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Navigation, Charts & ECDIS

A

n expert in navigation has authoritative sources on global sea other sorts of systems and if someone

warned of the danger of over- piracy including The International was able to gain access, you could be in
complicating the use of ECDIS
Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting real trouble. We have a policy that we

Centre and The Maritime Security don’t want to connect it to the internet saying it could compromise safety.
Centre – Horn of Africa (EU naval which is why we use USB sticks.”
With a click of a button you can

forces) and is in co-operation with now incorporate the latest piracy Since the mandation of ECDIS in
Bergen Risk Solutions.
intelligence and weather warnings with 2012, how has the industry been

where you are going but this could be It displays the location of recent adapting and how proficient were those
putting a vessel at risk, says Peter Pran, and historical pirate attacks so high-risk using it?

Head of Global Sales at chart
areas can be avoided and also allows “There are some who are really

combined views of piracy and weather distributor Nautisk.
forward looking and know the ins and
data so transits can be planned in He believes ECDIS (Electronic
outs of the computer, and then there

conditions that hamper pirate activities.
are others who are not so proficient,” Chart Display and Information System)
said Mr Pran.
should be used for navigation alone “Feedback from PiracyUpdate and

instead of incorporating overlays of a OceanView customers helped us to “It’s one thing getting the training,
variety of information.
optimise and streamline the voyage but if the training is a one week course

planning process within our free-to-use where you need to go through “We are starting to see more of it,”
NauticalManager software, which everything, you are pushing that into he said. “My personal opinion is that I

aggregates both weather and piracy one week. You need to sit down and use think ECDIS should be focused on
data into a lean and user-friendly it. When I was in the Navy we were navigating. You see more and more

interface,” said Mr Lyngheim.
lucky as we had simulators where we features being added and I think it is

could spend hours and hours just to get complicating matters.
Another area Mr Pran believes
the feel of it.”
should be kept as simple as possible is “I would rather see a brilliant

the way the charts are delivered to the planning station where you can put in Jeppesen’s Michael Bergmann,
ECDIS.
all of these features, such as weather Director Maritime Industry, said: “On

and piracy data, but then once that Though bandwidth is still an issue, the training side it is becoming clearer
route is planned you can bring it up to he says it has got better: “We might be and clearer that better general training,

your ECDIS and the only focus there is lucky because we are in the Norwegian including training on limitations of
making sure you can navigate as market mainly. When I started at electronic navigation, is favoured by

efficiently and safely as possible.
Nautisk, about 50 to 60% were on most discussion partners.
email solutions, now 80% are on VSAT Mr Pran is speaking from “What people do not want to hear

(very small aperture terminals) or on experience. Having spent eight years in in marine, is that the industry with the
some sort of direct connection.”
the Norwegian Navy before joining highest safety record in transport, the

global chart distributor Nautisk , he has He said more and more vessels aviation industry, has actually

used electronic navigation charts were coming online which, of course, implemented restrictions in the ability
(ENCs) for a long time and believes this benefited chart distributors such as of changing from one system to the

has helped him focus on the main issue Nautisk because it makes the transfer other. As an example, even if a Boeing
of safe, and simple, navigation.
of data so much easier. It also makes 747-200 certified pilot needs to move to

support easier as support can be a Beoing 747-400 airplane, they need “I would like to have knowledge
offered remotely.
to go through intense additional such as piracy data more on the back of

training and certification. Simply the bridge, so you can go back and refer “For instance, I was in Singapore
moving from one to another is not to it. I’m not sure that I want all of that recently and on the phone with a vessel

permitted..but it is another industry.”
cluttering my navigational picture.”
off the coast of Gibraltar, controlling his
computer – it is amazing those things are Geir Lyngheim, Product Manager Mr Pran said there had been a few

possible today – it’s fantastic.”
at another ENC distributor, Jeppesen, a reports of glitches with ENCs with

Boeing company, said: “We have to However, simplicity is crucial here Masters reporting things missing on the
keep in mind that too much too, as Mr Pran explained: “On the electronic chart – but then it was

information can sometimes be as ECDIS, most of them are not subsequently seen that they were
harmful as too little.”
connected online which I think is a missing from the paper chart too.

good thing. With a naval background, I Jeppesen has added a PiracyUpdate “It’s also easier to update ENCs and
wouldn’t want to connect my ECDIS feature to its C-MAP OceanView route software like ours makes it very simple.

online because often they are connected planning system which is based on If you don’t have a system where you
to your auto-pilot, and connected to all
intelligence from recognised and
can download your updates you are

2014 Issue 61 The SHIP Supplier 21