Felan Marine Compass Adjusters Cairns Australia

We are AMSA Licensed Marine Compass Adjusters located in Cairns Queensland Australia. We service Cairns, Townsville, Gladstone, Port Douglas and other ports in Far North Queensland and North Queensland as well as Thursday Island and PNG.

Chris Felan is one of the Founding Members of The Australian Compass Adjusters Association. The Association is the peak professional body for Marine Compass Adjusters in Australia.

The value of the magnetic compass is that it is independent of all electronic navigational devices in a seagoing vessel. If a vessel’s magnetic compass is not corrected when necessary it is of little use as a navigational aid, like a clock that no longer tells the right time.

It is the responsibility of the ship’s Master to ensure that the magnetic compass deviation is checked and corrected when the relevant circumstances apply.

Today, setting and maintaining a heading for seagoing vessels is almost always managed by way of digital electronic devices and long may that continue.

So, what is the role today of the marine magnetic compass and why should it be maintained in a serviceable condition as part of a vessel’s navigational assets?