I came across this recent DeepDraft article and thought it raises an important issue that many of us at sea have experienced in practice: “Command vs Conn: Why the Master’s Authority Is Never Shared” Command vs “Conn”: Why the Master’s Authority Is Never Shared – The DeepDraft The article revisits…

[image] from post # 88 Very rare is the ship where even with all the controls available on the wing console, is all control transferred out there. Did the author ask the masters why all controls were not trasfered but only some ( bow thruster) . If not then why not?. If asked , then what wa…

Verbal helm and engine orders to someone helmsmen, mate - within earshot of others on the bridge - master - maybe other mates. Can significantly limit one man errors. As difficult as it is to believe, i have seen pilots say port when they meant starb, and ahead when the meant astern. 99.999 t…

Trapping errors is one good reason. Another is cognitive workload. When maneuvering near the pier visual attention is an important resource. Every glance away has a cost. Giving a verbal command instead of looking away from the scene off-loads the task to another crew member.

[image] Handspake: Did the author ask the masters why all controls were not trasfered but only some ( bow thruster) . If not then why not?. If asked , then what was the answer ( malfunction, master fear to use the equipment for which the owner paid an arm and leg, other reasons ? ) No, becau…

[image] NWWaterman: The skill gap will never be closed on that because the only way you build it is to do it over and over and over again. I probably do more maneuvers in a single watch than a master may do in an entire 6-month contract. That’s why piloting is a specialized skill for each distri…

[image] What does ‘Vessel on Master’s orders and Pilot’s advice’ mean As the North P&I Club informs, it is well known that in most places around the world the presence of Est. reading time: 4 minutes

Absolutely. On a feeder container vessel where as an exempt master I released the helmsman when just off the pier to join the other two crew at the after mooring station. Once the helmsman had left I was the only one on the bridge at the bridge wing controls with rudder, bow thruster and engine cont…

[image] Hogsnort: The bow thruster controls consisted of 7 push buttons, three controlling the force in each direction with a central stop, all buttons identical. In bright sunlight the illumination was pitiful and you had to bend down shading the controls to confirm the setting when I would ha…

Hope i will be allowed to continue. Basically @NWWaterman summation satisfied my curiosity and i must say i have seen similar position but could not remember where, especially regarding the legal issues and so called American view of pilotage , which is different then continental. Cockpits and 2…

Is the Master’s Authority Being Misunderstood?

Professional Mariner Forum

OneEighteen June 9, 2026, 2:00am 101

Excellent summation. Mountain out of a molehill is exactly right.

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Is the Master’s Authority Being Misunderstood?

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