Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: Bunkering Operations • Watch Keeping • Passage Planning

Voyage Planning

Term from Ship Captain Roles industry explained for recruiters

Voyage Planning is a crucial skill in the maritime industry where ship captains and officers plan the safest and most efficient route for a vessel's journey from one port to another. It's like creating a detailed roadmap for ships, but much more complex because it involves considering weather conditions, fuel costs, ocean currents, and safety regulations. This process is sometimes called "Passage Planning" or "Route Planning" and is required by international maritime law. Think of it as being similar to how airline pilots plan their flights, but for ships.

Examples in Resumes

Created and executed Voyage Planning for container vessels across international routes

Supervised Passage Planning operations for bulk carrier fleet

Implemented fuel-efficient Route Planning strategies resulting in 15% cost reduction

Developed Voyage Planning procedures compliant with SOLAS regulations

Typical job title: "Ship Captains"

Also try searching for:

Maritime Captain Ship Master Vessel Master Navigation Officer Ship Officer Chief Officer Maritime Navigator

Where to Find Ship Captains

Professional Organizations

Job Boards

Online Communities

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How do you handle emergency situations that require significant deviation from the original voyage plan?

Expected Answer: A senior captain should explain their decision-making process, including risk assessment, communication with shore-based management, weather routing considerations, and ensuring compliance with maritime regulations while maintaining vessel and crew safety.

Q: How do you optimize voyage planning to reduce fuel consumption while maintaining schedule integrity?

Expected Answer: Should discuss balancing factors like weather routing, speed optimization, trim optimization, and how they coordinate with shore-based operations and commercial requirements.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What factors do you consider when creating a voyage plan?

Expected Answer: Should mention weather conditions, tide tables, port restrictions, fuel consumption, crew work hours, cargo requirements, and navigation hazards.

Q: How do you ensure compliance with environmental regulations during voyage planning?

Expected Answer: Should discuss emission control areas, ballast water management, speed restrictions in sensitive areas, and fuel switching requirements.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What are the four stages of voyage planning?

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain appraisal (gathering information), planning (plotting the route), execution (following the plan), and monitoring (checking progress and making adjustments).

Q: What resources do you use for voyage planning?

Expected Answer: Should mention charts, weather forecasts, tide tables, pilot books, and navigational warnings.