New interactive format will streamline passage planning for mariners

(Posted on 11/06/26)

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has launched ADMIRALTY Digital Sailing Directions (ADSD), transforming its world-leading Sailing Directions navigational guides into a high-performance, interactive digital format. Designed to simplify passage planning and increase situational awareness, ADSD moves Sailing Directions beyond static guides to a dynamic and searchable digital tool.

The launch of ADSD marks a significant milestone in the UKHO’s ongoing efforts to develop next-generation digital solutions that are safe, compliant and aligned with the evolving needs of mariners. It also reflects the UKHO’s wider programme of work to deliver trusted products and services that will help shape the future of navigation and support digital transformation across the maritime sector.

ADSD delivers the same authoritative and compliant ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions content in a more accessible and user-friendly format, helping mariners access the information they need more quickly and easily, streamlining passage planning and facilitating more accurate decision-making on the bridge. The new features and added functionality offered by ADSD enable mariners to:

Enhance situational awareness: An integrated geo-display enables users to view navigational features and routeing information in a geographical context, alongside high-quality images of coastal views and navigational aids. This bridges the gap between reading a description and visualising the environment, improving situational awareness and navigational confidence.

Increase passage planning efficiency: With powerful search and bookmarking functions, navigators can instantly locate and save the relevant Sailing Directions for their passage planning, including port details, traffic information and navigational warnings.

The inclusion of indicative routes within the geo-display enables more dynamic passage planning, simplifying access to key routeing information.

George Huish, Product Manager at the UKHO, said: “With the launch of ADSD, we are making it quicker and easier for mariners to find the Sailing Directions they need to create safe, effective and compliant passage plans. As a visual, searchable tool, ADSD delivers significant ease-of-use benefits, making critical navigational and routeing information more accessible and helping mariners to enhance their situational awareness.”

The UK Hydrographic Office is a world-leading centre for hydrography, providing hydrographic and geospatial data to mariners and maritime organisations across the globe. Our ADMIRALTY?portfolio of charts, publications and digital solutions?are relied upon by the international shipping industry to support safe navigation and operational decision-making.?