The fee on the adjuster's quote is rarely the whole cost. Here is what a conventional compass swing really costs, what remote adjustment costs, and what you get for each.

Written in 1977, older than most ships afloat, and still the standard your magnetic compass is measured against. What is in the two annexes, and how a recommendation with no force of its own became the thing a port State inspector checks.

Two words that sound alike and get mixed up more often than anyone admits. One belongs to the planet. The other belongs to your ship. Three questions that separate them, and what a few degrees costs over sixty miles.

The regulations set who must carry out the adjustment and what the result must achieve. Neither one requires the adjuster to be standing on the bridge.

A magnetic compass must be adjusted at least every two years, and sooner after dry-docking, repairs or new bridge equipment. Here is every trigger and the rules that apply.

SOLAS, ISO 25862 and IMO A.382(X) each govern part of magnetic compass adjustment. Here is what each requires and who can legally do it.