NV Ch. 2 — Passage Appraisal

1. Introduction — what appraisal is and why it comes first

Before any voyage is embarked upon — indeed before any project is undertaken — those who control the venture need to understand the risks involved. The appraisal stage of passage planning is the stage that examines those risks. Where alternatives exist, the risks are weighed and a compromise is reached, balancing the level of risk against commercial expediency.

Source: SWIFT, A. J.; BAILEY, T. J. Bridge Team Management: a practical guide. 2nd ed. London: The Nautical Institute, 2004. Chapter 2 — Passage Appraisal (pp. 9-15).

Edital: Anexo 2-B, Área III, item 1 (Swift & Bailey) → Chapter 2 — Passage Appraisal · Anexo 2-A, Área III, item 10 (Planejamento de derrota / Passage planning — fase de avaliação), conexão item 12 (prático a bordo).

Appraisal may be considered the most important part of passage planning, because it is here that all pertinent information is gathered and the firm foundation for the plan is built. The urge to start planning as soon as possible should be resisted: time spent on appraisal pays dividends later. Where the four building blocks of the book are Appraisal → Planning → Organisation → Monitoring, this chapter is the first one — the preparation step that everything else rests on.

The appraisal could be considered to be the most important part of passage planning as it is at this stage that all pertinent information is gathered and the firm foundation for the plan is built. — Swift & Bailey, Chapter 2 (Introduction)

2. Sources of information — the 23 inputs to appraisal

2.1 The checklist of 23 sources

The master's decision on the overall conduct of the passage is based on an appraisal of the available information. That information is drawn from sources "including but not limited to" the 23 listed below. Not every source is needed for every passage — the list is a quick check on what is necessary for most, and experience tells the planner just what a given passage requires. The book quotes only British and American catalogue numbers; similar publications exist from other national authorities.

3. Overall appraisal — ocean passages

3.1 Distance versus the other factors

Having collected all relevant information, the master — in consultation with his officers — makes an overall appraisal of the passage. For a trans-ocean route the first consideration is the distance between ports and the availability of bunkers and stores. A great circle is the shortest distance, but other factors weigh against pure distance.

4. Overall appraisal — coastal passages and the berth-to-berth principle

For the coastal stage, the first consideration at appraisal is the distance that tracks should be laid off coastlines and dangers. Where IMO traffic separation and routeing schemes operate, such routeing has to be followed. Some states impose minimum distances-off for all or specified vessels; shipping companies or charterers may add their own minimum distances off dangers or land. In archipelagos, the appraisal must determine which straits and passages to use and whether pilotage is required — sometimes it is preferable to divert around the archipelago entirely.

Having appraised the intended voyage — short coastal hop or major trans-ocean passage — the master determines his strategy and delegates the actual planning to one of his officers: usually the second mate, sometimes a designated navigating officer, occasionally the master himself. Whoever plans, it must be to the master's requirements, because the master carries the final responsibility for the plan.

4.1 Berth to berth — not pilot station to pilot station

The plan must include all eventualities and contingencies. Passage plans are often made from pilot station to pilot station, but the rule is to plan from berth to berth — even when a pilot is expected to conduct the vessel at certain stages — because the pilot's presence does not relieve the watch officer of his duties:

"Despite the duties and obligations of a pilot, his presence on board does not relieve the officer in charge of the watch from his duties and obligations for the safety of the ship." — IMO Resolution A.285(VIII), Annex A (v)

5. Navigational hazard notes — verifying corrections

The bridge team must be able to verify that corrections are up to date and that all relevant navigational warnings have been noted. A chart that contains corrections does not necessarily indicate whether they are the most up-to-date available — the presence of corrections is not proof of currency. A notebook entry enables this detail to be verified (see Annex II).

6. Appraisal in one view

Appraisal is the information-gathering foundation of every passage plan and the most important of its parts. The master, with his officers, weighs risk against commercial expediency, then delegates the planning while keeping final responsibility. The chapter reduces to: