Page 24: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2011)

24 Maritime Professional 3Q 2011The key to mastering safe navigation with ECDIS is a matter of personal discovery. The navigation part of this idea means continually defining what to look for ? what information is needed right now to continue safe nav- igation. The ECDIS part means how to look. At the very least this requires nimble selection of and brief glances at infor-mation best suited to the situation at hand. The safe part, however self-evident, should include the critical competen- cies of maintaining adequate under keel clearance and low- risk approach to other vessels at all times. It is a matter of personal experience to appreciate the com- plex variety of navigational situations that will occur on a vessel. These elements include the vessel, things external to the vessel, and what you are doing there in the first place. Variables of the vessel consist of speed, draft, maneuverabil- ity, sensor equipment, and control functions. Externals con- sist of bathymetry, coastline topography, traffic, environmen- tal conditions, chart detail, and chart data quality. Your pur- pose may be a transit, arrival, departure, cargo transfer, pilot area approach, anchoring, berthing, drifting, holding posi-tion, or pattern navigation. These lists are not exhaustive. The point is that any degree of experience underway reveals that any combination of elements requires the watch officer make transitions and adaptations to changes. The discovery aspect of mastering safe ECDIS navigation occurs on several levels. The crucial fact that no single setting suits all circumstances demands active monitoring. This is defined as ?highly efficient intervention.? Any navigational context, from mild to nearly overwhelming, demands the effi- cient shifting of attention sequentially between all accesspoints. The access points are the visual scene, digital and graphic information displays, source sensors, and auditorysystems. Efficient shifting of attention is especially necessary in solo watchstanding. Becoming captivated by any one of the access points inhibits or even shuts down the process of active monitoring. Such captivation is likely to be at the heart of any failed critical competency. This is another way of describing the familiar admonition to avoid over reliance on any one piece of equipment. Many of these issues came to mind while sailing deep sea as senior deck officer responsible for my ships' navigation systems. My years of learning to navigate with chart plotters and eventually ECDIS began in the early 1990's. In the absence of useful manuals or instruction, I knew that learning to navigate safely with ECDIS would come at the prolonged risk of unsafe navigation. In part, this prompted me to come ashore in 2000 to develop and teach ECDIS navigation. Pacific Maritime Institute supported my effort to create the first USCG-approved ECDIS course in 2001. It was based on the just published IMO Model Course 1.27. During this sameperiod, desktop simulation with high-fidelity visuals, own- ship control, and integration with type-approved ECDIS and radar was just becoming commercially accessible. In quick succession, I discovered the enormous potential to develop skills-based training in solo navigation with this form of simulation. At no risk to safety, a trainee could have the opportunity for the first time to integrate all aspects of solo navigation - visual piloting, paper and electronic chart plotting, radar/ARPA and traffic management. The potential for interactive ownships in non-visual simulation had been in use for a number of years. The advent of the $500 VGA card was at the heart of the solo visual training revolution. But there was no real precedent in courseware or instruction for this approach.Within a year of moving to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 2004, I took the opportunity to begin replacing the aging windowless radar/ARPA simulation lab. The steps HHands OnMastering Safe Navigation with ECDISby Christian HempsteadECDIS TRAININGGMATS Instructor Christian Hempstead MP #3 (18-33):MP Layouts 8/17/2011 4:10 PM Page 24