International Harbour Masters Association

Standards for
Nautical Port Information:
Port Information Guide & Port Sections Guide

Masters must comply with IMO requirements

for berth to berth passage planning. The significance of this activity is highlighted by
the fact that most accidents happen between
the pilot station and the berth. However,
passage planning is made more difficult when
the available information differs from
source to source and the Master is faced
with the task of selecting what is correct.
Such decisions are being made prior to arrival in port, at a time when masters may have
to make almost immediate executive and
operational decisions. It is, therefore, vital
to implement a process which improves and
informs a master's decision making at such
a critical time.

Publishers have difficulty in establishing what information

is reliable; there is a clear need for a single window for
port information for each port in a standardised format.

International Harbour Masters Association

Why an IHMA standard?

First a short review of the past 4 years:
Since the IHMA congress in Malta, 2006, where Maersk pleaded for more reliable nautical information,
a lot has happened.
Following an industry-wide investigation it was recognised that there is a signicant lack of uniformly
presented, complete, accurate and easily accessible nautical port information. For a variety of reasons this
information is considered to be of great importance to masters, shipping lines, trading oors, agents and
publishers of such information.
The lack of uniformity and availability of sound nautical port information stems from the fact that this
information is generally published in printed documents. Harbour masters receive many different questionnaires from all kind of publishers asking to amend their nautical publications. Completing the questionnaires
is administratively cumbersome, resource intensive and leads to different information about the same
port as not every questionnaire is completed by the same person. In addition, there is no central point from
which information is available. Thus a ports customers tend to turn to ships agents for information,
as they can not necessarily rely on existing publications. They, in turn, along with other enquirers call the
harbour masters ofce and / or terminal operators to gain the required information; ships agents have
reported that 95% of the queries they handle involve nautical port information. Apart from being very time
consuming, the process has the almost inevitable consequence of providing apparently inconsistent and
sometimes outdated information.
Moreover, the use of digital data brings with it that the update frequency will increase as updating, technically, will become easier and quicker. The higher update frequency however requires digital input. At the
same time, the users expectations of the accuracy of data goes up. As marine people may gradually
disappear from Ports, a standard of nautical knowledge, explicitly written down, is important, not least to
the Harbour Masters Association itself.
IHMA considers easily accessible, accurate and up to date nautical port information in a standardised
format of utmost importance and seeks to overcome the described shortcomings by its Nautical Port
Information Project.

Nautical port information can be divided into two parts:

1. For the port as a whole; Port Information Guide
Giving general nautical port information such as contact information, notications, port description etc.
2. For each berth or fairway section; Port Sections Guide
Giving specic nautical port information per section of the port; approaches, anchorages, entrances,
fairways, berths and covers information such as position, UKC policy and wind, tidal, visibility restrictions

Confusion about where and when specific

reports are to be made and missing or incorrect mooring information can arise from the
lack of adequate nautical port information,
leading to unsafe and inefficient port operations.

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at sea has

become an important driver. By sailing to the pilot station
at economic speed with proper tidal window information,
one can save up to 50% of bunker consumption.

International Harbour Masters Association

Port Information Guide

- for the port as a whole First a solution was found for the production of general nautical port information. Initial research had shown
that harbour masters are seen as the authoritative and trusted source for general nautical port information.
A template for the input and production of Port Information Guides was nalised with the support of UK
Hydrogrpahic Ofce and Lloyds Marine Intelligence Unit and is freely available for use via the IHMA website
(www.harbourmaster.org). Use of this facility is being encouraged by the sponsors and promoted by major
publishers of nautical information and shipping lines. At this time the Port Information Guide is regarded as
best practice in the maritime industry.

Alan Coghlan
Coghlan; Looking
Looking into the future it is
likely that the numbers of qualified mariners
in the port-industry
industry will decrease. Therefore
we believe it to be very important to create a
standard of nautical knowledge that will serve
ports, ship masters and all other stakeholders
of the chain well into the future. Through the
chain we are creating awareness of our world,
therefore it is now time to share our world
and our knowledge in an accredited standard
(Avanti) - We must - as that is what is expected of us.

