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21st Century Seamanship

Published: 2025
Format: Paperback, 1310 pages
Size: 235 × 160 mm
Regular price £7500
Tax included

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We dispatch most orders within one working day.

Admiralty charts are printed to order. During the busy season from April to August dispatch may take three to five working days due to print queues. If you'd like to know our current dispatch time or if you're up against a deadline please get in touch and we will do our best to help.

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Comprehensive seamanship manual for modern mariners

A 1,310-page reference covering ship types, handling, regulations, safety and emergency procedures. Updated with the latest IMO conventions and environmental standards.

Comprehensively updated, this is the definitive guide for exams, onboard practice and a lasting reference throughout a career at sea. '21st Century Seamanship' blends centuries of proven seafaring tradition with today's realities, from ship handling and stability to regulations, emergency response and evolving environmental standards. Expanded for the modern era, this second edition captures the latest regulatory, technical and safety developments while remaining rooted in timeless seamanship.

A career at sea or in any marine-related field demands a vast and evolving body of knowledge. Seafaring remains one of the most encyclopaedic professions, requiring not only practical skills such as navigation, ship handling and cargo operations but also a firm grasp of regulations, environmental responsibilities and safe methods of work.

Ten years in the making, this second edition of '21st Century Seamanship' has been comprehensively revised and expanded by Witherbys' Technical Team to reflect the regulatory, environmental and technological changes that continue to shape the maritime industry. Traditional subjects such as wires, cranes and ropework remain at its core but new emphasis is placed on pollution prevention, energy efficiency and the regulatory frameworks of the last decade including the latest IMO Conventions and Codes.

Exceptionally broad in scope, this 1,300+ page manual covers ship types, handling, equipment, emergency response, onboard procedures, inspections and safety management. It is designed as both a study resource and a lifetime reference, offering seafarers at every level the awareness and understanding essential to safe, efficient and responsible ship operation. It continues the tradition of supporting mariners with practical knowledge adapted for today's realities and tomorrow's challenges.

About the Publisher

Witherbys titles are developed using scripts developed by technical experts that are peer reviewed within work groups. Typically, they seek to improve understanding of the regulations, recommendations and guidelines issued by Industry.

Witherbys staff have significant expertise in the fields of navigation and hazardous cargoes as well as in the presentation of complex subjects in a graphic and easy to understand manner.

Table of Contents
  • Chapter 1 Bulk Carriers
  • Chapter 2 Container Ships
  • Chapter 3 General Cargo Ships
  • Chapter 4 RoRos and Car Carriers
  • Chapter 5 Tankers and Gas Carriers
  • Chapter 6 Other Ship Types
  • Chapter 7 Offshore
  • Chapter 8 Machinery and Equipment
  • Chapter 9 Pilotage
  • Chapter 10 Ship Handling
  • Chapter 11 Anchorwork
  • Chapter 12 Tugs and Towing
  • Chapter 13 Mooring Operation and Safety
  • Chapter 14 Waterways, River Transits and Canals
  • Chapter 15 Operating in Ice
  • Chapter 16 Non-standard Operations
  • Chapter 17 Dry Dock and New Builds
  • Chapter 18 Paints and Coatings
  • Chapter 19 Lay-up of Ships
  • Chapter 20 Heavy Weather and Marine Phenomena
  • Chapter 21 Participating in Search and Rescue (SAR)
  • Chapter 22 Oil Spills/Marine Pollution
  • Chapter 23 Practical Aspects of Salvage
  • Chapter 24 Conventions
  • Chapter 25 Codes
  • Chapter 26 Certification and Endorsements
  • Chapter 27 Business and Chartering
  • Chapter 28 Conflict and Issues Affecting Shipping
  • Chapter 29 In Port and Alongside
  • Chapter 30 Shipboard Inspections
  • Chapter 31 Surveys and Classification
  • Chapter 32 Systems of Work
  • Chapter 33 Working at Height
  • Chapter 34 Enclosed Space Entry
  • Chapter 35 Health
  • Chapter 36 Safety and Housekeeping
  • Chapter 37 Ships' Equipment and Maintenance
  • Chapter 38 Life-saving Appliances (LSAs)
  • Chapter 39 Firefighting
  • Chapter 40 Shipboard Drills
  • Chapter 41 Accident Investigation
  • Chapter 42 Stability
  • Chapter 43 Damage Stability
  • Chapter 44 Tank Structure, Rafting and Access
  • Chapter 45 Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency
  • Chapter 46 Ship Recycling
  • Chapter 47 Traditional Seamanship
  • Chapter 48 Wires, Ropes and Ropework
  • Chapter 49 Cranes and Lifting Equipment
  • Chapter 50 Checklists

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