Route Design Data

The process of route design can be summarized as follows: adhere to principles, understand meteorological conditions, review reference materials, study the sea area, and formulate the route.

      The British Hydrographic Office publishes and distributes a comprehensive range of nautical charts covering all the world's seas, with timely updates and corrections. The proper use, understanding, and correction of these materials are essential for route planning.

I. General Catalog of Nautical Publications
    The Catalogue of Admiralty Charts and Publications, commonly referred to as the General Catalogue, catalog number NP131, is published annually by the British Admiralty Hydrographic Office at the beginning of each year. This comprehensive catalogue details all nautical charts and reference publications issued by the British Admiralty, serving as a resource for mariners to locate and select required British-edition charts and materials for purchase.

II. World Ocean Routes
    Ocean Passages For the World (ISBN NP136) is a reference book detailing the climate routes of the world's major oceans, serving as a guide for planning long-distance sea voyages.It briefly covers meteorological and other factors influencing route planning, along with descriptions and distances of numerous frequently selected recommended routes to facilitate estimating approximate voyage durations. The current edition is the fourth version published in 1987; the book is typically reprinted approximately every 15 years.

III. Air Route Map
      Routeing charts serve as the primary reference for vessels in selecting routes and designing voyages, providing a more intuitive display of recommended routes between major global ports.The chart series comprises five sets: South and North Atlantic, South and North Pacific, and Indian Ocean. Each set contains 12 charts, totaling 60 charts per month. Chart numbers range from 5124(1) to (12) and 5128(1) to (12).These charts employ the Mercator projection. They display the customary ocean routes and distances for the current month, along with wind strength and direction, ocean currents, ice boundaries, and load line zones. Due to their small scale, these charts are not suitable for navigational use but serve as overview maps for estimating approximate courses and distances.

IV. Air Route Guide
      The British edition of Sailing Directions covers all sea areas worldwide, comprising 76 volumes (NP1–NP72) as of 1997. The sea area covered by each volume can be found in the index map on page Y of the General Catalog of Nautical Publications, or in the Sailing Directions index map on the inside cover of NP100 Seafarers' Handbook and NP136 World Ocean Routes.Notices relevant only to the Sailing Directions that remain in force before January 1st of each year are compiled in the Annual Summary of Admiralty Notices to Mariners.

      Navigation guides primarily serve to supplement the information gaps in nautical charts. They compile navigational reference materials that cannot be fully represented on charts into a single volume, providing mariners with more detailed navigational data and a wealth of sailing experience. As such, they are essential reference books for the safe operation of vessels.

      After each edition of the Sailing Directions is published, the publishing department will issue supplements to the Sailing Directions (supplement of sailing direction) as needed, based on changes in sea areas and routes, until a new edition of the Sailing Directions is published.Each Supplement compiles all amendments to the relevant edition of the Sailing Directions from its initial publication until the current Supplement's release. Consequently, when a new Supplement is published, all previous Supplements become obsolete. Each edition of the Sailing Directions requires only the latest Supplement to remain current.

V. Light Beacons and Fog Signal Tables
     The Admiralty List of Lights and Fog Signals, commonly referred to as the List of Lights, comprises 11 volumes designated NP74–NP84. The individual volume codes are A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, and L (with I omitted).The boundaries of the maritime areas covered by each volume are printed on the back cover of that volume under “Limits of Volumes of Admiralty List of Lights” or on Index Map Z in the British edition of the General List of Nautical Publications.

VI. British Version Radio Signal Meter
     The Admiralty List of Radio Signals, comprising 8 volumes in 12 books numbered NP281–NP288, requires pilots to be familiar with the contents of Volumes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 to understand how to use them when necessary.

VII. Port Entry Guide
    The Guide to Port Entry is published biennially by British shipping companies. With each new edition, the previous version is rendered obsolete. Currently, each edition comprises two volumes: one covering countries whose names begin with letters A–L, and another covering M–Z. Its content introduces ports worldwide and provides shipping-related information.This publication is essential for many ocean-going vessels, particularly those operating on non-scheduled routes. The main text section of each volume is arranged alphabetically by country name. Country names appear not only on the relevant pages detailing that nation's ports but also in the upper right corner of odd-numbered pages. Following the country names, the major ports are listed in alphabetical order.

VIII. Seafarers' Handbook
    The Mariner's Handbook is a highly valuable reference tool for seafarers. Its catalog number is NP100, and it is reprinted approximately every ten years. The current edition is the 6th edition published in 1989. Several supplements have been published to incorporate content additions and revisions, ensuring the handbook remains up-to-date with the latest information.For Chinese-language resources, refer to publications such as Navigation Science, Ship Weather, Outline of Maritime History, and Seafarer Psychology, available from publishers including Dalian Maritime University Press and People's Communications Press.

IX. Nautical Almanac
      The Nautical Almanac is an astronomical calendar compiled and published to meet the needs of navigation, serving as one of the primary tools for celestial navigation. Its main content includes the calculated apparent positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, arranged by date with data calculated to 0.1; it also provides the times of solar and lunar meridian transits and rises/sets, along with related celestial phenomena data.Major maritime nations including China, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union publish nautical almanacs with similar content.