If trading floors are not certain about the exact depth, they
apply an additional safety margin, resulting in less cargo for
the port.

International Harbour Masters Association

Port Information Guide standard

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

in port has become more and more important.
By preparing the ship properly for port, not
only is operational safety improved, but one
can decrease the need for tugs, auxiliary
and main engines, and the amount of hours
in port can be reduced.

Ships will grow even bigger in size, coping with issues such
as bunker use per carried ton. As a result safety margins
are getting smaller, increasing the need for more detailed
nautical port information.

International Harbour Masters Association

Port Sections Guide

- for each berth and fairway section To further meet the demands of the maritime industry and the nautical service providers IHMA has started
working on the second phase: specic nautical port information, provided in the Port Sections Guide.
Providing information needs clear separation of roles; discussions with the Oil Companies International
Marine Forum (OCIMF) and UK Hydrographic Ofce have resulted in a clear separation of responsibilities
for the specic nautical port information;
Harbour Master:
- From pilot station to fender line the harbour masters are seen as the authoritative and trusted source for
specic nautical port information such as depths, UKC policy, tidal restrictions etc., possibly complemented
with charts and photos.
Terminal Operator:
- From fender line to rst valve ashore (wet terminals) or crane (dry terminals) the terminal operators are
seen as the authoritative and trusted source for terminal information such as mooring arrangements,
maximum approach speed, manifold information etc.
The template for the Port Sections Guide is a simple Excel document, and is a result of many discussions
with OCIMF, Maersk, UKHO and ports (see page 10).

Ships have been overwhelmed with Safety

Management Systems in the last decade in a
rather hasty way. As a result the maritime
industry has now the impression that a ship,
laden with documents and procedures, sails
into a port or terminal, and finds itself in an
environment with not even the basic information available, nor transparent procedures
or certification. There is a strong call that
ports should catch up with the ships. The first
step in this approach is providing nautical
information of the port, together with source,
date of submission, etc.

The development of the Port Electronic Navicational Chart

is on-going,
going, which requires more specific nautical information than ever before.

International Harbour Masters Association

Port Sections Guide standard

10

Ships have been fitted with more satellite

communication systems, enabling them to log
on to port and terminal websites, increasing
the need for digital nautical port information
in a standardised format.

Important: The Oil Company International Marine Forum

(OCIMF)
OCIMF is developing one Terminal Assurance System (TAS)
OCIMF)
TAS .
TAS)
Within this TAS, a Terminal Particular Questionnaire (TPQ)
TPQ ,
TPQ)
is in process to be developed. See page 14 of this flyer. About
30% of the TPQ will be related to nautical issues, seeking
the input of harbour master. The template for the Port Section Guide has been developed in line with the TPQ.

International Harbour Masters Association

Together with the Maritime Industry I

The need for information of all concerned parties (captains, traders, publishers of nautical information etc.)
consists of:
Type of
information

Responsible Project

Project
leader

User

Status

General
Nautical Port
Information

Harbour
Master

Port Information Guide

IHMA

Publishers, Traders,
Ship planners, Ship
agents, Captains,
Terminal operators,
Nautical service providers, harbour master
personnel, feeds the
Port ENC and TPQ
projects of UKHO and
OCIMF.

In progress, nal
template in 2008,
7 ports nished,
UKHO involvement
being discussed

Specic
Nautical Port
Information

Harbour
Master

Port Sections
Guide

IHMA

Publishers, Traders,
Ship planners, Ship
agents, Captains,
Terminal operators,
Nautical service providers, harbour master
personnel, feeds the
Port ENC and TPQ
projects of UKHO and
OCIMF.

Final template
accepted at the
IHMA congress in
Perth, April 2010

Port
Electronic
Navigational
Chart

Hydrographic
Ofce

Port
Electronic
Navigational
Chart (ENC)

UKHO

Traders, Ship planners,

Ship agents, Captains,
Nautical service
providers, harbour
master personnel

In progress, technique is already in

place, input from
ports still an issue.

