Operational Work

Based Learning
Passage Planning
Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 2
Passage Planning ............................................................................................... 2
Execution of the passage ................................................................................... 6
Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................ 13
Reflection......................................................................................................... 15
References ....................................................................................................... 17

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Introduction

One of the most important operations aboard a ship is the execution of a passage and this is the topic
of this Work Based Learning essay. It will specifically look at the planning of the passage, which is
discussed in the IMO Resolution A893.21 and analyse the operation itself and all members involved in
the operation. The execution of a passage has many different stages from the planning to when the
ship actually carries out its voyage and whilst aboard ship this was one of the many operations that I
would carry out. MSC Preziosa was 333m and a lot of the voyages were in Europe, mainly Norway
where there was a lot of navigation through narrow channels and fjords so a lot of consideration had
to be taken during the planning phases.

Passage Planning
Passage Planning is defined as a procedure to make the complete voyage from berth to berth. This is
usually separated into different sections such as berth to pilot station, pilot station to pilot station and
then again pilot station to berth, this is done as different parts of the voyage can require the officer to
use different publications. Passage planning has four different stages which are; appraisal and
planning which are part of the preparation for the voyage whilst the other two stages, execution and
monitoring come under the execution of the voyage.

Appraisal

Like with all shipboard operations risks have to be understood and discussed, which is done in the
appraisal stage of planning. During the appraisal stage of the planning various pieces of information
have to be gathered and as per SOLAS Regulation 19.2.1.4 every ship must have a way of navigating
the voyage and are required to carry publications which would help with both the planning and the
navigation (International Maritime Organisation, 2014). These publications include;

• International Code of Signals (IMO)

• IAMSAR Manual Vol.III
• Mariners' Handbook (UKHO)
• Merchant Shipping Notices, Marine Guidance Notes and Marine Information Notes (MCA)
• Notices to Mariners (UKHO)
• Notices to Mariners Annual Summary (UKHO)
• Lists of Radio Signals (UKHO)
• Lists of Lights (UKHO)
• Sailing Directions (UKHO)
• Nautical Almanac
• Navigational Tables
• Tide Tables
• Tidal Stream Atlases
• Operating and Maintenance Instructions for Navigational Aids carried by the Ship
(International Chamber of Shipping , 2016)

The Captain will then discuss with the Navigation officer the intended voyage and they will both look
at the risks that can occur. Taken into account would be whether the voyage is transoceanic or a

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coastal as this would determine which publications would need to be used, meteorological conditions
and the shortest route that can be taken whilst navigating in safe water. Aboard MSC ships paper
charts are still used as the second way of navigating as per SOLAS regulation 19.2.1.5 which states
that every ship should have a back up to the ECDIS if it is not fully functioning and the charts are
updated every week with corrections and temporary and preliminary notices (International Maritime
Organisation, 2014). Records of all chart corrections are kept in a folder and also written at the
bottom of each chart. Chart corrections are also a large part of the appraisal stage as planning a route
can be very dependent on these changes. Consideration also needs to be paid to the NAVAREA which
the ship is sailing in whilst receiving updates from the NAVTEX and the INMARSATC, as they come
through these are either drawn on or written on the charts and ECDIS, the officer in charge of the
watch then signs them so that there is proof that they have been taken into consideration. They
would also need to consider the cargo that the ship will be carrying, aboard passenger ships the cargo
is humans so safety is a primary concern for the Captain. In compliance with the SMS manual MSC
ships cannot berth when the wind is over 25 knots, as this endangers not only the ship but also the
people aboard the ship. As the ship is 333 metres in length and has an air draught of 59 metres in
relation to an 8-metre draught it has a very large surface area that wind can act upon, the use of
many external sources is used to get a knowledge of the weather in the ports and on the route.
Weather forecasts from various sources are used such as from the computer, NAVTEX or INMARSATC.
If the prediction for the port or on route is heavy weather then the Captain will need to consider
whether the passage is viable.
As stated before the passage plan is usually done in stages so from berth to pilot, pilot to pilot and
again pilot to berth so another part of the passage plan would be to check this, the requirements of
the port. Usually all information about the port and the use of pilot is found in the Sailing Directions.
If the passage requires the ship to go through coastal waters there may be traffic separation schemes
and routeing so this is another consideration that needs to be taken into account as minimum
distances may be required. A lot of the areas that cruise ships go to have restrictions on the fuel
which can be used. These areas are called SECAs and as per MARPOL Regulation 14 can only use fuel
which has a sulphur level of 0.10% as of January 2015 (International Martime Organization, 2016), or
have to be fitted with a scrubber system which will filter the emissions that the ship produces so the
Captain will have to choose the route which the ship can take whilst complying with these
regulations. With over 5000 people onboard the ship a lot of waste is produced, a way of controlling
this is by using incinerators and discharge systems, but both require the ship to be a minimum
distance away from the nearest land or base line. Incineration and food waste discharge is allowed
when 12NM from the nearest land or baseline and whilst it is permissible under MARPOL Annex IV
Regulation 11 to discharge grey water whilst 3NM away from the nearest land or baseline
(International Martime Organization, 2016), as per company regulations the ship can discharge grey
water when 4NM from the nearest land or baseline so the route that is chosen has to take into
account all the above factors so that waste can be discharged whilst at sea, otherwise carrying so

