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Move navigation marks with your finger to the map on the screen. Map out the navigation route from sea to harbour. You can follow the development of expenses and the facility of navigation on your route. Finally, you are able to see how a ship would be steered through your navigation route. |
The Finnish Maritime Administration’s Waterways Department is responsible for navigation routes in Finland. Basic principles include marking out the navigation route, its measurements and dragging depth. The draught and speed of vessels using the route affect the measurements. Also local wave conditions must be taken into account.
The goal is to achieve navigation routes that are economical in use, construction and maintenance, that are easily navigable and safe.
Finnish coastal waters are shallow and shattered by islands and isolated rocks. There are turns in the navigation routes because of the forms of the bottom of the sea. It is necessary to dredge shallow routes. During winter and fall visibility can be poor, and the route must be adequately marked out. In addition, the navigation marks must stay in place even in icy conditions.
Co-operation partner:
Finnish Maritime Administration
A navigation route planner’s goal is to achieve safe navigation routes
Planners of navigation routes do not form a uniform crowd. Usually a technical basic education is needed (graduate engineer, engineer) from a field of infrastructure (water, land, ground engineering). There is no direct education programme for navigation route planning in Finland at the moment. On top of construction expertise it’s important to be acquainted with theories of vessel performance as well as conditions of nature.
There are a few dozen navigation route planners in Finland. Most of them do other kinds of work, too. They are often employed by private consulting companies or the Finnish Maritime Administration.
The basic technical principles related to planning navigation routes do not differ from planning for example railways or roads. A navigation route is defined with horizontal geometry bound to co-ordinates and with vertical geometry and cross-sections bound to piling. The goal is to achieve navigation routes that are easily navigable and safe, straight and economical in use (little dredging or safety devices). The challenge is to fulfil such contradictory demands.
Nowadays, the actual mapping out is performed with a
computer planning programme (CAD). This means that the navigation
route planner’s work is an ordinary office job with meetings
and coffee breaks, although from time to time the planner must
leave the office and check out the planning site or visit meetings
at dredging sites. On site, the planner is accompanied by a
hydrographical surveyor. Together they examine the site and obtain
information for future work.
The final navigation route is delivered to the
customer both on paper and electronically. The final construction
plan can consist of several (5-10) folders of paper (up to 100-200
drawings).
The planner’s work includes also other
navigation route related tasks such as licence processes and
environmental surveys. On top of this a navigation route planner
must keep an eye on developments in his/her field of work such as
new computer programmes.
Updated 8.1.2007/KT