Terminal
information

Terminal
operator

Terminal
Particulars
Questionnaire

OCIMF

Publishers, Terminal
operators, Ship operators, Captains,
Charterers, Ship agents,
Nautical service
providers.

In progress, nal
template 2010,
rst trial April 2010.

Pilot passage
plan information (static
and dynamic)

Pilots

Xx

Xx

Captains

Not started yet,

best practises in
Australian ports

12

The need to share experiences in the port

between the nautical service providers has
increased, not only to improve safety in
port, but also to improve efficiency.

Ports start developing their own systems and websites independent from other ports. Our customers prefer a standardised way of providing information. If we do not provide a
system soon, to publish information in a standardized way,
this development will continue.

International Harbour Masters Association

Together with the Maritime Industry II

PORT
ENC

The
Port
Information Guide and the Port Sections Guide both provide input for present and future publications

nautical publishers. With the increasing number of digital publications, the frequency of updating rises dramaof

tically
and the users expectations on the correctness of data goes up inevitably. Therefore the cooperation

with
UKHO
is of great importance to ensure our templates meet the demands of publishers.

TERMINAL
INFORMATION

The
Oil Companies International Maritime Forum (OCIMF) is developing at present the marine terminal particu

lars
questionnaire (TPQ). This is to serve as a component of the OCIMF Marine Terminal Assessment System

with
as expected outcome an accurate repository of marine particulars data needed for assessing suitability

of
the ship/shore interface. This Terminal Assessment System is targeting to be completed in 2013. IHMA

is
member of the Terminal Particulars Questionnaire Working Group.

The
big benet is that we can ne tune the template of our Port Section Guides, ensuring that our general and

speci
c nautical port information cover all nautical elds in the Terminal Particulars Questionnaire. In return,

will be able to look into terminal information related to our job such as mooring arrangements, mooring
we

plans,
contact info etc.

The
Terminal Particulars Questionnaire of OCIMF will collect information from the (oil)terminals such as eg;

PILOT
PASSAGE PLAN

The
Nautical Institute advices in its (concept) guide Passage Planning in Ports that pilots should provide the

master
with a basic indication of a preferred intention before the ship arrives at the pilot station. If on top of

that
the master has up-to-date nautical charts on board, he can make the port passage plan an integral part

of
the passage plan from berth to berth. If one of these 2 elements is missing, the master will not be able to

do
this and there will always be a lot of difference between the port passage plans of the master and pilot.

14

Good Nautical Port information is the foundation of safe, efficient

port use in the most environmentally sensitive and collaborative
manner. Good quality information and data means that all information is consistent, accurate, up to date, complete and most
importantly, is based on a port industry standard. By improving the
information within the supply chain, trading partners will improve
safety, reduce costs, improve productivity and accelerate product
access to the market.

International Harbour Masters Association

Recognition of the maritime industry

OCIMF
IHMA, having been invited by OCIMF Members (the Oil Companies International Maritime Forum), has worked
with the OCIMF TPQ (terminal particulars questionnaire) as only non-OCIMF member.
Nautical Institute
The Nautical Institute, in its guide Passage Planning in Ports, encourages all port authorities to provide appropriate and signicant port passage planning guidance on their websites and nominates the Port Information
Guide as good example of this practice.
PIANC
Also PIANC has recognized the good work of IHMA; the PIANC Work Group 55 recently has decided to add to
its new guidelines The Safety Aspect Affecting the Berthing Operations of Tankers to Oil and Gas Terminals a
chapter called Generic port information, explaining and promoting the IHMA Nautical Port Information Project
IMO
The International Maritime Organization has accepted the paper Improving the provision and quality of
nautical port information at its Maritime Safety Committee meeting of July 2007. The paper, submitted by
IHMA with the support of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), the International
Federation of Ship Masters Association (IFSMA) and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF),
pleaded the necessity for a more efcient and standardized way of making nautical port information available
to mariners and publishers of nautical information.