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much garbage can affect many things. One of the main things being the stability of the ship. MARPOL
lines are added to the charts on the Chart pilot, so that when a voyage is taken it is visible to the
OOW where these restrictions apply.
Planning

After gathering information, the navigational officer will then actually plan the passage, taking into
consideration what the Captain wants and other requirements. The main part of this stage is to mark
out the route on both the paper charts and ECDIS, to do this the chart catalogue can be used and both
large scale and small-scale charts that are on the route and in the surrounding areas should be used.
The navigation officer can also use routeing charts which lay out the different steps taken in order to
plan and execute a passage;

• “Passage Planning using this guide

• Routeing: general rules and recommendations
• Passage planning: special classes of vessel
• Oil and Dangerous Cargoes: Marine Pollution
• Radio Reporting systems applying to through traffic
• Reporting to a port of destination in the area
• Maritime radio service
• Pilot services
• Tidal information and services”

(United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, 2017)

They should then be looked at to see if the ship can navigate safely and if a ship cannot enter an area
this is called No-Go Area and is marked out on the charts; this is usually worked out by the draught of
the ship +10% (Swift, 1993). Draught is affected by the displacement of the ship and whilst on cruise
ships this does not change a large amount, the density of the water can change. If passing from salt
water to fresh water the ship will have a higher draught as the density of salt water is usually 1.025
g/cm3 whilst in fresh water the density is approximately 1.000 g/cm3 (Witherby Seamanship
International, 2015), so when working out No Go areas consideration needs to be applied to the
density of the water as well as any changes to the displacement of the ship. The fresh water allowance
of both the Preziosa and Divina is 167mm (Mediterranean Shipping Company, 2012) which will not
make a vast difference to the draught but all of this has to be paid attention to as safety is vital. When
executing the passage plan the main rule is to navigate in safe water (areas that the ship can safely
navigate within), both these and margins of safety have to be marked out so that the OOW knows
how far off track they can go if an alteration of course needs to made due to traffic or anything else.
Some factors that should be considered when marking out the Margin of Safety are;

• The size of the ship

• Tides
• The system used for navigation and how accurate it is
• How the ship is able to manoeuvre
(Swift, 1993)
To gain a safe under keel clearance, the officer will also look at the tides for ports and tidal stream
atlases as these are as important as the knowledge of weather. Even though the ship is very large,

