Constanta Maritime University Annals Year XI, Vol.

14

PLANNING AND EXECUTION OF BLIND PILOTAGE AND ANCHORAGE

1
SIVRIU GEORGIANA, 2GEORGESCU STEFAN
1,2
Constanta Maritime University, Romania

ABSTRACT

Blind pilotage means the navigation of the ship through restricted waters in low visibility with little or no recourse
to the visual observation of objects outside the ship. The principal non-visual aid to navigation that enables this to be
done is high-definition warning-surface radar, but all available nonvisual aids are employed. The organisation to
achieve this is called the blind pilotage organisation, comprising a BP team, led by a BP Officer (BPO).

Keywords: blind pilotage, blind anchorage.

1. INTRODUCTION the chinagraphed parallel index line at the scale of the

display. This can be made easier by constructing scales
Assessment of the risk involved in a blind pilotage for each range setting, as shown below, and mounting
passage them adjacent to the display. (The crosses on the chart
do not represent fixes and only appear in order to
Although normally the accuracy of blind pilotage is illustrate the example.)
such that a ship can be taken to an open anchorage and
anchored within 50 yards of the desired place, the degree
of risk involved, particularly in restricted waters, must be
carefully assessed. Congestion due to other shipping, the
consequences of failure of radar or other vital aids once
the ship has been committed to her passage, and the
number and quality of fixing marks must be taken into
account. Radar clearing ranges

Parallel index technique Radar clearing ranges (Fig. 2) are similarly drawn at
the maximum or minimum distances from the radar-
The key to blind pilotage is the principle of the conspicuous objects to keep the ship clear of dangers.
parallel index. The running of a parallel index line These are drawn as broken lines:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
provides real-time information on the ship¶s lateral
position relative to the planned track. On the chart (Fig. Course alterations
1), a line is drawn from the edge of a radar-conspicuous
object, parallel to the planned track. µWheel over¶ positions are calculated and plotted on
the chart as for visual pilotage. A radar-conspicuous
mark is selected as close as possible to the µwheel over¶
position. A pecked line - - - - - - - - - - - is then drawn
through the µwheel over¶ position (Fig. 2A) parallel to
the new course, and the cross-index range measured.
This µwheel over¶ range is plotted on the display as a
pecked line parallel to the new course. When the selected
mark reaches this line, the wheel should be put over and
the ship brought round to the new course, by which time
the mark should be on the firm line denoting the parallel
index for the new course.
Fig. 1. Parallel index
Responsibilities
The perpendicular distance (or cross-index range) from
the object to the track is then measured. The range strobe
In normal circumstances, the Navigating Officer is
on the radar is then set to this range, and a solid
the pilot of the ship although, if he
chinagraph line drawn on the display parallel to the
is not a navigation sub-specialist, the duty of pilotage
planned course on a scale appropriate to the range in use.
devolves on the Captain, who may either perform it
Positions 1, 2 and 3 on the chart and radar display show
himself or, at his discretion, depute any officer of the
the ship on track at various instances up to the time that
ship¶s complement to do so.
the island is abeam to starboard.
No matter what the blind pilotage organisation may be,
Positions 4 and 5 show the ship off track to port. The
the sub-specialist Navigating Officer (NO) is always the
exact distance off track can be measured by dividers
pilot of the ship, and thus he should also be the Blind
from the radar echo of the island to the nearest point of
Pilotage Officer (BPO).

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Constanta Maritime University Annals Year XI, Vol.14

