Question 1

As Chief Mate planning a Southern Ocean voyage (Cape of Good Hope to Melbourne), what weather routing considerations are paramount?

Accepted Answer

SOUTHERN OCEAN VOYAGE — WEATHER ROUTING: The Southern Ocean (south of approximately 40°S) is one of the most demanding sea areas in the world: persistent westerly gales, no land barriers, wave heights routinely 6-10m with extremes to 25m+, temperature near freezing, limited SAR coverage. WEATHER ROUTING CONSIDERATIONS: (1) ROUTING SERVICE: subscription to a professional weather routing service (StormGeo, Meteorological Authority, etc.) — essential for Southern Ocean passages; (2) GREAT CIRCLE VS RHUMB: a great circle from Cape of Good Hope to Melbourne takes the vessel south of 50°S — into the most severe weather zone. Consider a modified route at 40-45°S (compromise between routing efficiency and weather severity); (3) PILOT CHART DATA: for the month of the voyage — pilot charts show: (a) prevailing wind frequency and force; (b) wave heights by area; (c) current direction; (d) iceberg limit (icebergs reported as far north as 40°S in austral winter); (4) STORM AVOIDANCE: Southern Ocean depressions move rapidly east (25-35 knots). Weather routing service provides updated routing to stay ahead of depressions or position north of the worst weather; (5) FIVE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS (MSC.1/Circ.1228): specifically for Southern Ocean heavy weather — synchronous and parametric rolling, broaching, surf-riding, greenwater. Speed and heading adjustments to avoid; (6) STABILITY: ensure vessel stability is adequate for extreme beam seas. GM must be sufficient. Minimum GM for Southern Ocean passage may exceed normal operations; (7) LASHING CHECKS: all deck and cargo lashings must be verified before entering Southern Ocean. Parametric rolling in Southern Ocean: the Southern Ocean has the largest sustained swell wave systems in the world — generated by uninterrupted fetch around the entire Southern Hemisphere. Specifically for post-Panamax and large container ships, parametric rolling is a well-documented risk in long-period Southern Ocean swells. The passage plan must include a speed/heading restriction plan if parametric rolling is encountered. Iceberg limits: the iceberg limit in the Southern Ocean varies seasonally. In austral summer (December-February), icebergs can drift north to 40-45°S. The passage plan must include the current UKHO iceberg limit chart (or equivalent) and planned routing to avoid the ice zone. Southern Ocean SAR: SAR resources in the Southern Ocean are severely limited. Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) coordinates SAR for the eastern section. If an emergency occurs far south of Australia, helicopter response is impossible and vessel response may take several days. AMSAR (Australian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) should be notified of a Southern Ocean passage. Pilot chart utilisation: pilot charts (H.O. Pub 106 series or equivalent) are specifically designed for this use case. They show historical data for each month — wind roses, sea state distributions, storm frequencies, and ice limits. Every ocean passage plan should reference the relevant monthly pilot chart.

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, 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.