- Full functionality is available with the Voyage Planner Pro add-on -
The Voyage Planner is an efficient tool of Live Map Toolbar, that will help you estimate profitability, plan and track voyages, all in one place.
In this article, you will learn how to use the Voyage Planner and start planning your vessel’s voyage.
Now you are able to use the tool to plan a voyage beforehand or en-route, calculate Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA), or Estimated Time of Departure in order to arrive in time, or calculate the required speed in order to depart and arrive at certain time positions. This can all be done by utilising the Map and the right panel (Map view).
If you don’t need the toolbar and want more space to work on the Map, click on the arrow on the top right to hide it while remaining in the Voyage Planner tool. To reopen simply click on the Voyage Planner icon again.
The Voyage Planner Pro also includes a cost/profit Estimator (VE) that allows you to calculate voyage costs and estimate TCE or asking freight (Estimator View).
Setting up the route
Origin Point
The origin point of your voyage can be a port, any point on the map or the current position of a specific vessel, while the destination point must always be a port. You can fill in the field by
1. Searching for a Port by its name
2. Searching for a specific Vessel by its name, to plan your journey from the specific vessel’s actual current position (Lat, Lon).
MT auto-complete functionality is restricted to users with the Voyage Planner Pro add-on. When the voyage origin is a specific vessel:The destination port is auto-completed with the current destination (if matched in our ports database) of the vessel, when the vessel is underway
Voyage options are auto-completed with the vessel's previous voyage average speed
Turnaround time at each port is calculated based on the type and size-class of the vessel (according to the median of turnaround times of such vessels in the previous week - i.e. draws values from the Port Congestion dataset).
3. Clicking on a port icon, on the map
4. Clicking on any point on the map
Destination
The destination of your voyage can currently only be a specific port. You can fill in the destination field by:
1. Searching for a port by its name
2. Clicking on a port icon on the map
You can add more destinations, creating voyages with up to 9 legs in total. To do so, either click on a port icon on the map or click on “Add new leg destination” under the destination field and search for a port.
Estimating Turnaround Time
The small box next to each destination port field is the port Turnaround Time. Turnaround time is the estimated total time at port and anchorage areas, which is used to calculate the expected time of departure from each destination (functionality restricted to users with the Voyage Planner Pro add-on).
This will be especially helpful if you are planning a multi-leg voyage, so you can better calculate the overall duration, taking into account estimated port Turnaround Times. You can either use the MarineTraffic estimations, based on our Port Congestion data, or use your own personal experience and customise the time you expect will be spent at ports by clicking on the field.
Voyage Options
With Voyage Planner Pro you may customise the following Voyage Options:
Define the vessel, which will be used to estimate turnaround time at destinations and voyage average speed based on MarineTraffic actual vessel data, as well as to unhide the specific vessel's marker on the Live Map, allowing you to track the progress of the voyage against the vessel position and its Past Track.
Choose the parameter to estimate/calculate between:
ETA, default value being current date+1 day
ETD, default value being NOW
Speed, the default value being 12kn (unless the vessel is known in which case the value changes to the average speed of the vessel’s most recent voyage)
Route Options
With Voyage Planner Pro you may customise the following Route Options:
Allow or restrict route passage from Suez, Panama, Kiel, Arctic and inland waters. To allow, simply tick the respective checkbox and to avoid, leave the checkbox empty.
Choose to view alternative routes in addition to the main one displayed. This option is only available for single-leg routes and will be deselected and inactive once you add a second destination port.
Route Display
Once you have set up all your voyage stops and preferences, click on SHOW ROUTES to visualise the best route on the Live Map, as well as the alternative routes for single leg voyages, if you have selected this option (Route Options).
The route(s) will appear both on the map and in the right panel.
In the right panel at this point you have the route overview, including total distance, expected duration and the parameter you selected to estimate, which by default is the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival at the final destination).
On the map, the main route is highlighted in orange, and a selection of waypoints is visible, depending on the zoom level. Hover over orange waypoints for details such as:
Waypoint coordinates
Estimated time of arrival (ETA) at this waypoint
Time required to get from the voyage origin to this point
Distance to this point from the voyage origin
Percentage of the voyage already covered
Distance and time remaining until the voyage destination
NOTE: Depending on the route length and zoom level, not all waypoints are visible at all times. This is why seemingly consecutive waypoints may not be consecutively numbered, when at a zoom level below 9. For full visibility zoom in as much as your route requires, or from zoom level 9 and above, in order to view all available waypoints.
In canals you will notice darker, crimson waypoints. Hover over these for the following details:
Waypoint coordinates
Canal name, waiting and crossing time (calculated based on the specific vessel type and size class)
Distance to this point from the voyage origin
Percentage of the voyage already covered
Distance remaining until the voyage destination
After clicking on “View & Edit Route” in the right panel overview or once you start editing a route, the right panel will display route details. These include:
Origin and final destination points
Total Voyage distance
Distance within ECA Zones
Distance within Piracy Zones
Canal name, waiting and crossing time (calculated based on the specific vessel type and size class)
Voyage ETD (Estimated Time of Departure from origin)
Voyage ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival at final destination)
Total voyage duration
Average voyage speed
ETD from the destination port, which is calculated by adding ETA and the port congestion (Anchorage and Port waiting times)
In this view, you can also display a list of all waypoints and access details without interacting with the map, irrespective of the map zoom level.
