The standards for ECDIS have been revised by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and published as IEC 61174:2015: Maritime Navigation and Radiocommunication Equipment and Systems – Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) – Operational and Performance Requirements, Methods of Testing and Required Test Results.
Compliance with International Hydrographic Office (IHO) standards
Note that IEC 61174:2015 makes reference to the latest versions of the IHO standards:
- S-52 – Specifications for Chart Content and Display Aspects of ECDIS (including its Annex A – the Presentation Library for ECDIS); and
- S-64 – Test Data Sets for ECDIS.
Shipowners and managers are reminded to ensure their ECDIS arrangements comply with these standards (refer to IMO circular, SN.1/Circ.266/Rev.1 ). There will be a transitional period during which the previous editions of S-52 and S-64 will remain valid. This period will end on 31 July, 2016.
Other changes to IEC 61174:2015
The new standard also includes the following changes:
- Requirements have been added for display of radar and AIS information; new interface requirements have been added for BNWAS, VDR, BAM, MSI, INS and route transfer.
- A requirement for an anchor watch has been added.
- Additional test methods are specified for operation of ECDIS beyond the normal range between 85 degrees South latitude and 85 degrees North latitude.
Source: LR
