Marintec 2011
ECDIS Workshop sessions

We are not aware of any flag State which specifically does not accept ECDIS for meeting SOLAS chart carriage requirements. However, the wording of the original 2000 amendment to SOLAS V regulation 2 stated that ECDIS may be used to satisfy the chart carriage requirement for "nautical charts and nautical publications to plan and display the ship's route for the intended voyage and to plot and monitor positions throughout the voyage". This inferred that acceptance of ECDIS was at the discretion of individual flag States.

With the 2009 SOLAS V amendments, which lays down the implementation schedule for the ECDIS mandatory carriage from July 2012, the wording of new paragraph 2.10 to regulation 19 specifically requires affected vessels to be fitted with ECDIS according to the specified timetable.

Accordingly, for IMO member States which are signatories to the SOLAS Convention, the inference is that such States must recognise ECDIS as satisfying the SOLAS chart carriage requirement and incorporate the relevant ECDIS amendment to SOLAS into their national legislation.

For vessel types where ECDIS carriage remains an option, an additional inference is that any decision on whether the system satisfies the chart carriage requirement stays within the discretion of the vessel's flag State. In practice, it is considered unlikely that a flag State will discriminate against such vessels by not recognising ECDIS for chart carriage requirement purposes; albeit on a voluntary rather than on a mandatory basis.

An ECDIS is a type-approved system which meets the relevant minimum IMO performance standards and, when used with Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) and adequate back-up arrangements, can satisfy the SOLAS carriage requirement for up-to-date charts.

An ECS by comparison is a generic term for an electronic navigation system which, for a variety of reasons, does not meet the definition of an ECDIS; reasons for this may include lack of type-approval, using unofficial, privately-produced, chart data and/or using back-up arrangements which have not been approved by the vessel's flag State. Accordingly an ECS can not be used to meet SOLAS chart carriage requirements but may be accepted by some flag States, provided certain conditions are met, for satisfying ECDIS back-up arrangements..

An Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) is a vector chart which is issued by or on the authority of a Government, authorised hydrographic office or other relevant Government institution, and conforming to the IHO S-57 standard. Vector charts primarily consist of point, line and area features which have been mathematically defined and encoded with information on the feature's geographical position and other characteristics e.g. function, colour, shape, depth etc. Knowledge of charted features' positions and characteristics gives the ENC an inherent level of "intelligence" which enables the ECDIS to automatically check and monitor routes, and warn if the vessel's safety is being compromised.

A Raster Navigation Chart (RNC) is an electronic facsimile of an official paper nautical chart, also issued by or on the authority of a Government, authorised hydrographic office or other relevant Government institution, and conforming to the IHO S-61 standard.  RNCs are geo-referenced; this means that as the cursor is moved across the chart image, the geographical co-ordinates of the cursor's position are displayed. Unlike an ENC, however, an RNC has no form of built-in "intelligence" and can not, for example, activate an anti-grounding alarm if the vessel is standing into danger.

Whereas the recommended minimum duration of generic ECDIS training courses, which are based on the IMO model course 1.27, is 40 hours spread over 5 days, no such rules appear to exist with regards to the duration of type-specific training.

The approach by flag States seems to allow the ECDIS equipment manufacturers to decide on the duration of type-specific training programmes on the basis that general competence will have already been demonstrated by successfully completing a generic training course and that type-specific training is really the application of that competency to a particular make and model of ECDIS equipment.

Apart from potential issues regarding the quality and relevance of the training, the main problem which is liable to arise is that certification issued to seafarers undertaking such generic training will not be recognised by the flag State. 

This, in turn, is likely to create additional problems with port State authorities and may, for example, result in the vessel being detained for breaches of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code.

Whilst ECDIS users are required to undertake type-specific ECDIS training, flag States generally do not approve type-specific training courses and leave it to the ECDIS manufacturers to develop appropriate training programmes for delivery either directly by the manufacturers, the manufacturer's approved agent or a trainer who has attended such a programme.