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tides can affect it very easily when manoeuvring and also when coming into ports through narrow
channels. After collecting the charts and marking out safe water areas, the OOW of the watch will
then mark out the waypoints and routes on the charts. Waypoints can be plotted if there is a change
of course, change of speed or even to show the officer when the ship is inbound or outbound any of
the MARPOL areas. They are reference points and are useful when working out ETAS and monitoring
the passage (Swift, 1993). The route is then marked out between these way points and doesn’t change
until the next waypoint. There is always a paper version of the passage plan which is done on an excel
spreadsheet, this has formulas that work out the course and distance from each waypoint when the
position has been put in. The largest problem with the passage planning is gathering all of the
information and putting it into use takes up a lot of time. With paper charts being in use too, plotting
the waypoints and marking out the routes can take a couple of hours and if the route is wrong or
suddenly changes then it is very rushed. Consideration will also need to be paid to the reporting points
when navigating in coastal water and be marked on the navigation systems.
On board every ship safety is the top priority but there are many things that can go wrong so there
should be a plan if they do. The SMS outlines some procedures that can be adopted if there is a
compass failure, which there are manuals for on board.

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Figure 1: Passage Plan from Hamburg to Bilbao completed by myself

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Figure 2: Passage Plan from Hamburg to Bilbao using SMS form (Mediterranean Shipping Company UK, 2013)

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Execution of the passage

After the first two stages of the passage plan, comes the execution and monitoring aspects. These
are the operational elements of passage planning and have to take into account all of the previous
information that had been gathered. Execution and monitoring of the passage plan is as important
as the actual planning stages. Even though the initial plan has been approved extra things have to be
decided on. The ETA cannot be certain until the ship has departed from port, especially on cruise
ships there are many times where the ship is waiting for passengers. Not only is the ETA to the
destination uncertain during planning but also things like tides in port, tidal streams and
meteorological conditions. Before departure and arrival all the relevant personnel are briefed on
what their roles are, how the manoeuvre will be carried out and if anyone has any questions this
would be the time where they are asked. The Captain will also need to make sure that all the
equipment is manned and if additional personnel are required they are available. This also means
making sure that everyone involved in the operations are well rested which can mean the changing
of duties or even extending watches. (Swift, 1993)
Checklists

At the start of each watch, checklists have to be completed to make sure that there is nothing that is
missed. Depending on where the ship is at the beginning of the watch will determine which checklists
are done. If the ship is in port then a “Changing over watch” checklist is done as watches are changed
and if it is 2 hours prior to departure then the “Preparation for Sea” checklist is done. Whilst
undertaking a voyage an additional checklist has to be done which is either or both a “Navigation in
Deep Sea” or “Navigation in Coastal Waters, Narrow Channel or Traffic Separation Scheme” depending
on the area the ship is navigating through.

Departure and arrival in port both have their own checklists and risk assessments and depending on
the timings of each manoeuvre this will determine which watch does which checklist as the departure
and arrival checks are usually done 2 hours prior, whilst the stability and pilot card are done one-
hour prior. The following are various checks that would be done before arrival and departure;
• Switching the radars on
• Steering gear test
• Manual steering test
• Navigational lights
• AIS information has been inputted
• All information about passengers is available
• Stability
• Communication systems- INMARSTC, NAVTEX, Radios
• Recording equipment and clocks are synchronised
• Making sure the gyro and magnetic compasses are aligned
• Charts are available and in order
(International Chamber of Shipping , 2016)

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A lot of the same checks are done for preparation for arrival in port except housing the stabilizers, if
they were extended and that the prearrival information has been sent to the authorities. A risk
assessment is done for both of the above manoeuvres and takes into account the different risks, how
likely they are to happen and how severe the risk would be if it did happen. Other vital checklists that
are done are the Master/ Pilot information exchange where the pilot and master confirm that all
relevant information like ETA, tides and meteorological information for outside of the port and
conditions inside the port are exchanged. The pilot card is also part of the Master/ Pilot information
exchange as this has all the relative information about the ship such as the length, draught and
number of passenger aboard as well as confirmation that all the equipment is fully functioning
(International Chamber of Shipping , 2016).

