Tag: ECDIS

Mark Bull, Marine Consultant, Trafalgar Navigation, pointed out that we are on the threshold of a major change in our industry; it has already started and it is now picking up speed. During his presentation at the 2017 SAFETY4SEA Conference, he said that the new ‘buzz’ word around us now is autonomous; however, many things need to be considered about that.

Ship groundings and collisions still occur with depressing regularity, and are often attributed to errors in navigation. In the UK P&I Club's latest LookOut, Risk Assessor David Nichol, highlights some of the contributory factors and suggests steps to ensure navigational safety.

The captain of the Dutch motor vessel 'Ruyter' that ran aground at Rathlin Island has been fined £1,000 at Armagh Magistrate’s Court, after pleading guilty to failing to keep a proper look out. 

The bulk carrier Muros ran aground on Haisborough Sand last December. UK MAIB report identified that Muros’s route was planned and monitored by the 2/O using the vessel’s ECDIS. However, system and procedural safeguards intended to prevent grounding were either overlooked, disabled or ignored.

The US Coast Guard advised mariners on how to achieve safe navigation in case of GPS interference, as approximately 20 vessels transiting the northeast portion of the Black Sea have experienced such cases from June 2017.

During their Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC), starting from September 1st and ending on November 30, the two major Port State Control regimes – Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU – will focus on navigational safety. USCG suggests ways for compliance in case vessels have not complied with the recommended ECDIS IHO standards, now that the CICs have begun. 

Ahead of the IHO’s compliance deadline of 31 August 2017, the UK Hydrographic Office urged owners and operators to ensure their ECDIS systems are using S-52 Presentation Library Edition 4.0. The deadline coincides with the launch of a worldwide Concentrated Inspection Campaign by Tokyo MoU and Paris MoU.

The EU STM Validation, which won the first 2017 SMART4SEA Innovation Award last January, has installed its first Sea Traffic Management compatible bridge systems in “Stena Germanica” and two rescue units from Swedish Sea Rescue Society.

SQE MARINE consulting company recommends best practices to check compliance with the applicable requirements of the SOLAS Convention for the forthcoming CIC on Safety of Navigation. Ship managers should be prepared for the questionnaire and address all items as appropriate. A safety equipment check (regarding safety of navigation items) should be performed and procedures included in SMS (or other relevant publications) to be reviewed for conformance.

Paris MoU has released the  questionnaire for the forthcoming CIC on safety of navigation in compliance with SOLAS Chapter V. The aim of the CIC is to check compliance with the applicable requirements of the SOLAS Convention, the overall status of the vessel’s navigation safety, and the competency of crew involved in navigation operations. The Paris MoU will conduct the CIC jointly with the Tokyo MoU from 1 September to 30 November 2017.