As training hits the headlines once again with the STCW review and the recent introduction by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency of a post-training survey of all seafarers taking oral exams, the release of a new edition of The Nautical Institute’s The Shipmaster’s Business Self-Examiner 2024 will be welcome news for all senior deck officers studying for the Master’s Orals examinations as well as newly qualified Masters and those who have decision-making responsibilities at sea and onshore.

This 11th edition retains the question-and-answer format of its predecessors but has been redesigned to provide a much-improved reader experience. The subject has been split into 114 topics, which will help the user navigate their way through the complexities of the Master’s duties.

Captain Malcolm Maclachlan’s authoritative text has been completely revised by maritime lawyer Dr Simon Daniels AFNI and Captain Forkanul Quader FNI, who has long experience as an MCA examiner of Masters and mates.

Long held as an indispensable companion for Master’s Orals candidates, this unrivalled study aid has been updated to the end of Q1/2024. It reflects the latest revisions to international maritime legislation such as STCW, BWMC, MARPOL and MLC, and incorporates the major changes to UK regulations introduced after Britain’s exit from the European Union.

An introductory section provides practical guidance on preparing for and answering Master’s Orals. The Q&As align with topics covered in recent Orals questions and better reflect the needs of today’s shipping industry. Each Q&A pair is numbered and cross-referenced against the UK statutory instruments (SIs), MCA notices and international codes and conventions cited in the text.

In his Foreword to the 2024 edition, Roger Spence, former MCA deputy director, wrote:

The Shipmaster’s Business Self-Examiner has become the go-to book for candidates preparing for the acid test in maritime training, the oral examination… I urge all those who go down to the sea in ships to hold this book close at hand, wherever they may be.