In the introduction to the IMO Model Course, it refers to 'Potential Problems' and states that:
"Due to a lack of standardized ECDIS user interfaces, there is considerable product differentiation."10
Officers on board ships at the time of installation of an ECS / ECDIS /IBS generally benefit from close liaison with the manufacturers' representatives but, in many cases, officers joining later will have to rely on 'cascade training', i.e. passing on knowledge from one officer who has been trained to his relief who has not. This training method is fraught with the potential for serious errors to creep into the use of any systems and, in the case of ECS / ECDIS, may lead to significant errors of navigation.
Common sense and maritime expertise combined with the tenets of the ISM Code clearly indicate that familiarisation training on such vital navigational equipment is a necessity, noting that incompetent operation [of ECS / ECDIS / IBS] could impact adversely on the safety of life and protection of the marine environment.
"Past experience and problems with the variation in types of radar, ARPA and DGPS/GPS controls and displays suggests that the lack of commonality in ECDIS user interfaces to ECDIS software between the manufacturers will lead to major safety incidents. The operator must be trained to use his particular ECDIS or, as past experience suggests, major accidents will occur.
It is therefore a reasonable suggestion that some form of ECDIS "type training" would be a sensible safety requirement."11
It is perhaps interesting to note that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has adopted formal user training requirements which state as follows:
User Training Requirements
The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers 1995 (STCW'95) and the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) put the onus firmly on the shipowner or operator to ensure that mariners on their ships are competent to carry out the duties they are expected to perform.
If a ship is equipped with ECDIS, the shipowner or operator has a duty to ensure that users of such a system are properly trained in its operation, the use of electronic charts, and are familiar with the shipboard equipment before using ECDIS operationally at sea.
By the STCW'95 implementation date of 1 February 2002 all holders of Australian STCW'95 endorsed Certificates of Competency in the deck department will have been required to complete basic ECDIS training.
Before a watchkeeping officer or master intends to use a compliant ECDIS as the primary means of navigation they should complete a generic ECDIS Operators Course complying
with IMO Model Course 1.27 - The Operational Use of Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).
ECDIS type training is to be provided by the shipowner or operator under the terms of the ISM Code. Under the Code, the shipping company has a responsibility to 'establish procedures
to ensure that new personnel and personnel transferred to new assignments related to safety
and protection of the marine environment are given proper familiarisation with their duties.
Instructions which are essential to be provided prior to sailing should be identified, documented and given' (Section 6.3 of the ISM Code). 12
Additionally, type specific training satisfies the requirement for effective risk assessment and contingency planning in the use of these systems. By their very nature, IBS / ECDIS / ECS demand new levels of greater user awareness. In particular, all personnel involved with their use must be familiar with the following aspects of their operation:
• Practical operation of the systems.
• How to revert to manual/automatic functions: for example, how to change from autopilot control (see below) to manual steering and back again in the event of the need to alter course for other shipping traffic.
• Handling and monitoring alarms.
• Monitoring and verification of the accuracy of the system.
• Knowledge of the benefits and limitations of the system.
• Maintaining safe navigation in the event of failure of the system.
It is recommended that system checks are carried out at the beginning of each watch and at regular intervals during the watch to ensure that the OOW is satisfied that the system in use is functioning correctly and that all connected sensors are providing valid data. The OOW should also 'cross check' the displayed position by 'traditional' methods.
Requirements of electronic chart display and information systems Chart carriage requirements
Under Regulation 19_2.1.4 of Chapter V of Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), all ships are required to carry adequate and up-to-date marine charts (and other nautical publications). The charts are used for planning and displaying the route for the intended voyage and monitoring the ship's position throughout the voyage.
The IMO Performance Standards permit National Maritime Safety Administrations to consider ECDIS as the legal equivalent to the charts required by regulation V/19_2.1.4 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention.
Performance Standards for ECDIS were formally adopted by IMO on 23 November 1995 and issued as IMO Resolution A.817 (19).
Regulation 19.2, which lays down the carriage requirements for shipborne navigational systems and equipment, requires (at sub-paragraphs 2.1.4 and 2.1.5) that:
"2.1 All ships irrespective of size shall have: ...
