Voyage PlanningVoyage Planning((part part 1)1)

PRINCIPLES REGARDING PRINCIPLES REGARDING VOYAGE PLANNINGVOYAGE PLANNING

Planning StagesPlanning Stages

The Voyage Planning process could be divided in 6 Steps that will include different Tasks:

– Step 1 – Voyage Instructions

• Task 1 – The Master receives voyage instructions.

– Step 2 – Confirmation of Destination

• Task 2 – Establish Route.

• Task 3 – Calculate Distances.

– Step 3 – Voyage Appraisal (Evaluarea voiajului)

• Task 4 – Collate Company, Master and Charterer's instructions.

• Task 5 – Gather General Information.

• Task 6 – Collect and note cargo information and vessel data.

– Step 4 – Planning

• Task 7 – Identify the charts needed for the voyage.

• Task 8 – Identify predicted areas of danger.

• Task 9 – Lay-down the courses.

• Task 10 – Mark all identified hazards and any additional information on the chart.

– Step 5 – Execution

• Task 11 – Identify the hazards and carry out risk assessment for each.

• Task 12 – Allocate resources for bridge team management.

– Step 6 – Monitoring

• Task 13 – Continuously monitor progress along the planned track.

Task 1 – The Master receives voyage instructions

– The Master is receiving the new voyage instructions from Owner / Charterer / Agent / Ship’s operator

– The Master informs the Navigation Officer (N.O.) about the new voyage instructions

Step 1 Voyage Instructions

Step 2 Confirmation of Destination

Task 2 – Establish Route

– Draw courses on the smaller scale

– Discuss with the Master.

•The NO confirms the destination port (by LAT / LONG or country) and begins the passage plan.

Task 3 – Calculate Distances

• Distances are established between the departure port and the destination port.

• The voyage should be divided into these stages:

– Departure berth to the position where pilot disembarks

– pilot disembarkation position to the destination pilot station

– destination pilot station to the destination berth.

•  Distances are separated in this way so that:

– quantities of fuel oils (heavy fuel oil, diesel oil and lubricating oils) can be determined

– ETAs can be calculated for booking Pilots and berths at the destination port.

• NO can use distance tables or software to calculate the distances.

• NO must establish if these are rhumb line or Great Circle distances.

• To establish the route and calculate these distances, NO should consult appropriate publications (sailing directions and Ocean Passages of the World)

•  Outline routes should be plotted on gnomonic charts, ocean planning charts or on a smaller-scale chart.

• This should identify the maximum latitudes the ship will reach and a comparison with routing and load-line information will point out likely hazards that may be encountered on each choice of route.

The shortest route is not always the quickest.

• The choice depends upon:– distances on various routes

– availability and consumption of bunkers

– recommendations from Ocean Passages for the World

– proximity to navigational hazards, such as ice, offshore activity and hostile activity

– prevailing weather conditions

– favourable or adverse currents

– type of cargo carried

– charterer's instructions

– company preferences time available

– damage likely to be sustained

– draught at various stages of the voyage

Step 3 Voyage Appraisal (evaluare)

• Appraisal covers the assessment, consideration, judgment, evaluation and review of all of the information that relates to the intended voyage.

•  During appraisal, the NO uses information from every possible source to plan the passage.

• If a vital piece of information is overlooked at this stage, it can lead to problems in the later stages of the passage plan.

• Because of this, a check-list should be used to avoid missing out essential information.

Task 4 – Collate Company, Master and Charterer's instructions

• Once task numbers 1 to 3 have been completed, the NO can start the appraisal for the passage plan.

• Before he lays off the courses, the NO brings the instructions of the Company, Master and Charterer together so that the safety margins and passages can be selected to meet the parameters of those instructions.

Task 5 – Gather General Information.– from Publications, Notices, Radio bulletins, Colleagues

and Old Passage Plans

– The NO gathers all available information from other previous passage plans and uses the check-list as a guide to note and reference them appropriately.

– information can relate to pilotage, berthing, tugs, weather, the courses steered by the ship and navigation hazards experienced on previous voyages.

Task 6 – Collect and note cargo information and vessel data.

–  The NO must also consider the loading condition and manoeuvring characteristics of the vessel.

– Once the Master and NO have consulted the required publications, they assess the intended tracks.