with the surface plot to assist with the identification of

radar contacts.
The essence of this arrangement is that members of the
team do not change position if the visibility changes. The
Navigating Officer conducts the pilotage from the bridge
whatever the weather or visibility. In good visibility, the
BSO acts as a useful check on the visual plan and builds
up confidence in his team and the Command. In
marginal visibility, the bridge team continues to make
use of any visual information to supplement information
from the radar.
In nil visibility, the NO conducts the blind pilotage from
the bridge radar display, monitored by the BSO. If
reports from the NO and BSO disagree, immediate
action to stop the ship may be necessary until the
position has been accurately determined.
The Navigating Officer should not move from the bridge
to the operations room in order to conduct the pilotage
from there. This will cause delay and perhaps confusion,
and can be particularly undesirable in marginal visibility,
when a mixture of visual and blind techniques is
required.
There may well be circumstances, particularly in large
ships, where the Navigating Officer has already taken or
wishes to take the con and therefore charge of the ship
from the Officer of the Watch, in order to conduct the
pilotage where a blind pilotage situation has already
arisen or arises subsequently. In such a situation, it may
be undesirable for the NO to move to the bridge radar
display as indicated above. The composition and duties
Fig. 2. Clearing and µwheel over¶ ranges on the chart and of the blind pilotage team must therefore have sufficient
the radar display flexibility built in to cope with such circumstances. The
NO may continue to con the ship from the pelorus,
Where no navigating sub-specialist is borne, the taking full account of the navigational and collision
officer appointed for navigating duties should also be the avoidance information he is receiving from the
Blind Pilotage Officer in normal circumstances. operations room, the bridge radar display (which should
However, as responsibility for pilotage is clearly vested be manned by a competent officer such as the NO¶s
in the Captain, he may wish to delegate the blind assistant) and other sources, e.g. the bearing lattice team,
pilotage duty to some other officer. If so, the Captain lookouts, etc. Despite being at the con, the NO is still the
must also clearly set out in his standing orders the pilot and the Blind Pilotage Officer of the ship and
circumstances envisaged, to ensure that it is absolutely retains full responsibility for these.
clear who is
responsible and when. These orders must also take into Blind pilotage team and duties
account the organisation for blind pilotage in various
circumstances envisaged; the organisation described Blind pilotage requires a high degree of
below may have to be modified. organisation and team work, so that not only are the
It must also be decided who is responsible for informing responsibilities of individuals clearly defined but also all
the Captain of the collision risk with other ships. The relevant factors may be considered while assessing the
NO/BPO will be fully employed navigating the ship; ship¶s position and her future movements. Suitable
therefore it is essential that the officer in charge of the arrangements to achieve this are set out in Table 1; these
operations room, who already has an anti-collision plot may have to be adjusted depending on the class of ship,
running, should be made responsible for advising the the personnel available, and the above comments.
Captain and OOW on this aspect of safety.

The conduct of blind pilotage

The Navigating Officer should remain on the bridge

in poor visibility and conduct the blind pilotage from
there. It is essential to have another officer, who is
suitable by training and experience, as a Blind Safety
Officer (BSO) in the operations room, where he can
monitor the blind pilotage and back up the Navigating
Officer on the bridge. The BSO will need to be in touch

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Constanta Maritime University Annals Year XI, Vol.14

sea dutymen are closed up; the BP team should

be regarded as part of special sea dutymen.
8. There should be good communication
between the blind pilotage position and the
BSO and personnel manning navigational aids
fitted elsewhere.
9. All members of the team should be
encouraged to admit any doubts they may have
regarding the information acquired from
sensors.

Blind pilotage planning

1. Normal planning considerations for selection of tracks

apply. Blind and visual tracks should be the same, to
enable the transition from visual to blind or vice versa to
be made at any time and also to allow one plan to be
Table 1. Blind pilotage organisation used to cross-check the other.
2. The number of course alterations should be kept to a
Planning and execution of blind pilotage minimum to reduce the work load in redrawing parallel
and µwheel over¶ lines.
General principles 3. Always try to have two parallel index lines where
possible, one on each side of the track. These provide a
To ensure success, the ship must be accurately check on measurement, mark identification and can
navigated along a pre-arranged track. In comparatively reveal index or linearity errors.
unrestricted waters, this is best done by constant fixing 4. Objects to be used both for parallel index lines and for
using radar in conjunction with other aids such as Decca fixing must be carefully selected. They should be radar-
and echo sounder. conspicuous and unchanged by varying heights of tide.
In narrow waters and during the final stages of an Clearly mark on the chart the objects to be used for
anchorage, the delays inherent in fixing are unacceptable fixing and brief the assistant. Avoid if possible fixing by
to the BPO. It is therefore necessary, for anti-collision radar range and bearing on a single mark.
and navigation in these conditions, to work directly from 5. The range scales to be used require careful
the radar display using a prepared Note Book; but it is consideration. Accuracy is greater at shorter ranges but
still necessary to pass radar information for fixing at marks pass more quickly than at a distance, requiring
regular intervals as a safety check and as an insurance more lines to be drawn. When operating on short-range
against radar failure. scales, it is essential that the BPO frequently switches to
The following principles apply: longer ranges to keep aware of developing situations.
1. The Navigating Officer should navigate or Changes of range scales and parallel index marks should
pilot the ship. be pre-planned and marked in the Note Book. The stage
2. The Captain should have easy access to the at which charts will be changed must also be carefully
blind pilotage position and the NO. considered.
3. The ship should be conned from the compass 6. Tidal streams and currents should be worked out and
platform because it is only on the bridge that the noted for calculation of courses to steer and for the
µfeel of the ship¶ can be retained. calculation of EP. These should be displayed on the chart
4. The Captain, Blind Safety Officer, OOW and and recorded in the Note Book.
the officer in charge of the anti-collision plot 7. Expected soundings (allowing for height of tide and
should all be carefully briefed before the calibration of echo sounder) should be noted for each
passage by the NO, so that they are all entirely leg. The possibility of being early or late should also be
familiar with the visual/blind plan. borne in mind.
5. Navigational charts with the NO¶s prepared 8. All hazards along the track should be boxed in by
visual/blind plan must be available on the clearing ranges and their
bridge and in the operations room. cross-index ranges listed in the Note Book.
6. The whole pilotage team should be exercised 9. Details of all lights and fog signals should be taken
as frequently as possible in clear weather in from the Admiralty List of Lights/chart and entered in
visual and blind techniques. Only in this way the Note Book.
can the necessary confidence in the system be 10. The chart should be drawn up using standard
built up which will allow runs of some symbols, see Table 2.
complexity to be conducted safely in blind
conditions.
7. The BSO should be closed up on all
occasions of entering and leaving harbour and
passages through narrow waters when special

