PASSAGE PLANNING CHECKS

Have navigation charts been selected from chart catalogue, including

1. Large scale charts for coastal waters

2. Small scale charts for ocean passages

3. Planning charts
4. Routeing, climatic, pilot and load line zone charts

Have publications been selected, including
1. Sailing directions and pilot books

2. Light lists
3. Radio signals
4. Guides to port entry
5. Tide tables and tidal stream atlas

Have all navigation charts and publications have been corrected up to date
1. The ordering of new charts/publications, if necessary

2. Notices to mariners
3. Local area warnings
4. NAVAREA navigational warnings

Have the following been considered
1. Ship's departure and arrival draughts
2. Ship's cargo and any special cargo stowage/carriage restrictions
3. If there are any special ship operational requirements for the passage

Have the following been checked?
1. Planning charts and publications for advice and recommendations on route to be taken.

2. Climatological information for weather characteristics of the area
3. Navigation charts and publications for landfall features
4. Navigation charts and publications for Ships Routeing Schemes, Ship Reporting Systems, and Vessel Traffic Services (VTS).

Has weather routeing been considered for passage?

Have the following preparations been made for port arrival?
1. Navigation charts and publications studied for pilotage requirements

2. Ship to Shore Master/Pilot Exchange form prepared
3. Pilot Card updated
4. Port guides studied for port information induding arrival / berthing restrictions
Other checks:

NOTES ON PASSAGE PLANNING

Plan appraisal
Before planning can commence, the charts, publications and other information appropriate for the voyage will need to be gathered together and studied.

Charts and publications
Only official nautical charts and publications should be used for passage planning, and they should be fully corrected to the latest available notices to mariners and radio navigation warnings. Any missing charts and publications needed for the intended voyage should be identified from the chart catalogue and obtained before the ship sails.
For coastal and pilotage planning and for plotting each course alteration point (or waypoint) large scale charts should be used. For ocean passage planning and open water legs smaller scale charts should be used.

The route plan
The route plan should incorporate the following details:

planned track showing the true course of each leg.
leg distances.
any speed changes required en route.
wheel over positions for each course alteration, where appropriate.

turn radius for each course alteration, where appropriate.
maximum allowable off-track margins for each leg.

At any time during the voyage, the ship may need to leave the planned route temporarily at short notice. Marking on the chart relatively shallow waters and minimum clearing distances in critical sea areas is but one technique which can assist the OOW when having to decide quickly to what extent to deviate without jeopardising safety and the marine environment. But, in using this technique, you should not to obscure chart features. On paper charts, only pencil should be used.
The route plan should also take into account the need to monitor the ship's position along the route, identify contingency actions at waypoints, and allow for collision avoidance in line with the COLREGS.

PASSAGE PLANNING AND SHIPS ROUTEING

Ships' routeing measures have been introduced in a number of coastal waters to:
reduce the risk of collision between ships in areas of high traffic densities;
keep shipping away from environmentally sensitive sea areas;
reduce the risk of grounding in shallow waters.

The use of ships routeing measures should form part of the passage plan.

Ships' routeing measures can be adopted internationally by IMO. Such schemes are recommended for use by, and may be made mandatory for, all ships, certain categories of ships or ships carrying certain cargoes. Mandatory ships routeing schemes should always be used unless the ship has safety reasons for not following them.

IMO routeing schemes will be shown on charts with a note of any pertinent information as to their use. Details may be described in Sailing Directions. The IMO publications Ships Routeing and Amendments to Ships Routeing contain full descriptions of each scheme and any rules applying, but this publication is produced mostly for the benefit of administrations. It is not kept up to date as regularly as nautical publications, which should always
be looked at for the latest information.

Elements used in routeing systems include:

traffic separation scheme - a routeing measure aimed at the separation of opposing streams of traffic by establishing traffic lanes.

traffic lane - areas within defined limits in which one-way traffic flows are established.

separation zone or line - a means to separate traffic lanes in which ships are proceeding in opposite or nearly opposite directions in order to separate traffic lanes from adjacent sea areas or to separate different traffic lanes.

roundabout - a separation point or circular zone and a circular traffic lane within defined limits;

inshore traffic zone - a designated sea area between the landward boundary of a traffic separation scheme and an adjacent coast.

recommended route - a route of undefined width, for the convenience of ships in transit, which is often marked by centreline buoys.

deep water route - a route which has been accurately surveyed for clearance of sea bottom and submerged articles.

archipelagic sea lane - sea lanes designated for the continuous and expeditious passage of ships through archipelagic waters.

precautionary area - an area where ships must navigate with particular caution and within which the direction of flow of traffic may be recommended.
area to be avoided - an area in which either navigation is particularly hazardous or it is exceptionally important to avoid casualties and which should be avoided by all ships, or by certain classes of ships.