Enhancing Bridge Team Competence - Passage Planning

Why Passage Planning belongs in the VASCO VR Bridge Environment

The effectiveness of modern maritime training depends on a clear link between planning and execution.

Students can learn the principles of passage planning in the classroom. They can prepare routes, assess chart information, consider depth, identify hazards and set safe margins.

But applied learning begins when that plan is put under pressure.

• How is it followed when shipping situations occur?

• How does the student monitor the route?

• What happens when visibility changes?

• What actions/reporting are taken when off-track?

This is the gap VASCO 3.6 has been designed to address.

The latest release introduces Student Mode, bringing passage planning directly into the VASCO workflow and giving maritime training providers a more connected way to move from planning to VR bridge execution, to objective assessment.

The Instructional Logic Behind Student Mode

A passage plan is the vessel’s objective.

It gives the bridge team a shared understanding of the route, the risks, the safe water, the intended track and the decisions likely to be required during the passage.

For instructors, it also provides an important assessment opportunity.

A completed plan can show whether a student understands the task. Execution shows whether they can apply that understanding when the vessel is underway; the bridge is active, and the navigational picture is evolving.

Within VASCO 3.6, learners are provided with individual logins and access to instructor-assigned charts. This gives them a dedicated planning space before entering the VASCO VR bridge environment.

The process is simple:

• Student logs in and reviews the chart

• Passage Toolkit applied: waypoints, XTD and annotations

• Instructor reviews the submitted plan

• Plan is loaded into VASCO

• VR bridge execution and assessment

Precision Tools for Practical Navigation Training

VASCO 3.6 introduces a dedicated Passage Toolkit, enabling students to create routes based on parameters set by their instructor.

Key features include:

Waypoint and route editing

Students can create and edit route waypoints, helping them build a clear navigational route before the VR bridge exercise begins.

Cross-Track Distance inputs

Cross-Track Distances can be added to the route, supporting more realistic monitoring once the plan is loaded into the VASCO VR bridge.

Chart depth consideration

Students can factor chart depth information into their route planning, helping them consider safe water, navigational constraints and grounding risk.

Annotation tools

Lines, labels, arrows and boxes allow students to mark key areas of the plan, such as wheel over positions, areas of concern, traffic considerations or instructor-directed points of focus.

These tools make the planning stage more visible, structured and easier to review.

A Clearer Instructor Review Workflow

Once a student has completed their passage plan, the file can be saved to a designated folder for instructor access. The instructor can then review the plan and load it directly into VASCO for execution.

This gives instructors a practical way to assess the full journey from planning to performance.

1. Student prepares the plan

The learner builds the passage plan using the assigned chart and planning tools.

2. Instructor reviews the plan

The instructor can assess the route, annotations, margins and planning decisions before the VR bridge exercise begins.

3. Plan is loaded into VASCO Scenario

The submitted plan can be superimposed onto the Scenario for team execution.

4. Student or bridge team executes the plan

The exercise then tests how the plan is understood, monitored and applied underway.

The debrief can then explore whether the plan was appropriate, how it was followed, where deviation occurred, how the student responded, and how effectively the bridge team maintained shared situational awareness.

Enhanced Bridge Console Functionality

VASCO 3.6 also introduces new functionality at the bridge consoles to support route monitoring during execution.

Parallel indexing is now available at the Radar position, giving students a practical tool for monitoring progress and supporting safe navigation.

Cross Track Error reporting is also available across both ECDIS and Radar, giving students and instructors clearer feedback on how accurately the vessel is being kept to the planned route.

This gives instructors more ways to observe and assess behaviour within the VR bridge environment, from monitoring and communication through to decision-making under way.

Making VASCO Training Time More Valuable

VASCO is designed to take bridge training to the learner through a portable VR bridge simulator.

That accessibility gives maritime training providers more opportunity to expose students to practical bridge scenarios, while using VASCO training time in a more focused way.

Students arrive with a plan they have created. Instructors can see the thinking behind it. The exercise can then test how that planning translates into action.

The instructor can evaluate the quality of the plan, the execution of the plan, and the student’s ability to recognise and respond to what is happening on the bridge.

A Practical Step Forward for Passage Planning

VASCO 3.6 is a practical step forward in how passage planning can be taught, reviewed and assessed within a VR bridge training environment.

For students, it creates a stronger connection between the planning desk and the bridge.

For instructors, it creates a clearer route from planning review to live observation and debrief.

For maritime training providers, it supports a more connected approach to developing navigation competence.

Because a passage plan is only truly tested once the vessel is under way.

See VASCO 3.6 in Action

To see how Student Mode can support passage planning, bridge training and objective assessment, contact the Kilo Solutions team.