A short tips about PASSAGE PLANNING

PASSAGE PLANNING

In maritime transportation business, the risk of navigational hazard and incidents is ever present and of great concern. Passage planning is one of the mitigating elements that goes a long way in ensuring safety of navigation . Passage planning is necessary to support the bridge team and ensures the ship can be navigated safely between the ports from berth to berth through risk assessment of hazards and waypoint selection. The passage plan should aim to establish the most favourable route, while maintaining the appropriate margins of safety and safe passing distance offshore. Hence these are some of the significant matter that should be considered to deliver a proper passage planning.

·        APPRAISAL-Passage plans for voyages of any lengths can be broken down into following stages:

                             *All information relevant to the intended voyage must be considered

                             *The appraisal should provide a clear indication of all areas of danger, those areas, where it will be possible         

                              to navigate safely, and any areas where marine environmental protection consideration apply.

·        PLANNING   -*Prepare a detailed passage plan from berth to berth

                           *Clearly mark and record passage plan on charts, ECDIS and passage plan documents

                           *Prior to the commencement of the passage plan, ship’s master must approve each plan

·        EXECUTION –Once departure and arrival schedules can be determined with reasonable accuracy, passage plan should be                                               

                           Executed based on the latest changes, if any. Factors to be considered when executing the passage plan are:

                           *Equipment reliability and condition

                           *Estimated arrival times at critical points

                           *Meteorological conditions and weather routing information

                           *Passing of danger points (Day/Night)

                           *Traffic conditions

·        MONITORING-*Passage plan to be on the bridge at all times for immediate access and reference by officers of the  

                               navigational watch

                             *Progress or changes made to the vessel navigation based on passage plan are to be clearly marked and

                               recorded

·        EVALUATION-*The bridge team must evaluate the effectiveness of the passage plan at the end of the voyage

                             *Any significant changes occurred shall be recorded for planning of subsequent voyages.