Question 1

As Chief Mate, it is your responsibility to maintain the vessel's ECDIS and charts. Describe your procedure for ensuring all charts are up to date for a voyage.

Accepted Answer

ECDIS AND CHART MANAGEMENT — CHIEF MATE'S PROCEDURE: ECDIS CHART MANAGEMENT: (1) ENC SOURCE: Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are sourced through an authorised distributor — AVCS (Admiralty Vector Chart Service), PRIMAR, or equivalent national chart authority. The subscription must be current; (2) WEEKLY UPDATES: AVCS provides weekly ENC updates. The chief mate must: (a) connect the ECDIS to the update service weekly; (b) download and apply all updates to ENCs covering the upcoming voyage; (c) verify update application — some ECDIS systems show "cells updated" count; (3) NtM CHECK: for paper charts (on ECDIS backup charts or paper chart primary systems) — weekly Notices to Mariners (NtM) must be applied. UK Hydrographic Office NtMs are published weekly. Each NtM specifies the chart number and correction. Mark each chart in the NtM index with the correction number applied; (4) CORRECTION LOG: maintain a Chart Correction Log recording: chart number, edition, NtMs applied, date of correction. This is a statutory record; (5) CHART CATALOGUE: the Admiralty Chart Catalogue specifies which charts are required for the planned voyage. Ensure all charts are: (a) latest edition; (b) all NtMs up to the current week applied; (6) NEW EDITIONS: when a chart is re-issued (new edition), all previous corrections on the old edition become incorporated. Order the new edition and apply subsequent NtMs from the new edition date; (7) T&P NOTICES: Temporary and Preliminary Notices to Mariners (T&Ps) apply to ENCs as Cell Update information — check these separately from permanent corrections. Frequency of NtM updates: the UK Hydrographic Office (and other hydrographic offices) publish corrections weekly. The MAIB has investigated groundings where the cause was an uncorrected chart — the most common pattern is a temporary or preliminary notice that changed a depth, moved a buoy, or added a new hazard. Investigations routinely check when the last NtM update was applied. SOLAS standard: SOLAS V/27 requires ships to carry adequate and up-to-date charts. "Up to date" means NtMs applied to the current week. Outdated charts are a PSC deficiency. The MCA's Concentrated Inspection Campaign on navigational equipment in recent years specifically targeted NtM compliance. Automatic ECDIS updates (option C): ECDIS does NOT automatically update charts without action. The chief mate must: (a) have an active subscription to AVCS or equivalent; (b) download updates from the update server; (c) apply them to the ECDIS. The process is not automatic — many ECDIS groundings have involved failure to update ENCs. Chart Correction Log requirement: the requirement for a Chart Correction Log is implied by SOLAS V/27 ("adequate and up-to-date charts") and MCA MGN guidance. The Log is not explicitly required by a single SOLAS regulation but is standard practice and expected by PSC. In any grounding investigation — the chart correction log will be examined to verify the chart was current at the time of the incident.

Question 2

As Chief Mate, you are responsible for preparing the passage plan for a voyage from Rotterdam to New York. Describe the APEM framework you use and what the master must approve.

Accepted Answer

PASSAGE PLANNING APEM FRAMEWORK: IMO Resolution A.893(21) — Voyage Planning Guidelines. The APEM framework has four stages: (A) APPRAISAL: gather all relevant information before planning: (1) Nautical charts — identify correct editions, apply NtM corrections. Use largest scale available for all coastal sections; (2) Nautical publications — Sailing Directions (NP27 Bay of Biscay, NP69 North Atlantic, US East Coast Pilot), Light Lists, Tide Tables, Tidal Stream Atlas; (3) Weather routing service — seasonal North Atlantic winter storm track, pilot charts showing prevailing winds, currents, ice limits; (4) Notices to Mariners — weekly, check latest edition NTMs for all charts to be used; (5) Ship's draught and UKC requirements at departure and arrival; (6) Vessel characteristics — manoeuvring data card, stopping distances; (P) PLANNING: using the appraisal information, plan the complete voyage: (1) Berth-to-berth — departure berth Rotterdam, arrival berth New York including pilot boarding ground; (2) Waypoints with clearing bearings/distances from dangers; (3) No-go areas — shoals, traffic separation zones, exclusion areas, offshore installations; (4) Abort points — last point to turn back to Rotterdam safely; (5) UKC calculations at critical shallow sections; (6) Speed calculations for pilot station arrival time and tidal window; (E) EXECUTION: monitoring the voyage against the plan; (M) MONITORING: comparing actual position against planned track throughout. MASTER APPROVAL: the Master must sign the plan before departure — SOLAS V/34 legal obligation. APEM standard — universal application: APEM applies to ALL voyages including ocean passages. The depth of each stage varies with voyage complexity, but an ocean Atlantic crossing requires: (a) seasonal weather routing consideration (North Atlantic in winter — Genco/Maersk weather routing service); (b) ice limit consideration (Grand Banks area — seasonal icebergs from March to August); (c) North Atlantic shipping lanes (SOLAS Regulation for routeing); (d) GMDSS provision for the sea areas (A1/A2/A3 coverage). Chief mate's role in passage planning: in practice, the chief mate prepares the voyage plan and presents it to the master for approval. This is standard industry practice reflected in STCW competence requirements for STCW II/2 (Chief Mate). The STCW Chief Mate Certificate of Competency examination includes passage planning as a key competency. Master sign-off requirement: the master is ultimately legally responsible under SOLAS V/34 for ensuring the voyage is properly planned. In practice, the master reviews and approves the plan — but the chief mate prepares it. The master's approval signature has legal significance in any investigation. Great circle only (option C): while great circle routing is the default for ocean passages, the passage plan must still consider: (a) ice limits in the Great Circle track area; (b) Traffic Separation Schemes; (c) pilot boarding grounds; (d) UKC at port approaches. A bare great circle with no additional planning is not a complete passage plan for a SOLAS V/34 purpose.