• Courses should be drawn on smaller-scale charts to allow the Master and NO to analyze the passage and identify:

–  Predicted areas of danger

– high traffic density

– restricted visibility

– adverse weather

– unfavourable tide and currents

– pilot embarkation / disembarkation points

– anchorages, including contingency anchorages

– any other potential hazards to navigation

TIME OUTTIME OUT

Step 4Planning

• When the appraisal step is complete, the NO begins the planning stage.

•  lnformation gathered during the appraisal stage is transferred to the passage plan documents.

• In addition to the navigational charts, the main documents used are:

– Check-lits

– Voyage plan sheet

Task 7: Identify the charts needed for the voyage.

•Best practice uses the charts with the largest scale.

•Use the latest edition of the Admiralty chart catalogue to find the largest-scale charts available for the entire passage.

•If these are not have them requisitioned as a matter of urgency.

•In addition to plotting courses on charts, the NO must consider every minor detail when completing the other tasks. For example:

–  local and international regulations–  the Master's standing orders and instructions–  company requirements.

Task 8 – Identify predicted areas of danger.

• While adding information to the chart, remember to leave enough space to plot a fix.

• Leave extra details in the documents or booklets that support the chart.

• Remember to mark-up this information.

• In congested waters, the navigator may not have the time to read the documents and it may be safer to add the relevant information to the chart.

Suggestion: to avoid information overload, write the information away from the intended course line and use arrows to indicate the relevant section of the track.

• The Navigation Officer must:

– Maintain a consistent pattern for the work and across the passage plan. Symbols, legends and abbreviations must not be changed

– adopt an advance-warning system on charts and in passage plan sheets.

– Plot courses on the largest scale charts.

– When establishing margins of safety, the NO must consider contingencies for potential problems, as engine breakdown or a failure in the steering gear.

– Keep clear of areas of predicted danger and allow for the margin of safety set by local or company regulations and the Master's instructions.

– For deep sea routes, the Navigator will select the departure point and landfall position.

Task 9 – Lay-down the courses

• Courses are now transferred to the appropriate voyage charts.

– First, they are laid on small scale charts and then laid-off to the larger scale charts.

– Rhumb lines are plotted directly on to Mercator charts.

– For Great Circle tracks, you can plot the course on a gnomonic chart, with waypoints selected along the route that divide the Great Circle into small sections.

– Positions of the waypoints on the gnomonic chart are transferred to the appropriate Mercator chart

– Where alterations of course are shown on charts, identify the WO (wheel over) positions and from clearly identifiable shore objects and radar targets.

• Where a position can be fixed visually, only use the GPS as a secondary aid.

• Visual or radar position-fixing is taken from the objects you can see.

• Where possible, use a WO line that consists of a parallel index line to the next course.

• When transferring positions or courses between charts use ranges and bearings from fixed objects or there may be errors caused by differences in each chart’s datum.

• Establish „points of no return” especially in approaches to narrow passages, during night transit or when passing over river bars with critical tide height.

• Point of no return are the areas beyond which the vessel can not return to sea and must proceed to the next available exit where she can safely berth, anchor and return.

Task 10 – Mark all identified hazards and any additional information on the chart.

– True courses in a three digits format,

– Distances to the next waypoint (DTG) and sometimes the remaining distance to destination;

– The margins of safety as required by Master or company orders;

– Wheel-over points (W/O)

– Reporting Points. Stations to be called, their IDs and VHF channels, and the position at which they are to be called from.

– Pilot boarding / disembarkation positions;

– Speed reduction points;

– Abort points and points of no return;

– Positions where Paralle Indesx lines should be used and their elements;

– Set and rate of current, height of tide for critical points;

– Areas of danger and No GO areas;

– Radar / visually conspicous objects;

– Next Chart, with its number and an indication of the position from which to move onto the next chart;

– Transit bearings, for quick check of compass error and clearing bearings to clear a specific hazard, particularly when making approaches in narrow channels;

– Number on each waypoint.

– Position on chart where some navigation equipment should be turn on or used;

– Navigation warnings, preliminary and temporary chart corrections from notices to mariners;

– specific meteorological information available;

– Radio station identifiers and message types;

– Areas where specific marine environmental protection considerations;

– The chart datum reference. If any chart is based on a different datum, highlight this to warn the OOW;

– Minimum under-keel clearance required, particularly in shallow water areas;

– References to contingency plans to maintain the safety of life, environment, vessel and the cargo.

• When an approved ECDIS is used for passage planning, routes and hazards should be marked on the display for the purpose of planning.