How to Fix a Ship’s Position and Calculate Tides in Port

Learners will learn how to care for and the correct charts and publications carried on ship.

You will also learn how to position fix using charted objects, calculate the compass course to steer and how to counteract tidal stream and leeway.

You will learn how to complete estimated positions, true set and drift, course to steer, running fixes, horizontal sextant angles questions and use luminous range diagrams.

You will also learn about the cause of tides and learn to calculate times and heights of tides
at European and Pacific ports.

This online training for Deck Cadets is aligned with the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) and the UK MCA / Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Level 7 Chartwork and Tides unit.

This learning can be used to study and prepare for:

  • Chartwork and Tides assessment
  • SQA Navigation assessment
  • UK MCA Orals assessment
  • Crew Evaluation System (Navigation) questions
  • Interview preparation.

You can see the contents of what is contained in this unit in the contents list below, and subscribe here.

  1. Publications required under SOLAS
  2. Passage Planning Principles
  3. The IMO Ship’s Roueting Guide
  4. Admiralty Chart 5500
    1. Subscriber Content
  5. Appraisal
  6. Planning
  7. Execution
  8. Monitoring
  9. Position Fixing Methods
  10. Chart 5011
  11. Estimated Positions
  12. True Set and Drift
  13. Course to Steer
  14. Running Fixes
  15. Compass, True and Gyro Courses
  16. Compass to True Courses
  17. True to Compass Courses
  18. Horizontal Sextant Angles
  19. Luminious Range Diagrams
  20. Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)
  21. Tides
  22. The Causes of Spring and Neap Tides
  23. European Standard Ports
  24. European Secondary Ports
  25. Pacific Standard Ports
  26. Pacific Secondary Ports
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Publications required under SOLAS

SOLAS Chapter V regulation 27 requires that all charts and publications for the intended voyage are adequate and up to date.

The following publications are required:

  • The sailing directions describe coastal navigation and port approaches that ships may take.
  • The list of lights covers navigational and light signal information for lights and fog signals. It covers lighthouses, lightships and floating lights.
  • Notices to mariners contains weekly updates on critical navigational safety information.
  • The tide tables provides the heights and times for ports around the world.

Passage Planning Principles

There are four stages of passage planning:

  • Appraisal
  • Planning
  • Execution
  • Monitoring

The principles remain the same regardless of if you are passage planning using paper charts, or using ECDIS.

The IMO Ship’s Roueting Guide

The IMO Ship’s Roueting Guide can be used at the appraisal stage of APEM.


The measures that are described or defined in parts are individually described in the following parts of the book:

  • B – Traffic separation schemes and inshore traffic zones
  • C – Deepwater routes
  • D – Areas to be avoided
  • E – Other routeing measures, such as recommended tracks, two-way routes and recommended directions of traffic flow
  • F – The rules and recommendations on navigation that are associated with particular traffic areas and straits
  • G – Mandatory ship reporting systems, mandatory routeing systems and mandatory no anchoring areas and
  • H – Archipelagic sea lanes.

Admiralty Chart 5500

Admiralty Mariners’ Routeing Guide Chart – 5500 English Channel and Dover Strait is designed to assist in the appraisal stage of the passage planning by assisting with navigation and passage planning for English Channel and Dover Strait.

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