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, Ship collision and .]] Passage planning or voyage planning is a procedure to develop a complete description of a vessel's voyage to safely navigation from start to finish. The plan includes leaving the dock and harbor area, the en route portion of a voyage, approaching the destination, and mooring, the industry term for this is 'berth to berth'. (2025). 9781856099813, Witherby Publishing Group. ISBN 9781856099813 According to international law, a vessel's captain is legally responsible for passage planning. The duty of passage planning is usually delegated to the ship's navigation officer, typically the second mate on .
Passage plans are important for the safety of a vessel as it requires the correct assessment and establishment of safety settings. They ensure that vital navigation information is readily available, expectations for crew and those ashore are known, and minimize the likelihood of accidents. The modern procedure for passage plans was developed by the International Maritime Organization and involves a four-stage process.
Studies show that human error is a factor in 80 percent of navigational accidents and that in many cases the human making the error had access to information that could have prevented the accident. The practice of voyage planning has evolved from penciling lines on to a process of risk management.
The Guidelines specify three key items to consider in the practice of voyage planning:
Voyage planning starts with the appraisal stage. Before each voyage begins, navigators develop a detailed mental model of how the entire voyage will proceed.Bowditch 2002, p. 367. The appraisal stage consists of gathering and contemplating all information relevant to the voyage. Much of this appraisal is done by consulting , nautical publications and performing a number of technical tasks such as weather forecasting, prediction of tides and currents, and checks of local regulations and warnings.International Maritime Organization, Section 2 of Guidelines for Voyage Planning, 1999.
Nautical publications are a valuable guide to local conditions and regulations, but they must be updated and actually read to be of any use. These publications could include Sailing Directions and Coast Pilots or similar texts produced by other authorities.
Once information is gathered and considered, the navigator can begin the process of planning the voyage. The process involves projecting various future events including landfalls, narrow passages, and course changes expected during the voyage. This mental model becomes the standard by which the navigator measures progress toward the goal of a safe and efficient voyage, and it is manifested in a passage plan.
A good passage plan will include a track line laid out upon the best-scale charts available.Bowditch 2002, p.214. This track is judged with respect to at least nine separate criteria given in the Guidelines including under-keel clearance, safe speed, air draft, the use of routing and reporting services (TSS and VTS), and the availability of contingencies in case of emergency.International Maritime Organization, Section 3 of Guidelines for Voyage Planning, 1999.
]]The navigator will draw and redraw the track line until it is safe, efficient, and in line with all applicable laws and regulations. When the track is finished, it is becoming common practice to also enter it into electronic navigation tools such as an Electronic Chart Display and Information System, a chartplotter, an ARPA system, or a GPS unit.Bowditch 2002, pp 224–225. When passage planning on ECDIS, it is important to calculate the safety settings for the ECDIS. (2025). 9781856099813, Witherby Publishing Group. ISBN 9781856099813 The navigator should calculate both under keel clearance and overhead vertical clearance (if passing under obstructions). The calculation should include an allow for the height of tide (if applicable), the vessel's draught, Squat effect and a safety allowance. This provides the navigator with a minimum UKC value that can then be compared with charted depths on electronic or paper chats to ensure the vessel's courses in the passage plan have sufficient depth to navigate safely. (2025). 9781856098168, Witherby Publishing Group. ISBN 9781856098168
When working in a team environment, the passage plan should be communicated to the navigation team in a pre-voyage conference in order to ensure that all members of the team share the same mental model of the entire trip.
The third stage of passage planning is the execution stage. The IMO was careful to include execution as part of the process of passage planning. This underscores the fact that the Guidelines list a number of tasks that are to executed during the course of the voyage. It also reiterates the captain's responsibility to treat the plan as a "living document" and to review or change it in case of any special circumstances that should arise.International Maritime Organization, Section 4 of Guidelines for Voyage Planning, 1999.
The fourth and final stage of voyage planning is the monitoring stage. Once the voyage has begun the progress of the vessel along its planned route must be monitored. This requires that the ship's position be determined, using standard methods including dead reckoning, celestial navigation, Maritime pilot, and electronic navigation.
According to the Guidelines, the passage plan should always be available to the deck officer on the bridge. The Guidelines also specify that deviations from the plan should be clearly recorded and be consistent with other provisions of the Guidelines.International Maritime Organization, Section 5 of Guidelines for Voyage Planning, 1999.
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