Swedish P&I Club advises how to plan a successful voyage

Need for a sufficient passage planning

The Swedish P&I CLub has issued a Loss Prevention publication entitled as ”Navigational Claims” revealing a number of interesting findings relating to claims made for hull and machinery damage between 2004-2013.

Looking at many of these navigational claims, the Club concludes that the passage plan had deficiencies and that the planning had been insufficient. In addition, for some reason the bridge officers had disregarded the passage plan.

There are many reasons why and the consequences can be severe as this publication highlights. In its loss prevention publication, the Club points out some suggestions that are important for a successful voyage.

These suggestions are not news for most companies but it is important to highlight them because if they are followed it is likely that the passage plan will be completed safely and that it will prevent a casualty.

Suggestions for passage planning

ECDIS

All bridge officers and shore side management should know if the vessel has an approved ECDIS unit or not. If the vessel doesn’t have an approved ECDIS, a paper chart portfolio must be maintained.

This also applies if the vessel is sailing in an area without approved ENCs or Raster Navigational Charts. The passage plan should always be displayed in the ECDIS even if the vessel is sailing in an area where paper charts need to be used.

Bridge officers have to be aware of the difference between having a correct ENC in place or if the ECDIS is actually just an Electronic Chart Display. If paper charts are used they need to be fully updated and the passage has to be continually updated and plotted.

Preparation

The navigation officer has to prepare the passage in good time before sailing. It is also essential that a pre-arrival and pre-departure briefing is held with all the bridge officers and Master present.

During this briefing what to expect, how the operation should be executed and which tasks will be delegated should be discussed.

The passage plan should be signed before sailing, be berth-to-berth and should include an assessment of the risks

The bridge team

To have a safe, efficient bridge team, it is very important that all tasks are defined and familiar. In a well-functioning system, all team members should know what to expect from each other and who is responsible for what; the goal is to eliminate assumptions.

The advantages of the system will be obvious in situations requiring a high degree of attention and close monitoring of the navigation, such as navigating in waters with dense traffic, fog and during arrival and departure.

In the ideal system, there will be several Officers and Lookouts but this is not always possible with smaller crews. This system should still be capable of being implemented with team members having several roles

Navigating

This is berth-to-berth and should be defined in the SMS on how the officers are expected to execute it. During a normal sea watch it is common to have one officer on the bridge and one lookout.

The officer will monitor the vessel’s progress. All team members need to know the Navigation policy. If any deviation is made from the passage plan the settings and limitations in the passage plan approved by the Master must be followed. Any other relevant information must be included in the passage plan for the officers to review during sailing.

The Master is key for a functional vessel. What he does others will follow. The manager has an obligation to provide the Master with prudent, knowledgeable officers. It is however the Master’s responsibility to evaluate and train the officers when they have joined the vessel

Source: The Swedish Club