About Us
American Nautical Services (ANS) is a South Florida Marine Surveying & Consulting firm and Nautical Chart & Book store serving the marine industry since 1977.
Nautical Chart & Book Store
ANS represents the British Admiralty (a brand of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office) as an International Admiralty Chart Agent, the most prestigious level of agency awarded by the BA. ANS also prints US-produced charts (from NOAA for US waters, and from NGA for international waters) as an OceanGrafix Remote Printer. As a result, ANS offers two complimentary paper chart folios with world coverage. Finding the right chart among some 6,000 offered can be difficult; thus ANS created SPICA™, a graphically-based online chart catalog, which simplifies the job.
Digital navigation is changing the maritime industry with quickening pace. Larger vessels will be required to use digital navigation starting as early as July 2012 for certain vessels, and by July 2018 at the latest. ANS staff are trained and experienced in supplying carriage compliant digital navigation software and data, most notably via the Admiralty Vector Chart Service. ANS can also supply digital charting products from Nobeltec, a popular choice among recreational and non-SOLAS class mariners.
Since the mariner does not sail by charts alone, ANS also stocks a wide variety of books, codes, manuals, and conventions relevant to the mariner. These are published by the International Maritime Organization, Witherby Seamanship International, the International Telecommunications Union, the Institute of International Container Lessors, and others. In addition to books, ANS also stocks various signs, placards, instruments, and flags pertinent to maritime interests.
A few of our partners
Marine Surveyors & Consultants
ANS is composed of seasoned maritime professionals knowledgeable of the regulatory practices, marine insurance provisions and marine operation protocols that govern the maritime industry. Thus as marine surveyors and consultants, we are able to offer timely competent support to those who find themselves in need of site representation or industry consultation regarding practical problems that arise on a daily basis. These include (among others):
- Pre-export load, stow and count validation
- In-transit or post-delivery cargo loss assessment/ survey
- Cargo theft investigation
- Commercial vessel on/ off-hire condition and bunker survey
- Vessel damage assessment including hull and machinery surveys
- P&I Loss investigations
- Flag-State Safety Inspections
- Corporate Compliance assessments
- Expert Witness and Marine Consultations
ANS is a Marine Surveyor Agent for:
- National Cargo Bureau, Inc.
- New York Board of Trade
- Ewig International Marine Corporation (EIMC)
- MARCARE
- Water Quality Insurance Syndicate (WQIS)
ANS is a member of:
- American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC)
- National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- Miami Marine Council
- Miami, FL, Chapter of the The Propeller Club of the United States
- United States Naval Institute (USNI)
- Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF)
- Council on the Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles (COSTHA)
- Society of Marine Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME)
History
ANS was established in Miami, FL, in January of 1977. Its founding roots were planted as a marine surveyors and operators of a marine training school licensed by the State of Florida. The school offered license preparation training to individuals from the commercial world of small passenger boat operation up to 100 gross tons. ANS became nautical chart and book agents for the U.S. Government in order to provide the necessary training materials to the ever-expanding student enrollment. At the height of this program, ANS employed seven instructors, conducting training in five East Coast states.
1983 was a pivotal year in the company’s life as one of its founding members passed away from illness. The training program was closed and converted into a self-study, home application program. The chart and book division expanded locally and was opened to the public in South Florida in order to accommodate the changing profile of the business. The marine surveying and consulting division was not affected by the change in company structure and continued to grow. ANS increased association within the marine industry, expanding its knowledgebase and presence.
ANS moved its offices and storefront from Miami to Fort Lauderdale in 2004. The company currently is located in its own building at the South end of Andrews Avenue on Fort Lauderdale. This location is within 5 minutes of Port Everglades, Ft. Lauderdale International Airport, the Ft. Lauderdale Ramp of the FEC Railroad, and major road transportation arteries reaching into the tri-county area. Thus, ANS is situated at a key transportation hub.
Since the beginning, ANS has been dedicated to maritime training and remains a strong advocate of training as both a compliance and safety vehicle. ANS offers classroom training as agents of the National Cargo Bureau on regulations governing the transport of hazardous materials by vessel. ANS also acts as Regional Representatives to the Americas for Exis Technologies, authors of IMDG Code e-Learning (a computer-based training course for dangerous goods transportation).
ANS currently is ranked top among American IMO Publishing distributors and is the only distributor in North America that stocks all IMO publications in English as well as all Best Selling IMO publications in Spanish. ANS has a bi-lingual staff to accommodate Spanish-speaking clientele.
ANS was recently granted a contract with the General Services Administration (GSA) to supply nautical charts and publications to the Federal Government.
❦