The Maritime Education Podcast

Captain Barry Sadler

Captain Barry Sadler discusses maritime topics including recent changes to maritime practices, shipping incidents, new legislation, real life lessons from his ongoing pilotage career, hot MCA examination topics and maritime issues in general. With 40 years experience in the professional maritime field, Barry's take on various nautical and shipping matters is in depth and accurate with insightful views on all affairs maritime. If you work, watch or enjoy the sea his podcast will inform and entertain you.

  1. 2D AGO

    Box Boat Blues

    Parametric rolling becomes exceptionally hazardous in shallow water because the vessel's vertical motion is constrained, and the interaction between the hull and the seabed significantly alters the ship's stability profile. When an ultra-large container ship encounters waves in shallow regions—such as the North Sea or the approaches to major ports—the "squat effect" increases its effective draft, while the restricted water flow beneath the hull can lead to more abrupt and violent stability fluctuations. As wave crests and troughs pass along the ship, the rhythmic changes in the waterplane area are amplified by the shallow-water wave dynamics, triggering rapid roll angles that can exceed 30 degrees if unchecked. Barry shares his personal experience of this effect, relates it to real world piloting limitations and discusses the case of the MSC Zoe from 2019. Whilst rolling in following seas in the Solent may only cause a few degrees of heel, the effect in shallow water can be catastrophic.  Come and Visit our Website https://www.captainbarrysadler.com/ At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea. Check Out Our MCA Questions Apps https://captainbarrysadler-colregs-quiz.base44.app Follow us Linkedin Instagram X Facebook

    42 min

  2. FEB 12

    When Case Law Blurs Safety.

    The collision between the bulk carrier Polesie and the general cargo ship Verity on October 24, 2023, was caused by a failure of both bridge teams to effectively apply the 1972 COLREGs in a crossing situation. Verity, as the give-way vessel, failed to take early and substantial action to stay clear, while Polesie, the stand-on vessel, did not maintain a predictable course and speed, instead making small, incremental course adjustments to port that compounded the confusion. Contributing factors included a lack of direct bridge-to-bridge communication—exacerbated by the VTS radio configuration—and the absence of a Voyage Data Recorder on Verity, which hindered a full reconstruction of the final decision-making process.  Barry discusses the new report and highlights areas where he feels the report did not discuss fully enough. Comparison with case law has skewed the outcome of the report and Barry discusses the dangers in this. Come and Visit our Website https://www.captainbarrysadler.com/ At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea. Check Out Our MCA Questions Apps https://captainbarrysadler-colregs-quiz.base44.app Follow us Linkedin Instagram X Facebook

    42 min

  3. JAN 26

    The Prestige - Accident or Crime?

    The loss of the Prestige remains one of the most contentious maritime disasters in history due to the fundamental conflict between the Bahamas Maritime Authority’s technical focus on structural failure and the Spanish authorities' emphasis on criminal negligence. While the BMA and international salvors argue that the ship was a victim of a "death march"—where the refusal of a Place of Refuge and the decision to tow the vessel into a North Atlantic storm caused its final breakup—the Spanish Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the Master and owners acted with "environmental recklessness." This judicial pivot, finalized in 2016, sought to bypass international liability caps to access a $1 billion insurance policy, a move that has resulted in a twenty-year legal stalemate between Spanish mandates and English contract law. In this follow up to the last Podcast 'The Oil Compensation Minefield' Barry describes what happened that fateful night 24 years ago and describes the fallout from one of Europes worst maritime pollution disasters to date. Come and Visit our Website https://www.captainbarrysadler.com/ At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea. Check Out Our MCA Questions Apps https://captainbarrysadler-colregs-quiz.base44.app Follow us Linkedin Instagram X Facebook

    50 min

  4. JAN 22

    The Oil Compensation Minefield.

    While the CLC 1992 and the 2001 Bunker Convention are both strict liability regimes requiring compulsory insurance and allowing direct action against insurers, they are mutually exclusive in scope: the CLC 1992 focuses specifically on pollution from tankers carrying persistent oil as cargo, whereas the Bunker Convention fills the "gap" by covering fuel oil spills from non-tanker vessels (such as bulkers and container ships). A critical distinction lies in their structure, as the CLC provides a specialised multi-tier compensation system linked to the IOPC Fund with its own internal liability limits, while the Bunker Convention lacks an international fund and relies on separate regimes like the LLMC for limitation of liability, making liability under the bunker convention much smaller. Barry discusses both funds and explains why owners may try and apply the bunker convention over the 1992 CLC to limit their liability. The case of the tanker 'Prestige' is used to demonstrate how this is sometimes forced. Come and Visit our Website https://www.captainbarrysadler.com/ At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea. Check Out Our MCA Questions Apps https://captainbarrysadler-colregs-quiz.base44.app Follow us Linkedin Instagram X Facebook

    40 min

  5. 12/22/2025

    Which Fuel at the Pump?

