New overlay makes ENC updates easier
The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) announced the availability of the new Admiralty information overlay which includes all temporary and preliminary notices to mariners (T&P NMs) and provides additional navigationally significant information from UKHO’s ENC validation programme.
The overlay is displayed as a single layer on top of the basic ENC and will be available free of charge as part of the Admiralty Vector Chart Service and within Admiralty Value Added Resellers’ services.
UKHO has developed the new overlay to give seafarers an easy way to view the information they need, in addition to the standard chart, to navigate safely and compliantly. The new overlay will make passage planning simpler and safer by clearly showing where important temporary or preliminary changes may impact a voyage. It will also give seafarers the same consistent picture of the maritime environment on their ECDIS as they have always had with the Admiralty paper chart.
As a result, shipping companies will be able to comply more easily with Port State Control requirements by providing T&P NMs where they do not currently exist in ENC coverage today. It will also help simplify their transition to digital navigation.
UKHO is working with major ECDIS manufacturers to ensure the Admiralty information overlay can be displayed on their systems. Transas is the first to announce compatibility with others expected to follow soon. Customers will also be able to view the new overlay for planning purposes in Admiralty e-Navigator which will start its roll out to vessels in the first half of next year.
Soren Andersen, marine superintendent, SQE at Nordic Tankers Marine A/S says “We are using the Admiralty information overlay as an integral element of our ECDIS-based navigation within the Transas Navisailor ECDIS. Used as a navigational and planning aid as part of the company’s wider move to adopt ECDIS navigation, the overlay is making 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.”
Michael Cauter, deputy chief executive with responsibility for developing new Admiralty products and services, said “The marine environment is constantly changing. 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 appropriate action.”
Alongside AVCS and Admiralty e-Navigator, the Admiralty information overlay is a further step in the UKHO’s programme to support the transition to digital navigation and ensure vessels continue to sail safely, compliantly and increasingly more efficiently.
Shipping companies wishing to take advantage of the new Admiralty information overlay should contact their ECDIS supplier to check and arrange compatibility.