.4 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; an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) may be accepted as meeting the chart carriage requirements
60 THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE
.5 Back up arrangements to meet the functional requirements of paragraph .4, if this function is partly or fully fulfilled by electronic means."13
It must also be remembered that, even with a fully type approved ECDIS, the approval is only valid in the sea areas for which the official S57 chart data (ENC) has been installed in the system and corrected to include the latest updates. In all other situations, updated paper charts must be carried on board to comply with SOLAS Regulation V/19_2.1.4.
(At the time of writing, S-57 charts are becoming increasingly available but they do not cover large amounts of the seas in which we trade.)
In December 1998 the IMO adopted amendments to the Performance Standards for ECDIS to include the use of Raster Chart Display Systems (RCDS).
2. These amendments permit ECDIS equipment to operate in two modes:
.1 The ECDIS mode when ENC data is used; and .2 The RCDS mode when ENC data is not available.
However, the RCDS mode does not have the full functionality of ECDIS and can only be used together with an appropriate portfolio of up-to-date paper charts.14
IMO does not provide any guidance on what may constitute an "appropriate folio"; this is left to the national administration. As an example, AMSA has defined the term "appropriate folio"
as follows:
This folio should contain up to date charts to cover those sections of the intended voyage where ECDIS will be operated in the RCDS mode. These charts are to be of a scale that will show sufficient detail of topography, depths, navigational hazards, navaids, charted routes, and traffic schemes to provide the mariner with ample knowledge of impending navigational complexities and an overall picture of the ship's general operating environment.
As a broad guideline the scale of the charts in this folio should suit the navigational complexity ... [of the intended voyage]
Flag State Administrations may allow a relaxation of the requirements to carry paper charts but this does not necessarily become a blanket acceptance of electronic systems and a complete absence of paper charts.15
For many navigators on ships fitted with electronic navigation and chart systems, they are operating with an Electronic Chart System (ECS) and not an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS).
It is essential that the user is aware of the legal status of the equipment at his disposal. The paper chart has the legal authority of the government authorised hydrographic office that issued the chart, provided that it has been corrected up to date.
The revised SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 2.2 also refines the definition of a "nautical chart" to more clearly reflect the electronic charting aspects and the "official" responsibility for their production, quote:
"2 Nautical chart or nautical publication is a special-purpose map or book, or a specially compiled
database from which such a map or book is derived, that is issued officially by or on the authority of a Government authorized Hydrographic Office or other relevant government institution and is designed to meet the requirements of marine navigation."16
The electronic chart, on the other hand, does not necessarily have such status — it will depend on where the data used to construct the chart came from. Currently, electronic charts are available from a number of sources, including government authorised hydrographic offices and commercial suppliers, and they are available in two formats — raster and vector.
Voyage recording
In its own way, ECDIS is a mini voyage data recorder. It must be able to record and reconstruct the vessel's navigation history, along with verifying the official database used, for a minimum of 12 hours. In all probability, this period will be considerably longer and there will be a 'playback' function to allow review of the vessel's track. In some systems, radar overlay may be recorded and this feature provides additional data for review in the unlikely event of a collision or other accident.
Recorded at one-minute intervals, the information must show own ship's past track including time, position, heading, and speed, as well as a record of official ENC used including source, edition, date, cell and update history. It must not be possible to manipulate or change the recorded information.
System backup
Adequate backup arrangements must be provided to ensure safe navigation in case of ECDIS failure. Backup arrangements for ECDIS were adopted by IMO in November 1996 and became Appendix 6 to the Performance Standards. The principal requirements are to:
• Enable a timely transfer to the backup system during critical navigation situations.
• Allow the vessel to be navigated safely until the termination of the intended voyage.
The Appendix lists the functional requirements of the backup system but not the specific arrangements that may meet these requirements, the onus being on national authorities to produce appropriate guidance. There are a number of possible options that could meet these requirements and they include:
• A second, fully independent, type approved ECDIS.
• An ECDIS operating in the RCDS mode.
• A full folio of paper charts corrected to the latest Notice to Mariners covering and showing the intended voyage plan.
Precautions for IBS operators
An IBS, with a properly trained operator, can greatly increase both the safety and efficiency of a ship at sea. However, the wise and experienced mariner knows that it is potentially dangerous to place absolute reliance on any one navigational tool. Remember that the accuracy of an IBS system is dependent upon the quality of sensor data coming in and the quality of the electronic chart on which that sensor data is displayed. That is why it is essential that the Bridge Team become very familiar with the type and characteristics of all sensors and electronic charts which are available on the ship through the IBS.