Question 3

As Chief Mate planning a passage through the Dover Strait, how do you identify and mark no-go areas, and what contingency routes do you plan?

Accepted Answer

DOVER STRAIT PASSAGE — NO-GO AREAS AND CONTINGENCY PLANNING: NO-GO AREAS IN DOVER STRAIT: (1) SHOALS: Varne Bank (least depth 4.3m), Falls Bank, Colbart Bank — marked on BA Chart 1892/1828. All areas with depth less than vessel draught plus UKC policy must be marked as no-go; (2) TSS EXCLUSION: the Dover Strait TSS (defined in COLREG Annex as a routeing measure). Vessels transiting the strait must follow the lanes — crossing the lane separation zone is a COLREG Rule 10 violation; (3) SUBMARINE CABLES AND PIPELINES: marked on chart — no-go for anchor deployment; (4) TRAFFIC SEPARATION ZONES: the separation zone between the two lanes — vessels must not proceed in the separation zone except in emergency; MARKING NO-GO AREAS ON ECDIS: (1) Set Safety Contour on ECDIS to depth = draught + UKC policy (e.g., draught 8.5m + 1.0m UKC = 9.5m safety contour). All water shallower than 9.5m will display as dangerous; (2) Manually draw no-go zones for areas of concern (proximity to Varne Bank during fog); (3) Set XTE alarms to appropriate corridor width; CONTINGENCY ROUTES: (1) ABORT: if approaching Dover in bad visibility — consider waiting at anchor in the Downs (off Deal) rather than entering the Strait; (2) PORT OF REFUGE: Dunkirk is the nearest all-tide port of refuge on the French side; (3) DIVERSION: if engine failure — plan is to anchor in Dungeness Bight or Ramsgate as alternatives; (4) FOG: reduced visibility plan — speed reduction, enhanced radar watch, sound signals (Rule 35), notify Dover Coastguard. Dover Strait significance: the Dover Strait is the world's busiest shipping lane — 600+ vessel transits daily. Collision risk is extremely high. The TSS (established in 1967, one of the first in the world) is mandatory under COLREG Rule 10 for vessels transiting. The Varne Bank: this is the primary depth hazard in the Strait — a sandbank with 4.3m least depth in the main shipping lane area. A large vessel failing to follow the TSS lane precisely could approach the bank. The Varne Bank has been involved in several collisions when vessels left the TSS. Proactive no-go area planning: the MAIB has emphasised in multiple reports that reactive navigation (avoiding hazards when they become apparent) is insufficient for confined water navigation. No-go areas must be identified and marked on the chart/ECDIS BEFORE entering confined waters so that the navigator knows the safe corridor. Contingency planning responsibility: the chief mate is responsible for preparing the passage plan INCLUDING contingency routes. The pilot boards at the pilot station — the contingency planning is done before the pilot arrives. If engine failure occurs before the pilot boards — the chief mate's contingency plan governs the response. FOG in Dover Strait: the Dover Strait in reduced visibility is one of the highest-risk situations in European coastal navigation. The passage plan must specifically address reduced visibility operations: speed limits, enhanced radar watch intervals, fog signal requirements (Rule 35), notification to Dover Coastguard CNIS (Channel Navigation Information Service).