Article citation information:
Skóra, K., Wolski, A. Voyage planning. Scientific Journal of Silesian University of
Technology. Series Transport. 2016, 92, 123-128. ISSN:
0209-3324. DOI: 10.20858/sjsutst.2016.92.12.
Kazimierz SKÓRA[1], Adam WOLSKI[2]
VOYAGE PLANNING
Summary. A sea voyage can be divided into
three parts with varying degrees of risk:
- from the berth at the port of departure to
the pilot disembarkation point
- from the pilot disembarkation to another
pilot embarkation point near the port of call/destination
- from the pilot embarkation point to the
berth
Results of statistical research into ship accidents at sea point to an
increased number of incidents and accidents, including groundings, especially
in restricted areas. Such areas are often narrow and have limited depths, while
their short straight sections require frequent course alterations, often in
varying hydrometeorological conditions. Due to all
these factors, the voyage has to be carefully planned and all watchkeeping officers have to be well prepared to conduct
the ship safely. The article presents the objectives, scope, legal basis and
stages in the process of voyage planning. The compliance with the outlined
principles will reduce the level of risk in maritime transport.
Keywords:
safety of navigation; voyage; marine transport
1. INTRODUCTION
Research into the causes of
navigational accidents and maritime disasters in shipping has shown that the
human factor is responsible for 80% of those events. It was also found that
accidents would have been avoided if the persons responsible for ship conduct
had appropriately utilized all available information. Most accidents occurred
as a result of simple mistakes in the use of navigation equipment, as well as
due to errors in interpreting the available information, as opposed to the lack
of experience or proper qualifications. Statistical results for ship accidents
indicate an increased number of casualties, including groundings in restricted
water areas. These are often insufficiently deep and narrow, while their short
straight sections require frequent course alterations. Besides, varying hydrometeorological conditions make the navigation even
more challenging. All these factors require careful voyage planning and
preparation of all watchkeeping officers to execute
the voyage at sea.
2. PURPOSE, SCOPE AND LEGAL BASIS FOR VOYAGE
PLANNING
A ship’s voyage plan expresses the
navigators’ intentions and is a dynamic process, which can and must be updated
taking into account changes in circumstances and conditions.
The main objectives of voyage
planning are assumed to assure [1]:
·
safety
of life at sea
·
efficient
and safe navigation
·
protection
of the marine environment
Voyage planning should:
· cover all voyage stages from the
moment of unberthing at the port of departure until
berthing at the port of destination (berth to berth)
· be obligatory for all ships engaged
on international voyages
· take into account all the factors
affecting the safety of navigation in general, particularly the safety of large
ships and ships carrying dangerous goods
The formal requirement to prepare a
voyage plan results from the provisions of the International Convention on
Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping
for Seafarers (STCW 78/95), the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS 74)
and four International Maritime Organization (IMO) resolutions: A.893 (21), A.790 (19), A.999 (25) A.1024 (26) and A.671 (16).
SOLAS 78/95 is the
first convention addressing issues regarding safety of life at sea and applies
to all ships engaged in international voyages. It was adopted on 1 November
1974 at an international conference convened by the IMO. The currently binding
convention came into force on 25 May 1980; since then, it has been amended and
supplemented repeatedly in the form of resolutions, circulars and attachments.
The SOLAS Convention was preceded by treaties adopted
in 1914 (following the Titanic tragedy), 1928, 1948 and 1960.
The SOLAS
78/95 Convention consists of 12 chapters. Chapter five, regulation 34, provides
for safe navigation and avoidance of dangerous situations. It applies to all
ships subject to the provisions of the aforementioned convention and encourages
warships and sailing vessels, as far as is reasonable and practicable, to act according
to the provisions of chapter five.
Chapter five recommendations are as
follows [4]:
1) Prior to proceeding to sea,
the master shall ensure that the intended voyage has been planned using the
appropriate nautical charts and nautical publications for the area concerned, taking into account the guidelines and recommendations developed by the IMO
2) The voyage plan should identify
a route which:
·
takes into account any
relevant ships’ routing systems
·
ensures sufficient sea room
for the safe passage of the ship throughout the voyage
·
anticipates all known
navigational hazards and adverse weather conditions
· takes into account the marine environmental protection measures for
avoiding, as far as possible, actions and activities which could cause damage to the environment
At the same time, chapter five,
regulation 34-1, gives the master freedom to make and execute decisions that,
according to his professional judgment, are necessary to provide for the safety
of life at sea and the protection of the marine environment. The owner,
charterer or operator of the ship, as defined in regulation IX/1, or any other
person, shall not prevent or restrict the master in the listed activities.
In 1999, IMO’s
Maritime Safety Committee prepared a special resolution (A.893
(21), annexes 24-25), which forced the management of each ship to develop an
appropriate and detailed plan and proper execution of the voyage according to
plan.
Based on international regulations
and good seamanship practices, it is generally assumed that the ship’s master
is the one who chooses the voyage route.
3. STAGES OF VOYAGE PLANNING
When planning the whole voyage or
its passage in compliance with IMO resolution A.893 (21),
the requirements include four main stages:
· appraising all relevant information
related to the intended voyage (initial stage)
· detailed planning of the intended
voyage (berth to berth), taking into account water areas, which require the
presence of a pilot (planning stage)
· execution of the voyage (execution
stage)
· monitoring the ship’s movement
during the voyage (monitoring stage)
3.1. Preliminary stage
At this stage, you must collect and
analyse all relevant information related to the trip being prepared. The basic
data include the following [3, 4]:
1) The condition and state of the
vessel, its stability and equipment, operational limitations, its permissible
draft in fairways and in ports, and its manoeuvring data including any
restrictions.
2) Any special characteristics of
the cargo (especially if hazardous) and its distribution, stowage and securing
on board the vessel.
3) The provision of a competent
and well-rested crew to undertake the voyage or passage.
4) The requirements for up-to-date
certificates and documents concerning the vessel, its equipment, crew,
passengers or cargo.
5) Appropriate scale charts to be
used for the intended voyage or passage, as well as relevant “notices to
mariners” and radio navigational
warnings.
6) Accurate and up-to-date sailing
directions, lists of lights and lists of radio aids to navigation.
7) All relevant additional information, including:
· mariners’ routing guides and passage
planning charts
· current and tidal atlases and tide
tables
· climatological, hydrological and
oceanographic data, as well as other appropriate meteorological information
· availability of services for weather
routing
· ships’ routing and reporting
systems, vessel traffic services, and marine environment protection measures
· volume of traffic likely to be
encountered throughout the voyage or passage
· when pilot service is to be used,
information relating to pilotage and (dis)embarkation, including the exchange
of information between master and pilot
· available port information,
including information on available
rescue centres
Based on the above information, an
initial assessment of the intended voyage should be made. Such assessment
should clearly identify:
· all dangerous areas
· areas where safe navigation is
possible upon taking into account routing systems, traffic separation schemes,
reporting systems and vessel traffic services
· navigable areas where particular
care is required due to marine environment protection
3.2. Planning stage
On the basis of the fullest possible
appraisal, a detailed voyage or passage plan should be prepared (berth to
berth), including those areas where the services of a pilot will be used.
The detailed voyage plan should
include the following main elements [2]:
· plotting of the intended route or
passage on appropriate scale charts
· safe vessel speed in the vicinity of
navigational hazards
· safe distance from navigational
hazards
· required minimum under-keel
clearance in tidal or limited depth waters
· method and frequency of position
fixing appropriate to the area of navigation
· course alteration points, taking
into account the vessel’s turning circle
· use of ship routing systems and
traffic separation schemes
· environmental protection issues
· contingency plans in case a ship has
to head for another area, anchorage or port of refuge
The details of the voyage 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 should be
accepted by the ship’s master before the voyage starts.
3.3. Voyage execution
The voyage execution, or ship
conduct at sea, should take into account two important issues:
· evaluation and methods of risk
control on each leg of the voyage
· effective bridge team management
For the captain, it is important to
analyse and assess whether any special circumstances may occur, such as the
forecast of restricted visibility in navigationally difficult areas. This may
necessitate bypassing such an area or waiting for the hydro-meteorological
conditions to improve in order to reduce the risk level.
3.4. Monitoring
Control of the voyage execution is
an ongoing process aimed to ensure that the ship proceeds along a designated
route in accordance with the voyage plan. The plan should always be available
on the bridge.
A ship’s movement along the
designated route is controlled by continuous position fixing by the officer of
the watch, using dead reckoning or terrestrial navigation methods. Any
deviations from the voyage plan require the master’s consent (excluding
emergencies). Having waypoints included in the plan, the navigator can control
the voyage progress by comparing planned and actual times of reaching those
points. If correction is needed, it usually means an alteration in the ship’s
speed.
4. SUMMARY
The increase in the size and speed
of ships has increased the risk of marine accidents and environmental disasters.
Therefore, the IMO has made it mandatory to draw up voyage/passage plans, which
represents a measure fully accepted by the maritime industry. To emphasize
the importance of voyage plans in reducing the risk level in shipping, the IMO
introduced inspections of vessels subject to the SOLAS
Convention. The inspections are carried out by maritime administrators at the
port where a ship happens to moor. The inspections cover such areas as the
qualifications of the captain and officers, or the technical condition of
the vessel. Port state control inspectors check whether the vessel complies
with the requirements of international conventions, including all navigational
safety issues.
Similar inspections are also carried
out by inspectors of the flag state, classification society surveyors and the
insurer’s inspectors.
References
1.
Czapczyk Marek, Żurkiewicz
Stanisław. 2013. Plan Ppodróży
statku. Gdynia: Akademia Morska w Gdyni. [In Polish: A
Trip Plan of the Ship. Gdynia: Gdynia Maritime University.]
2.
“International
convention on standards of training”. 1978.
Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW 78/95).
3.
“Resolution
A.893(21).
Adopted on 25 November 1999”. Guidelines
for Voyage Planning.
4.
SOLAS Consolidated Edition. 2012. Consolidated Text of the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, and its
Protocol of 1988: Articles, Annexes and Certificates.
Received 02.02.2016;
accepted in revised form 19.07.2016
Scientific Journal of Silesian University of
Technology. Series Transport is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution
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