How dynamic is your Voyage Passage Plan?

Prior embarking on a voyage, it is necessary to have a sound Passage Plan which takes into account elements of good voyage planning to guard against all risks a vessel is likely to be exposed to. Anybody reading this piece probably already knows that. 

But how relevant your current Passage Plan truly is?

A Passage Plan, besides incorporating Company's SMS and Best Practices laid down in industry publications, should equally importantly include the collective experience of all Bridge Watchkeepers and vessel's past experience of the same trade. This, of course, requires that the Plan should have been updated at every leg of the previous voyage as it was being executed with information that is relevant for future recall. All Bridge watchkeepers' contribution to the continuous improvement of a Passage Plan is vital. The Bridge Team's keen observation during pilotage, coastal and ocean legs - and careful jottings in the remarks section of the Plan as the voyage is unfolding - is at the core of this processs, eg during pilotage waters, excellent local knowledge can be picked up from the pilot.

Passage Plans are not only vital towards safe execution and conclusion of the voyage, they are also the subject of close scrutiny from PSC officials and auditors. A closer look at the Plan would, however, reveal that nearly all previous versions of the Plan are almost exactly the same as the current one, simply printed after minor changes in voyage details and put into use. This also has the potential of leading to single person errors going undetected, particularly in the absence of a closer review by each member of the Bridge Team.

Masters - and even auditors - have a responsibility to not only ensure this crucial document accurately covers the voyage that is to commence, but also it has been dynamically updated to mirror the voyage just gone by. If merely by studying a Passage Plan for a well-executed voyage gone by we can take home valuable learning tips to prepare and improve a future Plan, then the ISM goal has been well-served.