How does the Harbour Master benet?

Nautical knowledge that is explicitly available will not only serve ship masters and maritime industry, as is listed
on page 12. Also the port organisations benet!
The numbers of qualied mariners in the port-industry will decrease and marine people will gradually
disappear from the scene. Specifying explicitly all nautical knowledge in Port Information Guides and Port
Sections Guides can improve processes in harbour masters organisations;
- An explicit inventory of all the knowledge that a whole generation in the port authority may have is made
before this knowledge gets lost
- New people entering the harbour masters organisation have a solid instrument to get acquainted with all
admittance policies
- Admittance policies will be communicated to agents and vessels in a uniform and unquestionable way,
also when port ofcers change watch
- Knowledge on admittance policy will no longer be kept to the port authority alone, but will be transparent
and shared with the outside world for better planning and more safety
In future we may even see the results certied; Class society Lloyds Register is assessing the templates,
ensuring it can be validated on distance in the future. Certication of the Port Information Guide and the Port
Sections Guide is intended to give condence and demonstrable proof of the ability to deliver up to date
nautical port information in line with the latest port sector requirements. This entire process is called Avanti:
Accessible Validated Nautical Information. All together it looks like the maritime industry is putting its arms
around this project.

16

With the increasing number of digital publications, the frequency

of updating rises dramatically and the users expectations on
the correctness of data goes up inevitably. Having correct digital
data available in a standardised format makes the port a "next
generation" port.

International Harbour Masters Association

The action that lies with IHMA

One of the important reasons for having an association is to strive for harmonization. Port information is for our customers the most important topic that can be addressed by our association.
The standard for the Port Information Guide has been set in 2008. To come to the standard for
the Port Sections Guide, we used a step by step approach, nalised at the Perth Congress,
April 2010:
1st step. Consulting our members on what their concerns and issues are, and gain input and
support for the proposed standard
2nd step. Further consulting internationally recognized maritime organisations such as the
UK Hydrographic Ofce and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum for their
comments, input, ne tuning and consensus on the standard
3d step.

Submit the result of both consultations to our members in order to formally declare also
the Port Sections Guide an IHMA standard and ensure there is willingness to implement
the standard within a certain timeframe

The maritime industry needs more and more our support in the near future, and they would very
much appreciate a harmonized way of working. This would make our profession and our association much more valuable to the marine industry.

The IHMA

The International Harbour Masters Association is a non-prot making professional body that unites
Harbour Masters around the world. Our principal objective is to promote safe, secure, efcient
and environmentally sound conduct of Marine Operations in Port waters and their approaches.
We achieve this objective in four distinct ways:
With 225 members in 34 countries the Association strives to bring together all those who hold a
managerial position in aspects of the control of Marine Operations within a port or its approaches
whether through jurisdictional or legal responsibility.
The Association seeks to develop and foster good relations between Harbour Masters worldwide, to represent the professional views of Harbour Masters and to initialise improvements of
processes in the port in collaboration with other stakeholders.
The Association has developed a programme of regular professional contacts with sister organisations within the Marine/Port Industry. In particular we have established Memoranda of Understanding with The International Maritime Pilots Association (IMPA), The International Association
of marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) and The Nautical Institute (NI).
The Association has been granted Non Governmental Consultative status at the International
Maritime Organisation (IMO).

18

International Harbour Masters Association

International Harbour
Masters Association
PO Box 314
Fareham
PO17 5XZ
UK
Telephone:
+44 1329 832771
E-mail:
secretary.ihma@harbourmasters.org

Capt. Alan Coghlan

President IHMA
Telephone:
+353 69 73103
E-mail:
president.ihma@harbourmasters.org

Capt. Ben van Scherpenzeel

Nautical Port Information Project
Telephone:
+31 10 2521337
E-mail:
scherpenzeel.ehmc@harbourmasters.org

September 2010