PASSAGE PLANNING

1
• A passage plan or voyage plan is developed and
used by a ship's bridge team to find the safest,
the most favorable and economical route.

• This comprehensive plan which covers the

voyage from berth to berth and is adapted into
the bridge management practices, should be
detailed and easy to understand.

2
• The need for voyage and passage planning
applies to all vessels. There are several factors
that may impede the safe navigation of all
vessels and additional factors that may
impede the navigation of large vessels or
vessels carrying hazardous cargoes.

• These factors will need to be taken into

account in the preparation of the plan and in
the subsequent monitoring of the execution of
the plan.
3
• The development of a plan for voyage or
passage, as well as the close and continuous
monitoring of the vessel's progress and
position during the execution of such a plan,
are of essential importance for safety of life at
sea, safety and efficiency of navigation and
protection of the marine environment.

4
• With the introduction of ECDIS (Electronic
Chart Display and Information System) and the
phase in period completed in July 2018,
except for those ships exempted from it,
passage planning has entered the digital era.

• However, the fundamental principles of

passage planning remain the same regardless
of ECDIS or traditional paper charts.

5
• SOLAS chapter V Regulation 34, Annex 24 and
25 - Guideline for Voyage Planning (IMO
Resolution 893(21)) and STCW Code Section A
VIII/2 part 3-1 - provide the guidance for
Passage Planning.

6
 Phases of Navigation
• Inland Waterway Phase: Piloting in narrow canals,
channels, rivers, and estuaries.
• Harbor/Harbor Approach Phase: Navigating to a
harbor entrance through bays and sounds, and
negotiating harbor approach channels.
• Coastal Phase: Navigating within 50 miles of the
coast or inshore of the 200 meter depth contour.
• Ocean Phase: Navigating outside the coastal area
in the open sea.
7
 Types of Position Fixing
• One of the most important judgments the navigator
must make involves choosing the best methods to
use.
• Each method or type has advantages and
disadvantages, while none is effective in all situations.
• Dead reckoning (DR)
• Estimated position (EP)
• Coastal Navigation
• Celestial navigation
• Radio navigation
• Radar navigation
• Satellite navigation
8
9
• There are four stages for passage planning:
• Appraising all relevant information
• Planning the intended voyage
• Executing the plan taking account of
prevailing conditions
• Monitoring the vessel's progress against the
plan continuously

• Review of the executed passage plan.

10
11
• 1. Appraisal
• The ship's master will discuss with the second
mate (the officer in charge of navigational
matters) on the voyage order received,
destination port and how he intends to sail there.
Based on the master's advice the officer will
gather all information relevant to the proposed
passage, including ascertaining the risks and
assessing its critical areas.
• The following are, but not limited to, publications
or e-publications, charts or e-charts and
information used in passage planning:

12
13
14
• 2. Planning
• Once an appraisal is made using the publications and
information in hand, the officer will prepare a plan
which is detailed and simple to understand. The plan is
first laid out on a small-scale chart, which is then
transferred to charts of suitable scales, and then
tweaked and modified as and when deemed necessary.
• It is a good standard practice to lay out the plan from
berth to berth and to mark dangerous areas such as
wrecks, shallow areas, hazardous coastal areas, fish
farms or fishing zones, reefs, small islets, anchorages,
heavy shipping, density areas, Traffic Separation
Scheme precautionary areas and any other relevant
information that will assist with safe navigation.

15
16
17
• The voyage may not go as planned and
emergency action may be required when the
voyage has to be deviated or aborted.
Contingency plans account for such situations,
so that the Officer on Watch (OOW) can take
immediate action.
• Contingency planning will include alternative
routes, safe anchorages, port of shelter,
waiting areas and emergency berths.

18
• The master should thoroughly review the passage
plan and provide corrective instructions where
necessary. If it is stated in the company SMS
(Safety Management System) that shore
management should also review the passage plan
this is to be effected only with the intention of
having one extra barrier in place in order to
ensure the highest quality and reduced risk.

• A detailed risk assessment and briefing by the

master prior to departure should be performed
with the members of the bridge and engine
teams.
19
• 3. Execution
• Once the passage plan is reviewed and
approved by the master, the bridge team will
execute the plan.
• During the passage the speed is adjusted by
the master based on the ETA, traffic density
and the sea and weather conditions.
• The onboard quantity of fuel, water and food
ration should also be taken into consideration
to prevent shortages.

20
• 4. Monitoring
• This phase is where the bridge team use their
experience, personal judgment, and good seamanship
to monitor the safe passage.
• Monitoring is checking the position of the vessel by all
available means, to ensure it remains within safe
distance from any hazardous areas. Plotting the ship's
position using more than one method is a good
practice and those include e.g. GPS, visual bearings,
radar range/bearings and astro-navigation.
• At the end of a voyage, a de-briefing meeting is to be
held to share experience and lessons learned from the
conducted voyage. This information can be used in
future passage planning.

