Passage Planning Guide: Malacca and Singapore Straits

    The Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) are one of the busiest and most important shipping routes in the world, connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The SOMS are also a challenging and complex navigational environment, with high traffic density, narrow channels, shallow waters, strong currents, changing weather conditions, and various hazards to shipping. Therefore, it is essential for Masters and navigating officers to have a comprehensive and effective passage plan when transiting the SOMS.

    This article provides an overview of the passage planning guidance for the SOMS, based on the latest edition of the Passage Planning Guide - Straits of Malacca and Singapore (PPG - SOMS 2023-24 Edition) published by Witherbys. The PPG - SOMS is a valuable resource for mariners, as it summarises essential passage planning practice, including elements local to the Straits, and provides practical guidance for the transit, with reference to manning levels, traffic, tugs, pilotage, anchorages, tidal streams, communications, etc. The PPG - SOMS also includes annotated chartlets for each leg of the transit, illustrating aids to navigation and potential hazards to shipping, as well as a tidal streams supplement booklet containing high quality diagrams to provide mariners with information about the tidal conditions they are likely to encounter during their transits through the Straits.




Passage Planning Guide: Malacca And Singapore Straits