PSC deficiency code 10127: Voyage or passage plan
Code 10127 is written when the passage plan is missing, incomplete or not being followed. Inspectors look at the plan for the voyage just completed and the one about to start, on paper or in ECDIS, and compare it with what happened on the charts and in the logbook.
What the inspector looks at
- a plan from berth to berth, including pilotage waters and port approaches
- appraisal: the publications, charts and information actually used, and hazards identified
- under keel clearance calculated for critical points, with squat taken into account
- no-go areas, safety margins and clearing bearings or parallel indexing marked
- abort points, contingency anchorages and points where the engine must be ready
- reporting points, VTS and pilot boarding, and changes of watch condition
- approval by the master and acknowledgement by the officers
- the track actually sailed matches the plan, or deviations are explained
Common findings
- Passage plan not berth to berth; pilotage waters not included
- Passage plan for the next voyage not prepared before departure
- UKC not calculated / squat not considered
- No-go areas and safety margins not marked on charts or in ECDIS
- Abort points and contingency plans not identified
- Passage plan not approved by the master
- Vessel's track deviates from plan without record
The rule behind it
SOLAS chapter V, regulation 34 requires the master to make sure the intended voyage has been planned using appropriate charts and publications, taking account of the IMO guidelines for voyage planning (resolution A.893(21)). STCW Code section A-VIII/2 gives the principles of voyage planning for watchkeeping officers. The company SMS normally sets the format and the checklists under the ISM Code.
Action codes you are likely to see
A missing or plainly inadequate plan for the next voyage is normally 17, rectify before departure. Smaller gaps in an otherwise sound plan (no UKC figure for one point, missing signatures) often get 16. A ship sailing without any meaningful plan, or with several navigation deficiencies together, can be detained (30), and repeated passage planning findings can draw an ISM deficiency. See action taken codes.
How to close it
Complete the plan for the departing voyage berth to berth before sailing: appraisal, UKC calculations, no-go areas, abort points and contingencies, then have the master approve it and the officers sign. Show the inspector the plan on paper and the same route in ECDIS. Keep a copy of the corrected plan with the Form B. Where the finding points to a habit rather than a one-off, raise it in the SMS as a non-conformity, brief the deck officers and record the briefing.