Monitoring

Monitoring is the stage of the passage plan where the OOW makes sure that the passage plan is being
adhered to, analyses different situations and takes actions if they are needed. Various factors will
determine how many people there are on the watch, during departure and arrival due to the high-risk
nature there are up to 7 people on the bridge whilst a usual sea voyage can have a maximum of 4.
There are many things on the bridge that have to be monitored such as;

• Position fixing- this is done either by either DGPS or taking visual bearings. As the ships still
carry charts, it means that some of phase 1 Chartwork could be put into practice by taking
visual bearings with the gyro reader and the range from the radar. Another way was to do
transfer position lines from defining features. Depending on the Master the position is
plotted every 6 minutes when in narrow channels and every hour when in open sea, it shows
whether the ship is on track and how accurate the routes that have been drawn on are. Every
two hours information from the thermometer, barometer, gyro compass, magnetic compass
is logged as well as the state and direction of the sea and wind. This is done to compare
values and have a record of the previous conditions.
• International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea- All ships are required to
follow the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea and as per rule 16
every vessel should do whatever is possible to keep out of the way of other vessels if they
are required to do so. (International Maritime Organisation , 1972)
• Traffic density- In open sea, this very rarely a large problem but in narrow channels and traffic
separation schemes like the Dover Straits, navigation has to constantly be monitored due to
the large amount of traffic in such a small space. If there is uncertainty about what to do in
some situations the COLREGS are always referred to.
• Time Management- Despite the fact that departure times can change, arrival times are
usually stuck to which can mean reducing or increasing the speed and constantly monitoring
the ETA to each waypoint. There can also be a change of situation such as a medical
emergency which can mean the ship needs to arrive in port earlier, or if there is a med

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 evacuation it can mean the ship will be delayed but due to excursions these timings cannot
vary too much.
• Look-out- As per rule 5 of the COLREGS on every watch there should be a lookout by sight,
hearing and by any other way such as radar (International Maritime Organisation , 1972).
This is so that a full evaluation of any upcoming situation can be made. When navigating
through open sea a watch is usually made up of 2 officers and 1 lookout. The reason why this
is done is because a lookout’s sole role is to notice any external dangers that can affect the
ship like other ships whilst the officers have external and internal dangers and distractions
such as fire alarms and shipboard operations which can prevent them from noticing other
dangers and acting in time.
• Equipment- Monitoring the equipment that is used on the bridge is a large part of the
execution of the passage plan considering how reliant the ship is on electronics. If anything
does go wrong with the gyro compass or the ECDIS there are other ways to interchange them
but the error has to first be noticed. The equipment used on board can have advantages and
disadvantages as first of all, the equipment needs to always be in working order and can
become reliant on this. Another limitation is the knowledge and familiarisation with the
equipment as each piece may have many different options which can help but if the officer
does not know how to use those features there is not much point in having them.
All of the above are also part of MGN 315 which outlines how to keep a safe watch. (Maritime
and Coastguard Agency, 2006).

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Roles and Responsibilities
There are many people involved in the operation of carrying out a passage but the most
prominent is the Captain who is responsible for all parts of the passage plan including planning,
executing and monitoring. Even though the officer of each watch will carry out the actions, that
is their role whilst if something goes wrong then it is the Captains responsibility and he or she is
responsible for the adequate manning of a navigational watch (Swift, 1993). The role of the
Captain is the manoeuvring of the ship when it arrives or leaves port, there are other people like
the Staff Captain who will carry out the manoeuvre but this is always supervised by the Captain.
Under the STCW ’95 Code, governments should set a maximum blood alcohol level of 0.08%
(International Maritime Organisation, 2011) and it is the responsibility of the Master to uphold
this standard.
The Pilot is also an important member when in compulsory Pilotage waters. Their role is to give
all possible up to date information about the area and to safely navigate the ship in confined
waters and port approaches. Even though the Pilot might have the control of the vessel, the
responsibility is still with the Master and/or OOW (Anwar, 2006). This is also stated as part of
IMO Resolution A.285(VIII) Annex A (v) along with that if the OOW is unsure of what the pilot’s
intentions are, then they need to question them. (International Maritime Organisation, 1973).
The role of the OOW is to navigate the ship safely at all other times during the sea voyage whilst
abiding by the Masters standing orders, passage plan and International Regulations for
Preventing Collisions at Sea. Onboard MSC there are three heads of watch, each one has their
own specific duty (these duties differ from each company);
• 4-8 Head of watch- The officer on the 4-8 watch is responsible for the stability of the ship,
they will make sure that the GM and draughts of the ship are in line with regulations and
discharge or fill ballast tanks when needed.
• 8-12 Head of watch- The officer on the 8-12 watch is the navigation officer and will make
the passage plan in accordance with regulations and the Masters orders. They are in
charge of updating the ECDIS, paper charts and monitoring the incoming NAVTEX and
INMARSTC messages.
• 12-4 head of watch- The officer on the 12-4 watch is in charge of fire risk and making
sure that the ship is following all of the local regulations as it goes into port.
(Mediterranean Shipping Company, 2017)

