PASSAGE PLANNING IN PORTS - A NAUTICAL INSTITUTE GUIDE ...

The Nautical InstituteIn pilotage waters, it is good practice to nominate one member of the Bridge Team to monitorthe passage plan. This should not be the Master - he should retain his overall situationalawareness, making use of the team around him. The OOW needs to monitor carefully the ship’sprogress and to bring to the attention of both the pilot and the Master any deviations from theintended track or speed. The OOW also needs to continue to monitor other shipping traffic inthe vicinity and to be aware of the probable intentions of other vessels and their potentialimpact or influence on the execution of the passage plan. The OOW needs to have theconfidence to speak to the master or to the pilot about any concerns he may have regarding theprogress or otherwise of the ship on the passage plan.It must be emphasised that the provision of sophisticated electronic navigation systems remainsan aid to navigation. In pilotage waters, in particular, the use of ECS / ECDIS / IBS takes onan additional significance: Pilots cannot be expected to be fully familiar and proficient inthe use of all systems currently available.Where pilots use their own PPU, the OOW mustbe aware that he must continue to monitor the ship’s progress using the ship’s navigationsystems and to continue to bring apparent deviations from the passage plan to the pilot’sattention.Even after the pilot has boarded and an agreed port passage plan has been adopted, trafficdensity or weather and tide conditions may dictate a further deviation. In these circumstances,quick thinking and swift action by the Bridge team may be required and it may not bepracticable or possible to document these changes. If so, the OOW should make a note in theBridge Movement Book of these changes. [The VDR will record these changes but a writtencontemporaneous note will not go amiss.]PASSAGE PLANS AND SHIP INSPECTIONSMany ships are subject to frequent inspection and it is accepted that the ship’s passage plansare often subject to scrutiny. The inspectors will want to be satisfied that the ship has beensafely and effectively navigated: in all probability this will involve a comprehensive examinationof the charts and log books, with particular attention to the approved passage plan and theship’s compliance with that passage plan.13 / 2109-11-2009Passage Planning in Ports_v2