maritime Brief. This episode explores the critical intersection of regulatory compliance and high-intensity kinetic risk shaping today's global maritime industry. Key Topics Covered: Flag of Convenience vs. Safety: We analyze the 2026 Port State Control (PSC) data from the Paris and Tokyo MoUs to debunk the narrativ...

If conventional cigarettes are still allowed on ships, why are industry experts calling for a total ban on e-cigarettes? In this episode, we debate the escalating operational and safety hazards of vaping at sea. We break down how the maritime industry's long-standing fire-control protocols for traditional tobacco are completely bypassed by e-cigarettes, turning personal vapes into unpredictabl...

Captain, this is because of the flag”. For decades, the term “Flag of Convenience” has functioned as shorthand for substandard shipping and elevated operational risk. But does an open registry actually mean a ship is unsafe in 2026? In this episode, we dive into the latest 2026 Port State Control (PSC) data to separate maritime industry rhetoric from measurable performance. Analyzing the 2025–2026...

In this episode of the DeepDraft Weekly Maritime Brief (March 1, 2026), Capt. Raghu Sharma unpacks the escalating legal exposures facing ship Masters today. Our main analysis, “India's EEZ Tanker Detention,” explores the dangerous gap between shore-side commercial decisions and the personal liability of the bridge team. As coastal states increasingly weaponize satellite data and historical AIS...

Does a marine pilot ever truly take "the Conn" of a merchant vessel? If you believe they do, you might be falling for a dangerous myth that could cost you your career and your ship. In this episode, we explore the featured DeepDraft article, "Command vs 'Conn': Why the Master's Authority Is Never Shared," to separate naval watchstanding tradition from merchant shipp...

Are ship Masters safe from domestic laws when operating 100 miles offshore? Many maritime professionals still treat the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as an area of unrestricted navigational freedom under UNCLOS. Today, that assumption could lead to prison. In this episode, we dive into the shifting landscape of maritime law, where coastal states are aggressively reclassifying mid-sea commercial co...

As of 1 January 2026, a coordinated set of IMO amendments has entered into force , significantly altering compliance expectations across the global fleet. In this technical audio briefing, we dive deeply into the four main areas of change affecting day-to-day maritime operations: human conduct, mandatory reporting, fire safety in high-risk spaces, and environmental documentation. In this episode,...

What do you do when the world’s most advanced navigation technology fails in one of the most volatile regions on Earth? In this episode, we dive into a high-stakes account from Captain Raghu Sharma , who took command of a 300,000-ton Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) in the midst of escalating Iran-Israel tensions. Just days after a major collision between the Front Eagle and the shadow fleet’s Adal...

When a cadet disappears, the maritime industry often retreats behind administrative classifications that narrow the scope of inquiry. On paper, the system appears to perform exactly as designed, frequently presenting a "perfect paper trail" of compliant rest hours and training records,. However, these records can act as insulation, masking the reality of cadets functioning as unrecognise...

Have you ever looked over the side of a 340-meter mega-ship and noticed something was missing? In this episode, we investigate a real-world maritime mystery: a vessel whose official "Pilot Card" claimed a bulbous bow existed, yet the actual steel projection was a mere 11.5 centimeters—roughly the width of a hand. What You’ll Discover: • The "Missing" Bulb Case Study: Why a ship...

As a maritime or energy professional, are you chasing slogans or following the cargo? Twenty-five years ago, the industry was told gas was the only future, yet oil never exited the system . Today, petrochemicals drive over half of oil demand growth, and the "Green Transition" itself is proving to be petrochemical-intensive . We analyze the 2026 market snapshot , from the aging VLCC fleet...

In this episode, we dive deep into a disturbing trend within the shipping industry: the rising number of deaths and disappearances among young seafarers. While many of these cases are officially recorded as "suicides" or "unexplained," a closer look reveals a complex machinery of despair driven by systemic failures in leadership and training .We discuss the findings from the ar...

If SCAMIN confuses your bridge team, you are not alone. The issue is bigger than most people realise. https://thedeepdraft.com/2026/01/09/scamin-in-ecdis-why-always-off-vs-phase-based-still-divides-navigators/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedeepdraft.substack.com

Donald Trump’s remark about Greenland triggered instant ridicule. Most reactions framed it as a real-estate impulse or political theatre. From a navigator’s perspective, it pointed to something far more basic. Navigation is built on spherical geometry. Distance on a globe does not behave the way flat maps teach us. Great-circle routes bend toward higher latitudes, polar projections compress proxim...