Pre-departure Checks and Passage Planning Procedure

Purpose. This procedure sets out the checks and planning that must be completed before any vessel leaves the berth, and how a passage is planned, briefed and recorded.

1.Job authorisation

No vessel leaves the berth without a job recorded in the job and booking register with the task, the destination, the passengers or cargo, and the crew. The master must confirm the job is within the vessel's certificate of operation and operational area.

2.Weather and conditions

The master must obtain the current forecast and warnings for the coastal waters area and the harbour, check tides and bar conditions where relevant, and compare them with the vessel's operating limits. The job must be deferred if conditions exceed the limits.

3.Pre-departure checks

The crew must complete the pre-departure checklist and the master must sign it. Any item that fails must be entered as a defect and the master must decide whether the vessel can sail. Checks include the following.

• Engine room: fuel, oil, coolant, bilges, sea cocks, steering
• Navigation: charts or electronic charts, GPS, radar, AIS, lights
• Communications: VHF radio check with the port, EPIRB armed
• Safety: lifejackets, liferaft, fire equipment, first aid kit in date
• Deck: hatches, lines, fenders, towing gear, passenger count

4.Passage plan

For any passage beyond the harbour the master must prepare a passage plan using the passage plan template covering the route, waypoints, hazards, tidal windows, contingency ports, fuel and communications schedule. The plan must be briefed to the crew and filed with the job.

5.Passenger briefing

On the ferry and crew transfer vessel the crew must count passengers aboard and off, and give the safety briefing covering lifejackets, muster points, emergency signals and movement about the vessel before departure.

6.Log

The master must record departure time, crew, passengers, weather and the checklist completion in the deck log and update the job record on arrival.