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Bahrain: GOP Hosts Regional Seminar on Safety of Maritime Navigation

More than 30 maritime professionals from the 6-GCC member states attended the seminar The General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP) held a two-day regional executive seminar entitled 'Safety of Navigation and the Obligations of a Competent Authority with respect to Aids to Navigation.'The seminar was held under the patronage of H E Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, Chairman of the General Organisation of Sea Ports, in collaboration with the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) and Middle East Navigation Aids Services (MENAS).More than 30 maritime professionals from the 6-GCC member states attended the seminar which was held at the Gulf Hotel on 30th and 31st January 2012.The sessions were led by international experts, Rear Admiral Jean-Charles Leclair (rtd) consultant for International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and Dean of the IALA World-Wide Academy and Omar Frits Eriksson, Manager Maritime Technology at the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) and chair of the IALA Engineering Committee.Highlighting the importance of the regional executive seminar,Mr Hassan Al Majed, Director General of GOP, said,"We are pleased to have distinguished international maritime experts to share their wealth of knowledge with our stakeholders on the latest navigation requirements of port authorities as per international ...

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2012 ice season starts today!

Ice Patrol provides key safety information for mariners transiting in Atlantic waters Icebergs, bergy bits or growlers. Whatever you call them, these massive chunks of ice - some the size of a small country - all pose a threat for ships transiting the North Atlantic. But thanks to the U.S. Coast Guard's International Ice Patrol and their partners, mariners will have the information they need to stay safe, and out of harm's way.The U.S. Coast Guard's International Ice Patrol takes over the ice-reporting responsibility from the Canadian Ice Service today, officially marking the start of the 2012 ice season.The Ice Patrol will now be responsible for issuing daily iceberg analysis products, which provides key safety information for mariners transiting in Atlantic waters.Lt. Cmdr. Monty Nijjar, a pilot at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., looks out over an ice pack that stretches to the coast of Labrador. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Bob Laura.Prior to 2011, the Canadian Ice Service published a daily iceberg analysis for Canadian coastal waters and the International Ice Patrol published a seasonal daily iceberg warning when icebergs threatened transatlantic shipping lanes. Last year, the services combined efforts to produce one daily ...

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A warning in lights in the sky

There comes a more general warning for navigators There was a Winter treat for people as far South as the Midlands of England, southern Denmark and North Germany this January, with a rare exhibition of the Aurora Borealis or "Northern Lights" over several clear nights. This spectacle was a portent of what will probably become quite common over the next two years, with the solar activity which causes this amazing sight reaching one of its regular peaks.While nobody who sees this natural phenomenon can be unmoved by its beauty, we should also be alert to the fact that this peak in solar activity could well cause interruption to all manner of satellite transmissions. Twelve years ago, which was the last time this electromagnetic disturbance was at such a high level, our dependence upon the Global Positioning System and all sorts of equipment that depends on satellite tracking and timing was far less than it is today.The vital signals from satellites, which we now depend upon so completely, are exceedingly low powered and are thus highly prone to interruption from the electro-magnetic disturbances that accompany solar flares. So there is a warning to navigators in particular to be alert to GPS ...

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Neglecting the magnetic compass

It is still the only navigational directional device not dependent on external electrical power As a licensed compass adjuster, I was recently required by the local PSCO to adjust the magnetic compass of a large capesize bulk carrier after evidence of unusually large deviations had been observed during the inspection. I was told by the Master that the compass had been adjusted in the last port (in the Far East). As I proceeded with the adjustment, I was assisted by the ship's Second Officer who recounted how the last adjustment had been carried out. To my amazement, he told me that the ship had never left the berth.After making some superficial alterations to the correctors, the adjuster issued an ideal deviation certificate to the Master indicating near nil deviations on all headings. It had no data on the number and positioning of corrector magnets, soft iron plates or Flinders Bar rods. I was totally appalled by the unprofessionalism of the previous adjuster and also concerned about the lack of knowledge on board the ship to question his method of compass adjusting without even swinging the ship.Although many of today's seafarers treat the magnetic compass as a relic of a bygone ...

