Passage Planning Guide, Baltic: Danish Straits - (PPG - Baltic, 2025-26 Edition)

This Guide provides information on essential passage planning practice, including elements local to the Danish Straits, to help navigating officers compile an effective passage plan. It includes practical guidance for the transit, with reference to traffic, pilotage, anchorages, tidal streams and climate, reporting requirements, bridge clearances, etc.

Annotated chartlets, which now feature satellite imagery, are provided for each leg of the transits of the Great Belt and the Sound, illustrating aids to navigation and potential hazards to shipping.

The Guide illustrates ?hotspot? areas where high vigilance is required and lists the pre-emptive measures that should be taken by the ship. Also included are a number of case studies that examine the causes of various groundings and collisions in the Straits.

This new edition now includes a section on guidance for Masters, which provides a helpful overview of important information for arriving ships, such as pilotage, communication, bunkering and STS operations. Significant updates and additions have been made to information regarding reporting systems and requirements, pilot ladder arrangements, traffic in the Straits and the Fehmarnbelt Construction Project.

In preparation for this new edition, Witherbys has worked in consultation with DanPilot, the pilot service of the Danish State, to fully revise and update the Guide.

The Baltic Sea and the Danish Straits is an area of great environmental and economic importance and the IMO has declared it a special area under MARPOL since 1989.

In 1974, the HELCOM Convention was signed by the countries bordering the Baltic Sea, seeking to protect the Baltic Sea from all pollution from land, air and sea.
Since 1975, the IMO has developed various recommendations for safe passage in the Danish Straits. Today, IMO Circular SN.1/Circ.263, which recommends the use of a pilot in the Danish Straits Route T and the Sound, has been adopted.

Passing the Danish Straits, either by the Great Belt or the Sound, leads ships through shallow water, strong currents, harsh weather conditions and high density of traffic, making it a complex challenge for mariners.

The Passage Planning Guide ? Baltic Sea: Danish Straits has been developed through cooperation between Witherbys, DanPilot and BIMCO to provide an overview for mariners and to assist in proper planning for a ship
transiting in this area.

The information in this Guide has been cross-checked and validated by pilots from DanPilot, using their extensive experience in navigating these high risk areas.
DanPilot recommends all mariners planning a transit through the Danish Straits to use this Guide as a valid tool for pre-entry procedures or as a document for refreshing and familiarising the bridge team with a passage through the area. The design of the Guide allows the mariner to maintain an overview during the passage.

Erik Merkes Nielsen
CEO/Adm. Direktør

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Notices
Glossary
Note on Spellings
Baltic Sea Chart Datum (BSCD2000)
Explanation of Routes Shown on the Chartlets in this Guide
Part 1 Background and Supporting Notes to the Guide
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Master?s Guidance for Arriving Ships (Notification and Papers)
1.3 Regional Maritime Authorities
1.4 Underkeel Clearance Management (UKCM), Bridge Clearance
Limits and DW Routeing
1.4.1 Bridge Clearance Limits
1.4.2 Least Depths
1.4.3 UKC and Maximum Draught
1.5 Pilotage
1.5.1 Pilotage
1.5.2 Pilot Boats
1.5.3 Pilot Ladder Arrangements
1.5.4 Pilot Equipment
1.5.5 Ship?s Conduct with Pilot on Board
1.5.6 Great Belt and The Sound Pilot Arrangements
1.5.7 Remote Pilotage
1.6 Navigation in the Region
1.6.1 Belt Traffic and BELTREP
1.6.2 Sound Traffic and SOUNDREP
1.6.3 Fehmarn Belt Traffic and Fehmarn Belt VTS
1.6.4 Kadetrenden Traffic and Kadetrenden VTS
1.6.5 Buoyage
1.6.6 Vessel Tracking

1.6.7 Stores Transfer, Bunkering, Crew Change in Transit
1.6.8 Jamming and Spoofing
1.6.9 Firing Practice and Military Exercises
1.6.10 Ferries
1.6.11 Military Vessels
1.6.12 Offshore Renewable Energy Project Vessels
1.6.13 ?Shadow Fleet? Vessels
1.6.14 Pleasure Craft
1.6.15 Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link
1.7 Passage Planning
1.7.1 Preparation for the Passage
1.7.2 Purpose of Passage Planning
1.7.3 Principles of Passage Planning
1.7.4 Error Management
1.7.5 Preparations for Planning
1.7.6 Preparing the Passage Plan
1.7.7 Preparing ECDIS
1.7.8 Preparing or Amending Passage Notes
1.7.9 Pre-Entry Bridge Team Meeting
1.7.10 Monitoring the Passage Plan
1.7.11 Notices and Warnings
1.7.12 Charts and Nautical Publications
1.8 Climate and Meteorology
1.8.1 Tidal Streams, Water Flow and Currents
1.8.2 The Great Belt and Approaches
1.8.3 The Sound
1.8.4 Prevailing Winds, Rainfall and Seasons
1.8.5 Sea Ice and Ice Accretion
1.8.6 Wind
1.8.7 Rainfall, Storms and Lightning
1.8.8 Weather Forecasts and Warnings
1.8.9 Sea Level Forecast
1.8.10 Visibility

1.9 MARPOL and Environmental Requirements
1.9.1 Reporting Pollution Incidents
1.9.2 Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA)
1.10 Action in Emergencies
1.10.1 Emergency during Pilotage
1.10.2 Salvage and Scandinavian Open Form
1.10.3 Pre-designated Emergency Anchorages
1.11 ISPS Code Requirements
Part 2 Case Studies, Groundings, Collisions and Traffic Hotspots
2.1 Inbound Traffic Hotspots
2.1.1 T33 Southbound
2.1.2 Hatter Southbound DW
2.1.3 Hatter Southbound TSS
2.1.4 Femern Eastbound
2.2 Outbound Traffic Hotspots
2.2.1 Femern Westbound
2.2.2 Hatter Northbound DW
2.2.3 Hatter Northbound TSS
2.2.4 T33 Northbound
Part 3 Passage Notes ? Inbound: Skagen to Bornholm
Southbound via Great Belt
Southbound via The Sound
Passage Notes ? Outbound: Bornholm to Skagen
Northbound via Great Belt
Northbound via The Sound
Part 4 Annexes
Annex 1 Bridge Team Briefing Card
Pre-Entry Bridge Team Meeting
Annex 2 SAR and Telemedical Contact Details
SAR Contact Details
TMAS Contact Details