Overview 

This Passage Planning Guide provides up-to-date information for the safe and controlled transit of ships through the English Channel, Dover Strait and Southern North Sea, covering passages to and from:

• MAAS/Rotterdam

• Sunk/Thames

• Wandelaar/Schelde

• Elbe/Weser/Jade.

The 2024-25 edition has been fully revised and updated with assistance from serving deep-sea pilots and leading industry organisations. It now includes guidance covering German Bight.

The Guide will be a valuable source of reference at every stage of the passage (appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring). It highlights aids to navigation, traffic separation schemes, distinctive chart features, traffic hotspots, potential hazards, etc, which are essential considerations for a controlled and safe passage.

In addition, a companion publication ?Useful Information for English Channel, Dover Strait and Southern North Sea' has been made freely available to download here. This contains contains links to the latest reference PDFs for the region, Pilot Boarding Stations for Cherbourg and Brixham, Pre-Entry Bridge Team Meeting checklists and details of incident reporting for ships transiting the Dover Strait.

Additional Information