The OOW will make sure that they are not only following the COLREGS but also any regulations or
restrictions whilst navigating in either transoceanic or coastal waters. This means that if the ship is
entering a SECA they will need to make sure that the engineering department has information of when
to stop the incinerator and/or discharging of food waste. They will also need to pay attention to any
reporting points, traffic separation schemes, narrow channels and all changing meteorological
conditions as well as visibility and if they have any doubt about any of them it is their responsibility to
contact the Master immediately.

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On each watch there is also one junior navigation officer and either one or two cadets. The role of the
junior navigation officer is to support the OOW/ Master. They will report necessary information and
make sure that the information is acknowledged (Anwar, 2006). Depending on the number of people
on the watch they might also fill out the logbook, make position fixes on the chart, check the fire
alarms and security boxes and are in charge of communication between the bridge and the rest of the
ship. Each of the junior officers then have their own roles within the ship but the 8-12 officer will assist
the 8-12 head of watch in preparing the passage plan and making the paper version which is always
available on the bridge (Mediterranean Shipping Company, 2017).

As per COLREGS it states that a lookout should always be maintained, which can mean that the OOW
can be the sole lookout (International Maritime Organisation , 1972). As per company procedures and
due to the size and nature of MSC ships, there is always an assigned lookout on the bridge who is also
the helmsman. The lookout’s role is to spot any external dangers that might affect the ship like
changing weather, fog and other ships and report these to the OOW. During manoeuvres the lookout
is also the helmsman and will take control of the hand steering under the command of the OOW/
Master or Pilot. (Mediterranean Shipping Company UK, 2013)

Once the passage plan is completed and confirmed it is then sent to the company shoreside. This
means that during a voyage, the ship is constantly being monitored by the Designated Person Ashore.
Limits are set on the ECDIS and if the ship goes out “the corridor” the DPA will get a notification and
will check why this has happened, this is to make sure that the ship is always following the intended
course and is constantly monitored. Shoreside there is also the Crisis Centre which will deal with any
problems that can occur during a voyage like grounding or a collision.

The role of the cadet would be to support the third officer in writing the logbook, making hourly fixes,
carrying out the checklists and making observations. On the 8-12 watch my role was to draw all of the
routes on the charts for every voyage. Before this was done I would first update the charts with the
corrections and temporary and preliminary notices so that if a route had to be changed due to the
corrections or notices I would be able to notice it and report it to the head of watch, I would also
update the ECDIS and charts with incoming NAVTEX and INMARSTC messages. Even though I was
assigned the different jobs it was always under the supervision of the junior officer and OOW and any
responsibility came down to them. Depending on the Master, OOW and the location of where the ship
was sailing would determine how much of the passage planning was assigned to me.

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Reflection
For the below reflection I will use the Gibbs Cycle of Reflection which consists of 6 stages;

Figure 3: Gibbs Model of Reflection (Oxford Brookes University, n.d.)

The Gibbs model of reflection will help me fully evaluate the operation and what I have learnt whilst
being a part of it. It dissects the analytical process into six stages which will allow me to be more
thorough with it.

