Enhancing passage planning & compliance efficiency with OneOcean 25

Why digital alone isn’t enough

As the International Maritime Organization clearly states, passage planning is essential for the safety and efficiency of navigation and maritime environmental protection [1]. Some courts even view a defective passage plan as making a vessel legally unseaworthy. 

Despite the availability of digital tools, issues still arise when data is fragmented across multiple systems. As Peter Turner, Solutions Consultant at LR OneOcean, highlights in his article Voyage Planning Mistakes: Are Spreadsheets Putting Your Ship at Risk?, reliance on manual processes, such as Excel spreadsheets, increases the risk of miscalculations and compliance failures. 

Achieving effective and compliant passage planning requires strong data preparation, seamless data sharing, and a clear understanding of procedures, routes and regulations at both ship and shore level. While the industry has shifted from paper-based methods to digital alternatives, many operators still struggle with disconnected spreadsheets and outdated systems. These error-prone processes create inefficiencies and compliance risks, limiting the full benefits of digitalisation.
 
The risks of inadequate data transfer
Imagine a scenario where a vessel navigates a narrow coastal approach at night, relying on charts that should have been updated days ago. The tide is lower than expected, and an unmarked sandbank lies ahead. The bridge crew assumes the passage is safe—until the ship runs aground, trapped in shifting sediments. 

This scenario isn’t hypothetical. According to Ship Owners, countless maritime incidents stem from incomplete or outdated navigational data. Common issues include: 
•    Outdated charts that don’t reflect the latest safety updates. 
•    Unmarked no-go areas, leaving vessels vulnerable to grounding. 

For example, a post-incident investigation into a container ship that ran aground in 2011 near a Chinese port found that inadequate data sharing between the bridge team contributed to the accident [3]. Failure to communicate no-go areas effectively highlights the dangers of fragmented or inaccessible data in passage planning. 

Automating critical calculations: UKC & overhead clearance
Bridges, power lines, and shifting seabeds pose serious navigational risks. OneOcean 25 automates key calculations to ensure vessels maintain safe operational margins while reducing manual workload and human error. 

For example, a bulk carrier approaching a congested port may face both low bridge clearance and shifting tidal conditions. OneOcean 25 integrates real-time ENC chart data with live tidal updates to ensure air draft and under keel clearance (UKC) calculations remain precise, preventing costly last-minute route adjustments. 

Similarly, a tanker navigating an environmentally restricted area must comply with pre-configured UKC policies aligned with SIRE 2.0 standards. OneOcean 25 provides seven OCIMF-recommended UKC policies by default while allowing vessel operators to define, adjust, and enforce their own dynamically. This ensures compliance with OCIMF guidelines and company-specific requirements while minimising manual intervention and improving inspection readiness. 

The Platform also integrates live tidal data and squat effects to prevent miscalculations that could put vessels at risk, while ENC chart integration automates overhead clearance assessments, reducing reliance on manual checks and ensuring safer passage under bridges and power lines. By allowing flexible policy deployment across the fleet, OneOcean 25 helps operators maintain compliance, enhance navigational safety, and reduce the risk of non-compliance.