21
Appraisal

22
• All information relevant to the contemplated
voyage or passage should be considered. The
following items should be taken into account
in voyage and passage planning:
• The condition and state of the vessel, its
stability, and its equipment; any operational
limitations; its permissible draught at sea in
fairways and in ports; its maneuvering data,
including any restrictions;

23
• any special characteristics of the cargo
(especially if hazardous), and its distribution,
stowage and securing on board the vessel;

• the provision of a competent and well-rested

crew to undertake the voyage or passage;

• requirements for up-to-date certificates and

documents concerning the vessel, its
equipment, crew, passengers or cargo;

24
• appropriate scale, accurate and up-to-date
charts to be used for the intended voyage or
passage, as well as any relevant permanent or
temporary notices to mariners and existing
radio navigational warnings;
• accurate and up-to-date sailing directions, lists
of lights and lists of radio aids to navigation;
and
• any relevant up-to-date additional
information, including:

25
• mariners' routeing guides and passage planning
charts, published by competent authorities;
• current and tidal atlases and tide tables;
• climatological, hydrographical, and
oceanographic data as well as other
appropriate meteorological information;
• availability of services for weather routeing
(such as that contained in Volume D of the
World Meteorological Organization's
Publication No. 9);

26
• existing ships' routeing and reporting systems,
vessel traffic services, and marine environmental
protection measures;
• volume of traffic likely to be encountered
throughout the voyage or passage;
• if a pilot is to be used, information relating to
pilotage and embarkation and disembarkation
including the exchange of information between
master and pilot;

27
• available port information, including information
pertaining to the availability of shore-based
emergency response arrangements and equipment;
and
• any additional items pertinent to the type of the
vessel or its cargo, the particular areas the vessel will
traverse, and the type of voyage or passage to be
undertaken.
• On the basis of the above information, an overall
appraisal of the intended voyage or passage should
be made.

28
• This appraisal should provide a clear
indication of all areas of danger; those areas
where it will be possible to navigate safely,
including any existing routeing or reporting
systems and vessel traffic services; and any
areas where marine environmental protection
considerations apply.

29
30
31
32
33
Planning

34
• On the basis of the fullest possible appraisal, a detailed
voyage or passage plan should be prepared which should
cover the entire voyage or passage from berth to berth,
including those areas where the services of a pilot will be
used.
• The detailed voyage or passage plan should include the
following factors:
• the plotting of the intended route or track of the voyage
or passage on appropriate scale charts: the true direction
of the planned route or track should be indicated, as well
as all areas of danger, existing ships' routeing and
reporting systems, vessel traffic services, and any areas
where marine environmental protection considerations
apply;
35
 The main elements to ensure safety of life at sea, safety and
efficiency of navigation, and protection of the marine
environment during the intended voyage or passage; such
elements should include, but not be limited to:
• safe speed, having regard to the proximity of navigational
hazards along the intended route or track, the manoeuvring
characteristics of the vessel and its draught in relation to the
available water depth;
• necessary speed alterations en route, e.g., where there may be
limitations because of night passage, tidal restrictions, or
allowance for the increase of draught due to squat and heel
effect when turning;
• minimum clearance required under the keel in critical areas
with restricted water depth;
• positions where a change in machinery status is required;
36
• course alteration points, taking into account the
vessel's turning circle at the planned speed and any
expected effect of tidal streams and currents;
• the method and frequency of position fixing, including
primary and secondary options, and the indication of
areas where accuracy of position fixing is critical and
where maximum reliability must be obtained;
• use of ships' routeing and reporting systems and vessel
traffic services;
• considerations relating to the protection of the marine
environment; and

37
• contingency plans for alternative action to place the vessel in
deep water or proceed to a port of refuge or safe anchorage
in the event of any emergency necessitating abandonment of
the plan, taking into account existing shore-based emergency
response arrangements and equipment and the nature of the
cargo and of the emergency itself.

• The details of the voyage or passage plan should be clearly

marked and recorded, as appropriate, on charts and in a
voyage plan notebook or computer disk.

• Each voyage or passage plan as well as the details of the plan,

should be approved by the ships' master prior to the
commencement of the voyage or passage.

38
Execution

39
• Having finalized the voyage or passage plan, as soon as time of
departure and estimated time of arrival can be determined with
reasonable accuracy, the voyage or passage should be executed
in accordance with the plan or any changes made thereto.

• It is important for the master to consider whether any particular

circumstance, such as the forecast of restricted visibility in an
area where position fixing by visual means at a critical point is
an essential feature of the voyage or passage plan, introduces
an unacceptable hazard to the safe conduct of the passage; and
thus whether that section of the passage should be attempted
under the conditions prevailing or likely to prevail.

• The master should also consider at which specific points of the

voyage or passage there may be a need to utilize additional
deck or engine room personnel. 40
• Factors which should be taken into account when executing
the plan, or deciding on any departure therefrom include:

• the reliability and condition of the vessel's navigational

equipment;
• estimated times of arrival at critical points for tide heights and
flow;
• meteorological conditions, (particularly in areas known to be
affected by frequent periods of low visibility) as well as
weather routeing information;
• daytime versus night-time passing of danger points, and any
effect this may have on position fixing accuracy; and
• traffic conditions, especially at navigational focal points.

41
Monitoring

42
• The plan should be available at all times on the bridge
to allow officers of the navigational watch immediate
access and reference to the details of the plan.

• The progress of the vessel in accordance with the

voyage and passage plan should be closely and
continuously monitored. Any changes made to the
plan should be made consistent with these Guidelines
and clearly marked and recorded.

43
44