Although so-called "trickle down" training, whereupon one officer trains another, is not accepted by many flag States, there appears to be significant flexibility as to whether type-specific training is undertaken ashore and/or aboard ship, whether generic and type-specific training can be combined and whether computer-based training (CBT) is allowed in part or in whole.

Type-specific training infers becoming acquainted and competent with how the ECDIS functionality (as per the IMO ECDIS performance standards) has been implemented in a particular make and model of ECDIS by the equipment manufacturer, and understanding the specific buttons, controls, menu structure etc in order to operate that particular ECDIS competently.

Familiarisation infers knowledge and competency on how that specific ECDIS model is incorporated into a wider integrated navigation system aboard ship and how the Company's Safety Management System (SMS) relates to ECDIS operations. Such familiarisation should include detailed knowledge of  ECDIS instructions and procedures appertaining to that particular vessel as well as, for example, knowledge of the sensors connected to the ECDIS, the approved back-up arrangements, the means for receiving chart data and updates and applying them to the ENC database etc.

Although RCDS is a recognised mode of ECDIS operation  when Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are not available (see Appendix 7 of the IMO ECDIS performance standards), current SOLAS regulations require that when using this mode i.e. with Raster Navigational Charts  (RNCs), an appropriate portfolio of up-to-date paper charts should be carried on board and be readily available to the mariner.

Perceived limitations in using ECDIS in RCDS mode are contained an IMO Safety of Navigation circular - SN/Circ. 207 - which was published back in January 1999.

Many flag States have already published various types of marine notices which detail their requirements regarding a range of ECDIS issues. Normally such notices are available to download from the State's maritime administration website.

If this, however, is not the case, then it is advisable to contact the relevant flag State's maritime authorities directly to ensure timely knowledge of any specific requirements.

In general terms, an ECDIS which has been type-approved in China would only be accepted for use aboard a UK-flagged vessel if the system had also been type approved in accordance with the European Union Marine Equipment Directive (Directive 96/98/EC) and had been accorded the "wheel mark" notation.

Although many ECDIS can accommodate a radar overlay, giving an important benefit of displaying navigational objects and vessel targets, the system is not intended for collision avoidance for a number of reasons:

a) it is unlikely that any radar functionality incorporated into the ECDIS by the manufacturers has been type-approved in a similar way to that required for a dedicated radar system;

b) conflict may arise when using ECDIS with course-over-ground (COG) and speed-over-ground (SOG) settings selected, thus enabling own-ship movement to be displayed in relation to  charted ENC objects, and the long-held view that the vessel's course and speed should be "through-the- water" for collision avoidance;

c) if  only tracked target information is displayed, rather than the whole radar image, shipping traffic in the vicinity which has not been acquired and tracked will not be shown on the electronic chart.

Therefore the ECDIS should not be used as the primary collision avoidance system.

In the event of ECDIS failure, the requirements of the back-up arrangements are twofold: to enable a safe take-over of the ECDIS functions in order to ensure that a critical situation does not arise and as a means of providing safe navigation for the remaining part of the voyage.

Whilst actual  back-up arrangements must be approved by the vessel's flag State,  there are a number of possible options that could meet these  requirements. These include:

A second, fully-independent type-approved ECDIS;
A type-approved chart radar that can display  ENCs and has the capability to perform route planning, route monitoring and voyage recording; An up-to-date portfolio of paper nautical charts.

e-Navigator is not an ECDIS but rather a computerised integrated digital catalogue, product viewer and voyage planning tool which organises, updates and brings together all of the data needed to plan a safe voyage.

Planned routes, up-to-date chart permit files etc can however be transferred from the e-Navigator computer to the ECDIS using, for example, a CD-ROM or USB flash drive.

The Workshop presentation is primarily for the use of the presenter and is not available for wider distribution. However, all the topics covered in the presentation are contained within the free Admiralty publication "Are you ready for the new ECDIS regulations?".