Page 28: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2010)

28 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

While no one particularly likes a rules- mandated equipment upgrade, they are indeed a fact of life, particularly in the global marine market. When the IMO ap- proved amendments to the International

Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) mandating the fitting of Elec- tronic Chart Display Information System (ECDIS), it essentially means that all large passenger, tanker and cargo ships will be obliged to fit ECDIS on a rolling timetable that begins in July 2012.

While most of the marine electronics majors are ramping up to ensure full compliance, there are as many questions as answers in terms of availability of sys- tem and installation, as well as training and education.

Transas recently reported that the

Transas Navi-Sailor is the first ECDIS in the market compatible with the new Ad- miralty Information Overlay, the overlay which includes all Temporary and Pre- liminary Notices to Mariners (T&P NMs) and provides navigationally significant information from UKHO’s ENC valida- tion program.

The overlay is displayed as a single layer on top of the basic ENC and it will be available within the standard Transas

Admiralty Data Service (TADS) license, via the Transas Navi-Sailor ECDIS.

UKHO developed the new overlay to give seafarers an easy way to view the in- formation that they need in addition to the standard chart, to navigate safely and compliantly.

The intent: shipping companies will be able to comply more easily with Port

State Control (PSC) requirements by pro- viding T&P MNs where they do not cur- rently exist in ENC coverage today. It is also designed to help simplify their tran- sition to digital navigation. “We are using the Admiralty Informa- tion Overlay as an integral element of our

ECDIS-based navigation within the

Transas Navi-Sailor ECDIS,” said Soren

Andersen, Marine Superintendent, SQE at Nordic Tankers Marine A/S. “Used as a navigational and planning aid as part of the company’s wider move to adopt

ECDIS navigation, the Overlay is mak- ing passage planning and the task of keeping track of the latest ENC updates much easier. It will also make it easier for our crews to demonstrate compliance during PSC inspections. Overall, it has proved to be another important element in our efforts to continually improve the safety and efficiency of navigation.” “The marine environment is constantly changing,” said Michael Cauter, Deputy

Chief Executive with responsibility for developing new Admiralty products and services. “The Admiralty Information

Overlay is needed because many nations don’t yet include important temporary or preliminary notifications of those changes in their weekly updates, and even when they are included, they can be difficult to identify within the ENC. The

Admiralty Information Overlay provides this information on top of the ENC and displays it clearly and consistently so the mariner can instantly see the impact of changes on a route and can take appro- priate action.”

ECDIS Ltd. has taken delivery of six

ECPINS terminals, which have been in- stalled in their e-Navigation Center. The

WECDIS systems are made by Offshore

Systems Ltd. (OSL), an OSI Geospatial

Company, and will be used to deliver both generic IMO 1.27 ECDIS training and ECDIS Ltd’s 5 day WECDIS course. “The OSL ECPINS product is regarded by many as being at the forefront of com- mercial and military ECDIS perform- ance,” said Mark Broster, Managing

Director of ECDIS Ltd. “The ECPINS system provides a com- prehensive and capable navigation aid that can really add safety to a vessel if used correctly. We are therefore very ex- cited to be able to showcase their product in our e-Navigation center in Southamp- ton. It will not sit idle however, as we will utilise the systems to deliver generic IMO 1.27 model ECDIS and bespoke

WECDIS courses to a growing military market, therefore adding another string to our bow.”

Earlier this year Furuno launched a new training concept and simulator solu- tion called NavSkills, touted by the com- pany as an expressway for ship owners and training centers to be capable of pro- viding DNV SeaSkill-certified ECDIS and IBS/INS training courses to the nav- igators. The NavSkills solution consists of a full mission training simulator with

ECDIS planning stations. The training package includes DNV SeaSkill-certified

ECDIS training in accordance with IMO

Model Course 1.27, DNV SeaSkill-certi- fied IBS/INS Operator training course in compliance with IMO Model Course 1.32, Bridge/Engine Resource Manage- ment training and Bridge Team Manage- ment training. “Since the past 10-15 years INS and ECDIS have been intro- duced onboard the merchant fleet and today we find INS and ECDIS on all types of vessels.

Also, and the equipment have become a part of the daily work for many naviga- tors. During this period the technology and sophistication of INS and ECDIS has developed rapidly and has put a new chal- lenge to the navigators who are used to operate a conventional navigation system and using paper charts. A short familiar- ization training course provided by the maker might not be enough, unless the navigators are experienced ECDIS and

INS operators. Hence, to ensure proper and qualitative training, and thereby con- tributing to less accidents and casualties,

Furuno has taken on the challenge to share our experience and knowledge, both as a manufacturer and a training provider, with the maritime training cen- ters and ship owners enabling them to conduct sufficient training,” Mads Friis

Sorensen said.

Todd Chart Agency, a Northern Ire- land-based marine navigation data and service provider, launched a new brand identity and commercial website as it gets set to guide its customers through the

ECDIS revolution. Launched under the banner ‘Intelligent Navigation,’ the

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FEATURE ECDIS UPDATE

IMO’s Mandatory Carriage Requirement for ECDIS

By mid-2018, every merchant vessel and passenger ship over 10,000 tons will need to meet IMO’s mandatory carriage requirement for ECDIS. This indicates which ships, and when, will need to install a type-approved ECDIS, and use it as the pri- mary means of navigation. Implementation of ECDIS carriage requirements fol- lows a rolling timetable, shown here:

Ship type Size New ship* Existing ship**

Passenger 500 gross tons 1 July 2012 No later than 1st survey after 1 July 2014

Tankers 3,000 gross tons 1 July 2012 No later than 1st survey after 1 July 2015

Dry cargo 50,000 gross tons 1 July 2013 No later than 1st survey after 1 July 2016 20,000 gross tons 1 July 2013 No later than 1st survey after 1 July 2017 10,000 gross tons 1 July 2013 No later than 1st survey after 1 July 2018 3,000 gross tons 1 July 2014 Not required * A new ship is defined as one in which the keel is laid on or after the cut-off date. ** Ships may be exempt from requirements if they will be taken permanently out of service within two years of the implementation date specified. (Source: www.e-navigation.com, a website from Jeppesen on ECDIS news, technology and regulatory information)

ECDIS: Countdown to 2012

Transas Navi-Sailor is the first ECDIS in the market compatible with the new

Admiralty Information Overlay. (Photo: T ransas)

Furuno recently launched a new train- ing concept and simulator solution called NavSkills. (Photo: Furuno)