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Guidance on ECDIS for ships calling at Australian ports

AMSA issues Marine Notice 7/2012 AMSA issues Marine Notice 7/2012 regarding Guidance on ECDIS for ships calling at Australian ports as follows:This notice aims to clarify some of the emerging issues relating to the carriage requirements for Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) and provide guidance to ships fitted with ECDIS calling at Australian ports. Two flow charts that address ECDIS related issues and which will be used by AMSA's Port State Control (PSC) inspectors, are attached.As mandatory carriage of ECDIS will be phased in from 1 July 2012, ship operators and navigating officers of ECDIS fitted ships are encouraged to take this guidance into account.1. Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate (Form E)Details of a ship's navigational systems and equipment are recorded in Section 3 of Form E (Record of equipment - Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate). The means of complying with SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19 (i.e. paper charts and/or ECDIS) needs to be indicated on a ship's Form E. If the ship uses ECDIS for navigation, Form E must clearly state the back-up arrangement in place. If a vessel requires flexibility in using either paper charts or ECDIS as the means of navigation, such an arrangement must ...

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Future navigation will become safer

EfficienSea project An intelligent GPS system for ships and several other advances to enhance safety of navigation are among the results that will now be presented to the entire world. The Danish Maritime Authority is at the head of the project.It is with pride that Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority Andreas Nordseth will be opening a conference on Wednesday showing what a wide number of partners have achieved from the so-called EfficienSea project. As one of the most significant project results, Andreas Nordseth stresses e-Navigation - a new system for the benefit of navigational safety worldwide. Navigation officers and the like can look forward to a simpler and more modern way of getting the ship safely in port. For example, a kind of intelligent GPS system for ships will be introduced, presenting only the necessary information to the navigation officer, just as a number of tasks will be automated. This will enable the navigation officer to focus entirely on navigating the ship."Many shipping nations have paid much attention to E-Navigation. And rightly so. The work creating a system for safer navigation will have a positive impact on safety at sea in the future and will, within a number ...

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Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Coastal Pilotage Passage Plan Model available on AMSA web site

AMSA issues Marine Notice 3/2012 AMSA issues Marine Notice 3/2012 regarding Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Coastal Pilotage Passage Plan Model available on AMSA web site as follows:The passage plan model is available via the pilotage portal, which can be found at: www.amsa.gov.au/pilotage/The passage plan model is divided into three main sections: Preamble, Waypoint List and Chart Extracts.The preamble is designed to assist mariners to gain an understanding of the expectations of coastal pilots before and during the pilotage.For more information, click here.Source: AMSA

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Mariners reminded to navigate safely as fog season approaches

Need for speed reductions in restricted visibility As the fog season is approaching, the Director of Marine, Mr Francis Liu, reminded all masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels to make significant speed reductions in restricted visibility.Speaking at the opening of the 2012 Navigational Safety Seminar at the Hong Kong Space Museum this afternoon (January 11), Mr Liu cautioned that in these days of erratic climate change, it is not surprising if mists or fogs appear out of season. Consequently, navigators should post extra lookouts even when moving at low speed.Mr Liu said, "In order to ensure the safety of lives at sea in a range of different weather conditions experienced during the year in Hong Kong, vessel owners, operators and responsible personnel on board must take adequate safety precautions and have in place contingency measures for every intended voyage."Over the past few years, serious or fatal marine accidents involving various types of vessels have occurred at different locations in Hong Kong and in nearby waters. Investigations into the causes of these accidents reveal that most of them can be attributed to inadequate safety preparations or contingency measures before and after the commencement of the voyage concerned.Mr Liu also took the ...

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ECDIS Training Requirements

By the Bahamas Maritime Authority The Bahamas Maritime Authority issues Bulletin which outlines the Bahamas training requirements for applicable officers serving onboard ships fitted with Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) as follows:The ship specific ECDIS training should relate to the make and model of the ECDIS equipment installed on the ship.This should build on the generic training, and be delivered by either:i. the manufacturer; orii. the manufacturers approved agent ,oriii. a trainer who has attended such a programmeFor more information, click hereSource: The Bahamas Maritime Authority

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Safety of Navigation, ECDIS and Navigation Chart Correction and Use

The Republic of the Marshall Islands issues Marine Guideline The Republic of the Marshall Islands issues Marine Guideline regarding Safety of Navigation, ECDIS, Navigation Chart Correction and Input to ARPA Equipped Radars and Traffic Separation Lanes as follows:This Marine Guideline provides advice and guidance to mariners on the importance of initiating and maintaining a regular and efficient system of chart and publication updating, the proper use of ARPA Radar, and Rules of the Road in Traffic Separation Lanes. Nautical chart and publication carriage requirements are addressed in Reference (a) above. This Guideline supersedes Rev. 2/08 and reflects the addition of new Reference (d) above and new section 3.0 on ECDIS with the rest renumbered.For more information, click here.Source: The Republic of the Marshall Islands

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