Chart distributor speaks out on ECDIS
Users of products like Admiralty e-Navigator should not have any worries about non-compliant charts
Thomas Gunn warns of new compliance regulations that put ship owners tempted to use unofficial electronic charts under the spotlight
A leading distributor of digital nautical charts has warned of the dangers of mariners using unofficial charts in the world’s shipping lanes as they will fail to comply with the Safety of Life at Sea regulations (SOLAS) as the timeline to the mandatory carriage of ECDIS approaches in 2012.
Speaking at the Admiralty Extraordinary Distributor Conference in London, Thomas Gunn, Managing Director and founder of Thomas Gunn Navigation Services in Aberdeen, warned that portside inspections will be tightened up once the ECDIS regulations come into force. Apart from the requirement to use IMO sanctioned ‘official’ Electronic Navigation Charts (ENCs), all ship owners must ensure they comply with their Flag State’s requirements of proof that every vessel has an ECDIS, fitted in accordance with IMO requirements, and an approved back-up system.
Gunn says: “The IMO has introduced compulsory regulations that make it mandatory to use official charts in just over 24 months’ time to comply with basic SOLAS standards. Any major shipping company that ignores the timeframe and is still using unofficial charts in that time, or does not have a compliant ECDIS system and back-up, will find itself in breach of regulations. It makes sense to make the switch now and put in place licenses that cover port-to-port access that do not put ships in jeopardy by sailing with out-of-date licensing arrangements.”
Thomas Gunn Navigation Services is one of the leading International Admiralty Chart Agents specialising in the supply of navigational products and services to the shipping industry on a worldwide basis. It recently launched NAVECDIS, its own proprietary Electronic Chart Display and Information System, incorporating the input of many navigators into its design.
Gunn also praised organisations such as the UKHO that are leading the way towards the introduction of digital charting and route planning systems. “We are living in the digital age and paper charts, whilst they still have their uses, are very static aids to navigation. We are moving from reactive to proactive navigations systems, and integrated ECDIS systems that can assist with route planning, tide and weather systems provide a fully equipped 21st century bridge system.”
Distributors from around the world attended the Admiralty Extraordinary Distributor Conference in November to discuss the future of electronic navigation systems.
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