    While both Marine Gas Oil (MGO) and Ultra Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (ULSFO) both meet the 0.1% sulphur limit for Emission Control Areas (ECAs), they are fundamentally different: Marine Gas Oil (MGO) is a pure, "clear and bright" distillate that behaves like high-grade diesel and is generally the most reliable and expensive option, requiring no heating but posing risks of low-viscosity leakage or "dry" injector wear. In contrast, Ultra Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (ULSFO) is typically a "hybrid" blend containing residual oil components, making it cheaper and more lubricious but technically complex, as it requires onboard heating to reach injection viscosity and carries a high risk of chemical instability or "sludging" if mixed with other fuels. Barry discusses a recent act of pilotage that he did where the choice between the two types of fuel may have made the main engine fluctuate and the Master forced to declare that he may have a problem. His hands-on current practice as a pilot allows him to give a unique perspective into the fuelling decisions being made in Northern Europe. Come and Visit our Website https://www.captainbarrysadler.com/ At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea. Check Out Our MCA Questions Apps https://captainbarrysadler-colregs-quiz.base44.app Follow us Linkedin Instagram X Facebook

    29 min

  6. 12/09/2025

    Cargo Overboard

    On December 6th 2025, the Baltic Klipper lost 16 containers overboard in the Solent near Nab Tower after experiencing severe rolling in heavy weather. HM Coastguard was alerted and issued navigational warnings as the drifting containers posed a significant hazard to one of the UK’s busiest waterways. Aerial searches located several containers, and over the following days eleven washed ashore along the West Sussex coastline, including Selsey and Pagham. Although most boxes contained fruit and were not hazardous, authorities warned the public to avoid the wreck material. The incident caused operational disruption to local shipping, including delays to passenger vessels, while recovery and investigation efforts continued. Barry discusses the incident, some of the problems caused and how liability can be apportioned under internationally agreed carriage of cargo rules. Come and Visit our Website https://www.captainbarrysadler.com/ At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea. Check Out Our MCA Questions Apps https://captainbarrysadler-colregs-quiz.base44.app Follow us Linkedin Instagram X Facebook

    34 min

  7. 11/30/2025

    To Be or Not To Be a Narrow Channel

    A narrow channel has no formal dimensional definition in COLREGs or IMO conventions; instead, courts, pilots, VTS authorities and the MCA determine it by practical navigational constraint. A waterway is considered a narrow channel when vessels must follow the dredged or charted track for safe navigation, with limited room for meeting, overtaking or deviation. Case Law reaffirms that narrowness is a question of fact, based on depth, width, hydrodynamics and vessel operational constraints. Rule 9 therefore applies whenever the waterway’s characteristics confine navigation. Barry discusses the facts surrounding these common navigational features and why we need to be cautious when using them. The link to our new quiz app mentioned in the podcast is below. https://captainbarrysadler-colregs-quiz.base44.app Come and Visit our Website https://www.captainbarrysadler.com/ At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea. Check Out Our MCA Questions Apps https://captainbarrysadler-colregs-quiz.base44.app Follow us Linkedin Instagram X Facebook

    42 min

  8. 11/13/2025

    Strap On Another Tug!

    Tugs play a critical role in maintaining control of large vessels during bad weather, when wind, swell, and tidal forces quickly overwhelm a ship’s own manoeuvring ability. High-sided vessels such as container ships, RoRos and cruise ships present huge windage areas, causing the bow or stern to fall off rapidly in crosswinds. At low speeds, rudders and bow thrusters lose effectiveness, leaving pilots with limited means to counter drift, yaw or surge. In these conditions, tugs provide the controlled, directional force required to keep the vessel on track, stabilise heading, prevent unwanted movement and maintain safe clearance from berths, dolphins and other structures. Beyond simple pushing or pulling, modern ASD, tractor and rotor tugs are essential safety assets in exposed approaches, river entrances and terminals where strong weather threatens to overpower the ship. They deliver high bollard pull, indirect escort forces and rapid corrective thrust that prevent groundings, allisions and loss of control. In heavy weather, tugs are not just helpful but indispensable—acting as the primary control mechanism that ensures ships can berth, unberth, turn and transit safely despite adverse conditions. Barry discusses all these aspects. Come and Visit our Website https://www.captainbarrysadler.com/ At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea. Check Out Our MCA Questions Apps https://captainbarrysadler-colregs-quiz.base44.app Follow us Linkedin Instagram X Facebook

    40 min
See All (45)

About

Captain Barry Sadler discusses maritime topics including recent changes to maritime practices, shipping incidents, new legislation, real life lessons from his ongoing pilotage career, hot MCA examination topics and maritime issues in general. With 40 years experience in the professional maritime field, Barry's take on various nautical and shipping matters is in depth and accurate with insightful views on all affairs maritime. If you work, watch or enjoy the sea his podcast will inform and entertain you.

Information

  • Creator
    Captain Barry Sadler
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Maritime Education Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Maritime Education Podcast

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