Question 1

Your next port arrival is scheduled for 0200 after a 5-day passage. To avoid an unsocial arrival time, you could reduce speed and arrive at 0800. What factors does the chief mate consider in recommending this to the master?

Accepted Answer

SPEED MANAGEMENT AND ANTI-FATIGUE ROUTING: FACTORS FOR CHIEF MATE CONSIDERATION: (1) CREW FATIGUE: a 0200 arrival in a major port — anchor, mooring, pilot boarding, tug operations, anchor watch, customs/immigration — requires key personnel awake and alert. If this follows five days of watches, crew fatigue is a significant safety concern. MLC 2006 rest hour requirements must be met for all crew involved in arrival operations; (2) COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATION: charterparty may have specific NOR (Notice of Readiness) timing provisions. Does the charterer have a berth available at 0200? If not — anchoring may be required regardless. Check laytime provisions; (3) LAYCAN: does a reduced speed affect the laycan? If the vessel misses laycan, are there penalties?; (4) PORT WORKING HOURS: does the terminal operate 24/7 or daytime only? A 0200 arrival at a daytime-only terminal may result in waiting at anchor anyway — so a 0800 arrival at the berth (rather than 0200 at anchor) might be preferable; (5) PILOT AVAILABILITY: does the port have 24-hour pilot service? Some smaller ports have limited pilot availability at night; (6) TIDE: does the port require a specific tidal window? A 0800 arrival may coincide with a better tidal window; (7) FUEL EFFICIENCY (JUST-IN-TIME): reducing speed saves fuel and reduces CII. If the port cannot take the vessel at 0200 — slow steaming saves fuel and reduces emissions with no commercial penalty; (8) RECOMMENDATION: chief mate to present options to master in writing with pros/cons. Master makes the final decision. Just-in-Time arrival: the IMO has promoted the "Just-in-Time" arrival concept as part of efficiency and emissions reduction. Rather than steaming at full speed to an anchor position outside a congested port — slow steaming to arrive when the berth is available: (a) saves fuel; (b) reduces CII; (c) reduces crew fatigue; (d) reduces emissions; (e) reduces wear on main engine. Virtual Arrival: some charterparties now include "Virtual Arrival" clauses that allow master and charterer to agree reduced speed approaches with adjusted laytime start. The commercial framework increasingly supports slow steaming for efficiency. Chief mate's role in speed recommendations: the chief mate is the officer primarily responsible for voyage planning and execution. Making a written recommendation to the master about optimal arrival speed is exactly within the chief mate's professional remit. A professional chief mate should consider all factors (commercial, safety, fatigue, tidal, operational) and present them to the master. Slow steaming and NOx (option D): this concern is inaccurate for modern 2-stroke main engines which run on a direct-injection cycle optimised across a range of speeds. While very low speeds (below ~20% MCR) can increase specific fuel consumption, the absolute fuel burn and emissions are lower at lower speeds even if the per-unit-work efficiency is slightly reduced. MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 13 (NOx) sets limits based on engine RPM rating — not operating speed. Slow steaming at sea does not violate MARPOL Annex VI.

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.