What Are ADMIRALTY Digital Sailing Directions and How Do They Improve Passage Planning?
July 13, 2026ADMIRALTY Digital Sailing Directions (ADSD) are a digital product from the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) that delivers the content of ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions in a geo-referenced, searchable, and interactive format. For navigating officers who use Sailing Directions during the appraisal and planning stages of every voyage, ADSD replaces the manual process of scanning printed volumes or scrolling through PDFs with a purpose-built interface that connects guidance to geography.
What ADSD Contains
ADSD contains the same authoritative navigational guidance published in the ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions (commonly known as "Pilots"), covering port approach procedures, coastal navigation hazards, routeing recommendations, pilotage information, buoyage, tidal conditions, regulations, and port facilities. ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions span 76 volumes with worldwide coverage and are used aboard the majority of internationally trading commercial vessels to meet SOLAS Chapter V carriage requirements for nautical publications.
What ADSD changes is the delivery format. Rather than presenting that content as static text organized by volume and chapter number, ADSD links each piece of guidance to its geographic coordinates, adds keyword search and topic-based filtering, provides bookmarking for voyage-specific reference, and integrates navigational imagery including coastal views and aid-to-navigation photographs.
How ADSD Supports the Passage Planning Process
Passage planning under SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 34 and IMO Resolution A.893(21) follows four stages: appraisal, planning, execution, and monitoring. Sailing Directions are a primary source during the appraisal stage, where the navigating officer gathers all information relevant to the proposed voyage, and they remain a reference throughout the planning and execution stages. ADSD improves each of these touchpoints.
Appraisal
During appraisal, the navigating officer consults Sailing Directions to identify hazards, port entry procedures, local regulations, recommended tracks, tidal constraints, and any conditions specific to the intended route. With paper volumes, this means opening the correct volume, locating the relevant chapter, and reading through sequential text until the required information appears. With ADSD, the officer searches by port name, geographic area, or topic keyword and receives geo-referenced results that show exactly where the guidance applies. The time saved during appraisal is proportional to the complexity of the voyage: a multi-port itinerary spanning several volumes benefits the most.
Planning
Once the appraisal is complete, the navigating officer plots the route on appropriate charts and annotates the plan with hazard notes, waypoints, and contingency positions. ADSD's bookmarking feature allows the officer to save the specific Sailing Directions sections relevant to each leg of the voyage, creating a curated reference set that can be reviewed quickly before departure. Integrated imagery of coastal approaches and navigational aids supports the visual preparation that bridge teams perform during the planning stage.
Execution and Monitoring
During execution and monitoring, the bridge team refers back to Sailing Directions when approaching a coast, entering a port, or encountering conditions that differ from the plan. ADSD's search and geo-referencing reduce the time needed to locate the relevant guidance in real time, which matters most when the bridge workload is highest.
How ADSD Differs from Paper and AENP Formats
ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions are currently available in three formats, each serving a different operational preference.
Paper volumes are the traditional format: bound printed books corrected manually through weekly Notices to Mariners (NMs). ADMIRALTY e-Nautical Publications (AENPs) are encrypted PDF versions of the paper volumes that accept electronic NM updates and offer basic search functionality. ADSD is the newest format, built as a purpose-designed digital interface with geo-referenced display, topic filtering, bookmarking, and integrated imagery.
| Feature | Paper | AENP | ADSD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content authority | ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions | Same | Same |
| Correction method | Manual NM paste-in | Electronic NM download | Digital update |
| Search | Manual (table of contents, index) | Basic text search | Keyword, topic, and geographic search |
| Geo-referencing | None | None | Guidance linked to coordinates |
| Bookmarking | Physical page markers | None | Built-in, voyage-specific |
| Imagery | Printed photographs and diagrams | PDF images | Integrated high-resolution imagery |
| Flag state acceptance | Universal | Accepted by over 80% of flag states | Verify with flag state |
ANS supplies all three formats. For vessels evaluating a transition from paper to digital, the ADMIRALTY e-Nautical Publications library offers the intermediate step, while ADSD represents the fullest digital implementation.
Coverage and Availability
ADSD launched with 38 volumes covering the world's primary trade corridors, including 27 of the top 30 ports and continuous coverage along the Northern Europe to East Asia route. The remaining 38 volumes are scheduled for release by the end of 2026, completing full global coverage. ADSD is available through authorized ADMIRALTY distributors, and ANS, as an authorized ADMIRALTY distributor, supplies the product alongside the full range of ADMIRALTY charts, digital publications, and the ADMIRALTY Vector Chart Service (AVCS).
For pricing, availability, and flag state guidance on ADSD and the full ADMIRALTY product range, contact American Nautical Services at +1 (954) 522-3321 or sales@amnautical.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What does ADSD stand for?
ADSD stands for ADMIRALTY Digital Sailing Directions, a product from the UK Hydrographic Office that delivers ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions content in a geo-referenced, searchable digital format.
Q. Does ADSD contain different information from paper Sailing Directions?
No. ADSD contains the same authoritative ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions content as the paper volumes and AENPs. The difference is in the delivery format, which adds geo-referencing, search, filtering, bookmarking, and integrated imagery.
Q. Can ADSD replace paper Sailing Directions aboard a SOLAS vessel?
ADSD builds on the same content that meets SOLAS Chapter V carriage requirements. Whether a vessel can rely solely on ADSD depends on its flag state's acceptance of the digital format. Vessel operators should verify with their flag state or authorized ADMIRALTY distributor before transitioning.
Q. How does ADSD help during passage planning?
ADSD reduces the time spent searching for relevant guidance during the appraisal stage, supports the planning stage through bookmarking and imagery, and provides faster access to port and coastal information during execution and monitoring.
Q. How is ADSD updated?
ADSD receives digital updates, eliminating the manual Notices to Mariners correction process required for paper volumes.
Q. Where can ADSD be purchased?
ADSD is available through authorized ADMIRALTY distributors worldwide, including ANS.