VOYAGE

PLANNING
WITH ECDIS

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 RALPH BECKER-HEINS

VOYAGE
PLANNING
WITH ECDIS
Practical Guide for Navigators

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 By: Prof. Ralph Becker-Heins

Voyage Planning with Ecdis

Practical Guide for Navigations
First Edition

Lay-out: Fizz, Meppel, The Netherlands

Printing Company: Ten Brink, Meppel, The Netherlands
Publisher: Geomares Publishing, Lemmer, The Netherlands

ISBN/EAN: 978-90-825818-0-5

© 2016, Geomares Publishing, Lemmer, The Netherlands

Credits cover photos: MSG Hamburg, Germany

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photo print, microfilm or
any other means without written permission from the publisher. The publisher is not
responsible for any opinion or statement made in this book, nor can be held responsi-
ble for any typing or conversion errors.

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 CONTENT
1 Introduction 11

2 Legal Basis 19
2.1 International Regulations 20
2.1.1 SOLAS Chapter V 20
2.1.2 Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Code 21
2.1.3 IMO Resolution A.893(21) 21
2.1.4 International Safety Management (ISM) Code 23
2.2 National Regulations 23
2.3 Voyage Planning on Tankers 24

3 Sources of Information 27
3.1 Navigational Charts 28
3.2 Nautical Publications 28
3.2.1 Admiralty Publications 29
3.2.2 Tidal Current Publications 34
3.2.3 IMO Publications 36
3.2.4 Further Publications 37

4 Preliminary Tasks 39
4.1 First Considerations 40
4.1.1 Voyage Instructions 40
4.1.2 Safe Port Considerations 42
4.2 Distance Appraisal 47

5 Gathering Information 53
5.1 Ship’s Data 54
5.1.1 Stability 54
5.1.2 Documentation relevant to Manoeuvre and Navigation 55
5.1.3 Cargo Information 58
5.2 Safety Values 61
5.2.1 Ordered Values 61
5.2.2 Calculated Values 63

6 ECDIS Pre-Setting 69
6.1 Navigational Charts 70
6.1.1 Chart Selection 70
6.1.2 Current Status of Charts 74

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 6.1.3 Nautical Publications 76
6.2 Contour Settings and Safety Depth 77
6.2.1 Safety Contour 78
6.2.2 Safety Depth 80
6.2.3 Shallow and Deep Contour 81
6.2.4 Under Keel Clearance Assessment 82
6.2.5 Evaluation of Contour Settings 83

7 Passage Planning 89
7.1 Route Planning and Voyage Plan Handling 90
7.1.1 Setting the Track 90
7.1.2 Saving and Loading the Voyage Plan 91
7.2 Waypoint Parameters 92
7.2.1 Waypoint Parameter Validity 92
7.2.2 Speed 94
7.2.3 Turn Radius 98
7.2.4 Cross Track Distance/Error 101
7.2.5 Time Zone 105
7.3 Factors to be taken into Account 106
7.3.1 Vessel Traffic Separation Scheme 106
7.3.2 Chart Accuracy 108
7.3.3 Hazards to Navigation 110
7.3.4 Surface Currents 112
7.3.5 Pilot Station 113
7.3.6 Weather Routeing 115
7.4 Final Steps 117
7.4.1 Route Check 117
7.4.2 ETA Calculator and Time Schedule 119
7.4.3 Backup and Recovery 120
7.4.4 Data Exchange for Track and Speed Control 120

8 Further Considerations 123

8.1 Manual Chart Corrections 124
8.2 User Chart Objects 125
8.3 Tides and Currents 125
8.3.1 Tides 126
8.3.2 Tidal Current 132
8.3.3 Surface Current 136
8.4 Safety and Environment Considerations 138
8.4.1 Traffic 138
8.4.2 Caution and No-go Areas 140
8.4.3 Change in Machinery Status 142

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 8.4.4 Environmental Protection 143
8.4.5 Contingency Planning 146
8.4.6 Point of no Return 148
8.4.7 Air Clearance 150
8.5 Radio Communication 154
8.5.1 Pilots 155
8.5.2 Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) 156
8.5.3 Ship Reporting Systems 160
8.5.4 Maritime Safety Information (MSI) 161
8.6 Safety of Navigation 165
8.6.1 Visual and Radar Fixes 165
8.6.2 Parallel Indexing 166
8.6.3 Wheel Over Point Determination 169
8.6.4 Navigator’s Notebook 171
8.6.5 Method and Frequency of Position Fixing 173

APPENDICES 177
A Abbreviations 178
B List of Referred Nautical Publications 182
C List of Figures 183
D List of Tables 188
E ECDIS-Related Rules and Regulations 190

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 8 Ecdis Basics | content

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Although I am listed as the “official” author of this book, my merits are only one piece
of the puzzle. To gain the whole picture contributions of numerous persons and institu-
tion are needed. Without their ingredients this book never would have come to live.

In the first rank of acknowledgements Marc Salamon has to be addressed with a big
`thank you´. In a phase where the manuscript was at risk to become an all-resource
gulping black hole, he brought in the necessary momentum to complete the mission
successfully. Having launched the first book “ECDIS Basics” successfully with Durk
Haarsma, it was Durk´s impetus but also patience as the publisher to make this book
series be continued – thank you Durk! This book was stimulated by the early ground-
work of Ulrich Reinkowski, when composing an accompanying booklet for classroom
lessons. To a large degree also the colleagues of Safebridge GmbH contributed to this
book, freeing me from nearly all the administrative burdens.

Additionally, there was a lot of highly valued support from the maritime industry:
ECDIS manufacturers, publishers as well as authorities bringing in their expertise and
providing illustrative materials.

Hamburg, Autumn 2016

Ralph Becker-Heins

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 1 INTRODUCTION

11

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