Strategic Planning

Chapter 1, Strategic Planning, is broken out into four subchapters:

• Avoidance of Hazardous Ice
• Avoidance of Hazardous Temperatures
• Voyage Duration and Endurance
• Human resources management

Avoidance of hazardous ice

When a ship frequently operates in polar waters, the PWOM needs to provide applicable information. This means that the PWOM needs to supply information that considers the time periods during which the ship will operate and the areas in which it is intended to operate. Any area that the ship will traverse that has known problems, such as ridging, chokepoints, and worst recorded conditions, should be documented in this subchapter. When there is little data regarding an area of operation, that point must be noted in the PWOM as well.

Avoidance of hazardous temperatures

Ships that frequently operate in polar waters must provide specific information regarding the temperature hazards of the region. The PWOM must list the mean daily low temperature and also provide the lowest recorded temperature historically for the days that the ship is operating in the polar region. If the information is not available, limited, or potentially unreliable, then that must be listed as well.

A significant portion of, and reasoning behind, the development of the PWOM is for establishing procedures. When strategically planning a polar voyage, procedures need to be established that guide requirements for supplies, appropriate safety levels for determined safety margins, sources and availability of fuel. Some, but not all, of the various circumstances that should be taken into consideration when establishing these procedures and requirements include the following:

• Slower than expected steaming
• Course alterations
• Adverse ice conditions
• Places of refuge
• Access to provisions

Human resources management

The PWOM needs to identify and guide the way that human resources are managed. In doing so, it needs to take into account the additional environmental factors, and the impact they have on crew members. The Polar Code specifically mentions the following factors that need to be accounted for:

• Anticipated ice conditions
• Requirements for ice navigation
• Increased level for watch keeping
• Hours of rest
• Fatigue

In taking these factors into consideration, a process must be developed to make sure that crew members are able to meet the requirements, as well as protect them from unnecessary strain.

To learn more about Polar Code visit our Polar Code Online Training web page.