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Constanta Maritime University Annals Year XI, Vol.14

Table 2. Blind pilotage symbols

Use the same conventions as above for cross-index

ranges.
The term dead range (Figs. 4, 5) is used to describe the
range of a mark ahead when anchoring in a chosen
position. The term may also be used when measuring the
progress of a radar-conspicuous object along a parallel Fig. 3. Blind pilotage: preparation of the chart and
line, as shown in Fig. 25. displays

Blind pilotage execution

1. Carry out a time check to synchronise clocks and

watches.
2. On the radar display, keep one set of parallel index
lines drawn up ahead of those in use. Any more will
clutter the display excessively. Rub out lines as soon as
they are finished with.
3. Identify contacts early (by range and bearing from
charted object). An accurate EP is a most useful aid in
identification.
Fig. 4. Blind pilotage symbols
4. Fix at frequent intervals and immediately after a
change of course. DR/EP ahead. A suitable fixing
Radar-conspicuous objects such as buoys should be
procedure is:
highlighted to enable the BPO to have a clear mental
BPO assistant µStand by fix in 1 minute¶
picture of what he expects to see on the display.
BPO µRoger using points A, B, C¶
11. The Note Book should contain the full plan, neatly
BPO assistant writes these in Note Book.
and legibly recorded in chronological order. Sketches of
both chart and radar display (Fig. 23) can be of great
assistance to the BPO in evaluating the picture. A
suitable Note Book layout supplementing Fig. 23 is
shown in Fig. 24 as a guide to blind pilotage planning.
12. Tracks plotted for entering and leaving harbour
should not appear on the same chart simultaneously,
otherwise confusion will arise.
13. Clearing range should be simple, safe and easily
interpreted.
14. Objects used for µwheel overs¶ should be
conspicuous, easily identifiable and suitably located
adjacent to the track.

Fig. 4. Blind pilotage: layout of Navigating Officer¶s

Note Book

BPO/BPO assistant µFix now.¶ BPO marks the

point on face of the display.
BPO assistant notes the time.
BPO then ranges off the marks drawn on
display and passes these to BPO assistant.

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BPO assistant Records the ranges, plots the fix

and generates fresh DR and EP.