Editable Routes
All waypoints, except the ones in canals that include estimation on canal delays, are editable. Click and drag any orange waypoint to adjust its position. To create a new waypoint, click and drag the small white square between two waypoints and adjust.
Your latest edit can be reverted by clicking on the “Undo” icon. At any point, you can go back to the initial MarineTraffic suggested route by clicking the “Undo” icon in the right panel, just below the route details.
Route Suggestions welcome
We do appreciate any changes that might provide a better or even safer route, so once you have made any changes to the route we have suggested you can click on the Submit Button. That way, we will receive your suggestion, evaluate it and use it to further help you and other users.
Estimator
The Estimator tool, available in Voyage Planner Pro, helps you calculate voyage costs and profit. Once you have selected a route (with one or more legs), click on “OPEN ESTIMATOR” to view the relevant information and fill in the table. If you are working on a computer, you can move throughout the Estimator using just the TAB button on your keyboard, for a faster workflow.
Overview
The top section contains an overview of key figures (also listed below) that are calculated based on your input below and is not editable. As you complete the available inputs, all calculations are dynamically re-run.
TCE = Gross Profit / Total Time
Asking Freight=
Gross Freight = Freight Lumpsum (or Cargo x freight($/mt)) + Ballast Bonus (if any)
Net Freight= Gross Freight - (%Commission from Gross Freight)
Gross Costs= Bunker Costs + DA's + Insurance + Canals + Stevedoring + Other Costs
Gross Profit= Net Freight - Gross Costs
Net Daily= TCE - Running cost/day
Total Time = Time at Sea + Time in Ports (i.e. Anch/Idle + Port/Work + Port/Idle)
Bunker Costs = IFO cost + LSGO(ECA) cost + LSGO cost
Vessel Speed & Fuel Consumption
Here you can select a specific vessel (if you have not done so in the Map view). You may also choose between Single Speed or Multiple Speeds mode.
When in Single Speed mode, the speed is pre-populated with the one in Voyage Options (Right Panel in Map).
When in Multiple Speeds mode, you can create multiple Speed/Load condition profiles that should be useful for multi-leg voyages, where leg conditions differ.
The tool supports 3 different fuel consumption rates (mt/day):
Normal fuel oil (IFO) of the primary engine
Low-sulphur oil (LSGO) of the primary engine (used in ECA zone areas)
Auxiliary engine oil (typically low-sulphur, LSGO)
For consumption At sea you may input fuel consumption in the Ballast Eco column (Single speed mode), which will apply to all Speed/Load conditions automatically or different values in each column, when in Multiple Speeds mode. You may also define distinct consumption rates In ports when idle and working.
Finally, to calculate Bunker costs, input prices for each fuel type.
Multiple Speed mode selector is disabled when "I want to estimate Speed" is selected in Voyage Options (Map view).
Revenue Estimation Settings
In this section you can select to calculate T/C Equivalent (TCE or Time Charter Equivalent) or Asking Freight.
T/C Equivalent
Enter either a Lumpsum figure to be paid to you for the said voyage, or a Freight per million tonne (mt) and Cargo capacity (in which case the revenue, if the two figures are multiplied). You can also define a Ballast Bonus, which is added as extra offered revenue for the voyage by the charterer.
Asking Freight
Enter Cargo capacity, Required TCE and a Ballast Bonus, if needed.
Voyage Costs
You can enter Commission percentage, Canals costs, Stevedoring costs, Insurance Premium costs, Other Costs and Running Cost/day (OPEX) for the vessel. All these figures (except Running Cost/day) are calculated as Gross Costs. OPEX costs are excluded only to calculate Net Daily.
In Transit
This section contains details of the “At sea” parts of the voyage.
If consumption details have been entered earlier, calculations will be made as follows:
IFO = Total Time at Sea * IFO consumption
LSGO(ECA) = Time in ECA * LSGO consumption (the Time in ECA is deducted from the Total Time at Sea figure used in the IFO consumption calculation).
In case AUXILIARY engine LSGO consumption has been entered, then Total Time at Sea * LSGO consumption will also be calculated in the LSGO field of this section.
Load Condition, Speed and Delay are disabled when:
Single Speed mode is selected. To edit, you must switch to Multiple Speeds mode.
"I want to estimate Speed" is selected in Voyage Options (Map view). To edit, you must switch base estimation mode in Voyage Options.
To account for weather delay expected, complete the Delay input in the form of a percentage. This will affect the operating speed used in all calculations per leg.
In Port
This section contains details of the “In ports” parts of the voyage.
You may select Operation per port if it serves you as a visual aid, but it will not affect any calculations.
The breakdown of Turnaround Time at each port is displayed here as the Anch/Idle and Port/Work inputs and are auto-filled.
You may manually amend Anch/Idle, Port/Work, and/or add Port/Idle. These three values will sync with the port Turnaround Times (Map view) as Custom Estimation entries. Alternatively, you could input Cargo(mt) and L/D rate (Loading/Discharge Rate) in which case the Port/Work time=Cargo * L/D rate.
Port terms factor indicates the number of work-hours/days of each port and affects the Port/Idle calculations as follows: Port/Idle = Port/Work * (7 - Port Terms factor) * Port Terms factor
Finally, you can input Port DAs to be included as a fixed cost for the port visit.