The operation of planning and executing a passage is one of the most important operations aboard a
ship, this is backed up by the amount of regulations surrounding it. The planning and execution of
passage is a process that uses many resources and a long time to make sure that it is precise. Whilst
navigating through Europe especially Norway, I was heavily involved in the process. The process
consists of four stages; Appraisal, Planning, Execution and Monitoring and even though the actual
operation is the execution of a voyage, the planning stage is the most important. During the planning
stage there is very little room for error due to the safety of the ship and the number of passengers
aboard the vessel.

During my sea phase I was put onto watches from day 1 and felt very apprehensive. Being on watch
means that you’re already part of APEM, which we had covered only very briefly in phase 1, as you
are monitoring that the plan is executed correctly. At this stage I had never seen an ECDIS or even a
radar so had very little, if any knowledge of how to use either. After 3 and a half months on the Divina
I was transferred to the Preziosa where I felt much more comfortable after doing the previous
contract. I felt that I knew a lot more than when I started and had much more confidence with all of
the equipment, chart corrections and updating the ECDIS. This meant that the officers were much
more willing to let me help which furthered my knowledge.

As the first group of English cadets on MSC, the officers thought that we had a similar structure to the
Italian cadetship where they have already been taught about bridge equipment and due to this fact, I
was allowed to familiarise myself with the equipment. Being on watch with another female cadet,
despite the language barrier, helped me a lot because she was able to teach me everything that she
knew. Time was a constant constraint whilst navigating in Europe as the routes changed many times
due to bad weather so the charts constantly needed to be updated.

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During my six-month contract I learnt a great deal about everything on the bridge and about the safety
procedures and being involved in passage panning meant that I gained valuable knowledge such as
knowing the publications used, chart corrections, ECDIS updates and even how to monitor the
execution whilst using the radar and changing courses if it was needed. There were many moments
where the head of watch would ask me to make an alteration of course due to traffic which furthered
my knowledge in the monitoring stage, it also gave me an opportunity to put the COLREGS into
practice.

I feel that if I had studied more about APEM more in depth, it would’ve helped me to get the
underpinning knowledge required as I would know all of the processes involved in it. During phase 1
even though we studied chartwork, nothing was taught on the process of correcting the charts or the
different NAVAREAs that ships sail through so a lot of my knowledge came from learning on ship. In
the future I would like to make sure that before I go on ship I have some knowledge of the bridge
equipment and the regulations that apply to the ship.

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References
Anwar, N. (2006). Navigation Advanced for Mates and Masters. Livingston: Witherbys Seamanship
International Ltd.

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further
Education Unit. Oxford Polytechnic.

International Chamber of Shipping . (2016). Brdige Procedures Guide. London: Marisec Publishers.

International Maritime Organisation . (1972). International Regulations for the Prevention of

Collisions at Sea . London : International Maritime Organisation.

International Maritime Organisation. (1973). Resolution A.285(VII). London: International Maritime

Organisation.

International Maritime Organisation. (2011). STCW 95 Code. London: International Maritime

Organisation.

International Maritime Organisation. (2014). SOLAS. London: International Maritime Organisation.

International Martime Organization. (2016). MARPOL. London: IMO.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency. (2006, February). Maritime and Coastguard Agency MGN 315.
Retrieved from Maritime and Coastguard Agency:
http://solasv.mcga.gov.uk/m_notice/mgn/mgn315.pdf

Mediterranean Shipping Company. (2012). Ship Particulars. London: Mediterranean Shipping

Company.

Mediterranean Shipping Company. (2017). Masters Standing Orders. London: Mediterranean

Shipping Company.

Mediterranean Shipping Company UK. (2013). MSC Preziosa SMS Manual. London: Mediterranean
Shipping Company UK.

Oxford Brookes University. (n.d.). Reflective writing: About Gibbs reflective cycle. Retrieved from
Oxford Brookes University: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/upgrade/study-
skills/reflective-writing-gibbs/

Swift, A. (1993). Bridge Team Management. London: The Nautical Institute.

United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. (2017, June 01). British Admiralty Nautical Chart 5500:
Mariners' Roueting Guide English Channel and Southern North Sea. United Kingdom
Hydrographic Office.

Witherby Seamanship International. (2015). 21st Century Seamanship. Livingston: Witherby

Seamanship International.

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