Page 25: of Marine News Magazine (April 2012)

www.marinelink.com MN25clear message to the watch officers what navigable areas are expected to be transited. Perhaps the cruise line Industry will be the next to embrace marking the no-go areas on their charts. VOYAGE PLANNING : THEBIGPICTURESending a clear message through your management plan of how you expect your vessels to be navigated and under what conditions, is just one area of operational control? that the International Safety Management Code requires. Calculating the minimum amount of water that is underthe keel for the transit and recording it on the passage plan is one way of documenting that the companys minimum standard is being adhered to. Auditing your Captains and Mates to make sure they understand the companys requirement in maintaining the minimum under keel clearance as well as auditing the voyage plans to ensure it is being calculated is another. Summing up: verify opera- tional control of the vessel in a standardized fashion and prevent groundings. Now, thats a Voyage Plan. Captain Katharine Sweeney is CEO of Compliance Maritime, provider of independent internal auditing of secu- rity, safety, quality and environmental management systems for vessel opera- tors. Captain Sweeney is an experi- enced Master Mariner, safety expert and federally licensed pilot with over 25 years in the Maritime Industry. Contact her at [email protected]. Jotun Paints Inc. Jotun Paints Inc. 9203 Highway 23, Belle Chasse, LA 700379203 Highway 23, Belle Chasse, LA 70037 Ph: (504) 394-3538 ? Fx: (504) 394-3726 ? www.jotun.comVisit us at OTC 2012 Booth # 5155Visit us at OTC 2012 Booth # 5155