This procedure cuts the time to take a fix and reduces the
risk of a µcocked hat¶ due to ship movement. It may be
quicker to interpolate from the range rings rather than
use the range strobe, although the latter will be more
accurate.
5. Ship¶s speed. One of the factors affecting the choice
of ship¶s speed will be the rate at which the BPO and his
assistant are capable of dealing with the radar
information.
6. Commentary and conning advice. Maintain a steady,
unhurried and precise flow of information to the Fig. 5. Blind anchorage execution
Command:
Distance off track/on track/course to maintain These can be backed up by the range strobe, but
or regain. reliance on the strobe alone is dangerous because the
Distance and time to next µwheel over¶, new reference is lost as soon as the strobe is required for any
course. other measurement.
Present/new course clear of shipping. In Fig. 25, the dead range of the point of land ahead
Adjacent marks or hazards, expected lights and when anchoring is 2.3 cables. The distance to run to the
sound signals. anchorage position may be obtained by subtracting the
Expected depth and echo sounding. Minimum dead range from the actual range of the point. For
depths. example, if the range of the point is 7.3 cables, the
When fixing and result of fix. EP to next distance to the anchorage is 7.3 - 2.3 = 5 cables.
alteration. Fig. 25 also shows that the dead range of the point of
Manoeuvring limits (e.g. 5 cables clear to stbd, land on the starboard side when anchoring is 3 cables.
1 cable to port). On the radar display, this point of land should µmove¶
If in any doubt, say so and if necessary stop the along the parallel index line drawn 2½ cables to
ship. starboard of the approach track. When the ship reaches
the µlet go¶ position, the point of land should have
reached point A, 3 cables beyond the abeam position B.
7. It must be appreciated that, whatever the technique The distance AB equals the dead range (3 cables).
employed, a drift off line is likely to be detected less
readily by radar than by visual methods. Navigational records
8. It is vital to pay attention to the echo sounder and the
least depth expected. The nearest land is usually the When carrying out a blind pilotage passage, the
bottom. Navigating Officer/BPO will be too busy to maintain a
continuous written record. It is essential that such a
Blind pilotage exercise record should be kept, and in comparatively unrestricted
waters it is normally sufficient for this record to be kept
To improve the reality of BP exercises in clear weather, on the chart itself by plotting fixes and noting the
the following points should not be forgotten: positions and times of alterations of course and speed
Safe speed should be maintained. and other relevant data, in addition to the record in the
Fixes should be recorded and plotted at the Navigational Record Book.
same frequency as for actual blind pilotage. This procedure, involving thorough and methodical
A full de-brief should take place on completion chartwork, is in fact no different from that which should
of the practice. be practised during any pilotage passage.
In more restricted conditions, however, the Navigating
Blind anchorages Officer/BPO¶s running commentary to the Captain
should be recorded on tape if possible, for example:
A blind anchorage should be planned in the same
way as a visual anchorage but remember to allow µstem µNo. 7 buoy fine on port bow, 8 cables ship 50
to radar¶ instead of µstem to standard¶ when plotting the yards to port of track steer 136 to regain.¶
µlet go¶ position. As shown in Fig. 25, parallel index
lines should be used to guide the ship to the anchorage In conjunction with the Navigating Officer/BPO¶s
position and she must stay boxed in by clearing ranges. prepared Note Book, the chart, the recorded fixes and
Distances to run can be obtained by using a dead range courses and speeds, this record should suffice for any
on a suitable object ahead, or by measuring the progress subsequent analysis required.
of a radar-conspicuous object along a parallel index line.
Full details must be shown on the chart and in the Note
Book. Distances to run must be marked on the face of
the display.

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Constanta Maritime University Annals Year XI, Vol.14

Horizontal displays usual practice for the pilot to take full control of the
handling of the ship between the pilot boarding place
Where horizontal displays are available in the (usually shown on the chart) and the berth. Despite the
operations room, the whole passage may be prepared in duties and obligations of a pilot, his presence on board
advance on a series of overlays, the BSO¶s assistant does not relieve the Master or the Officer of the Watch
changing these at appropriate times. The drawback of from his duties and obligations for the safety of the ship.
this method is that all tracking and other additional The general aim of the Master should be to ensure that
marks made by the BSO are lost at each change. With the expertise of the pilot is fully supported by the ship¶s
most horizontal displays in use in the Royal Navy, the bridge team. The Officer of the Watch is required to co-
picture is not sufficiently precise for accurate blind operate closely with the pilot and keep an accurate check
pilotage and should not be used. on the vessel¶s position and movements. If there is any
doubt as to the pilot¶s actions and intentions, these
2. CONCLUSIONS should be clarified immediately. If any doubt still
remains, it is up to the Master and/or the Officer of the
For merchant ships, the regulations for pilotage are Watch to take the appropriate action to ensure the safety
laid down by the national authority or the shipping of the ship.
company, and in the orders for the port concerned.
Recommendations on pilotage are also made from time 3. REFERENCES
to time by IMO.
Regulations for merchant ships frequently require [1] NAUTICAL INSTITUTE, Admiralty manual of
compulsory pilotage, although Masters who have navigation, vol. I - The principles of navigation, 2008
considerable knowledge of a particular port may be [2] COJOCARU, S - Tratat de navigaĠie maritimă,
exempted for that port, as may be certain ships regularly editura ARSS Academica Bucuresti, 2008
trading on the coast concerned. In most ports, it is the [3] BALABAN, GH. I- Tratat de navigaĠie maritimă

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