Overview

It is vital that all ships carrying ECDIS have installed and understood the latest updates and requirements. This title provides a framework, as well as supporting background information and checklists, to aid officers in fulfilling STCW requirements. It also helps companies to implement best practice in the use of ECDIS on board their ships.

The 2023–2024 Edition has been significantly updated throughout, reflecting all the latest software, hardware, documentation, PSC/audit skill gaps and procedures for best practice. The latest standards for ‘Vessel Template’ configurations, advance and transfer information and ECDIS COM port setup are detailed. Examples of radar maps and system units best practices are also included. New sections have been added highlighting advantages and disadvantages of track control system (TCS) integration, providing information on the various available GNSS systems and their reliability, and discussing (with images) correct configuration and management of information sent to ECDIS from an integrated echosounder.

The new 2024 ISM ECDIS Audit Template, which should be completed by all ships, is included, and a software suitability checklist and the latest ECDIS Generic course modules have been added. The last 12 months of observations and inspections are reviewed, and the use of inspection screenshots as evidence of ECDIS position verification is explored. New subjects for both 6th Generation and legacy software functions are fully covered.

To address known charting issues, new maps have been added highlighting areas of low reliability for use at the appraisal stage of planning, alongside up-to-date information on polar navigation and related ENC issues. Examples of chart symbols commonly not recognised at inspection and STCW exams have been added and addressed in two new annexes. Finally, ECDIS Safety Checklists have been updated and presented in a new easy to use format.

Part 2 of the Guide includes fully revised Type Specific familiarisation checklists to be filled in by ECDIS operators, in addition to annotated screenshots highlighting key ECDIS menu functions. Part 3 is available for download and includes Type Specific ECDIS Quick Reference Guides to help the navigator identify the functional differences between systems and become familiarised with the specific system on board their ship. The Guides include the latest standards required on board, concentrating on the latest typical ECDIS configurations of sensors at sea.

Foreword

Many academics believe the recent pandemic did not change the nature of business, it expedited what was likely to change. Within the world of ECDIS navigation, it is fair to say that the pandemic period has certainly added more shared knowledge of ECDIS and forced safe navigation back to the top of shipping priorities. Without ships sailing on track, on time, and safely with ECDIS, it is likely the outcome of the pandemic would have been much worse.

Additional sea going demands on ships have resulted in increased ‘remote’ audits in 2021/2022. Remote audits are far more frequent than pre-pandemic ‘physical’ audits. In this edition we review and share over 7000 navigation audits and observations over the last 12 months, as opposed to an average 3000 a year pre-pandemic. This is not to suggest that standards have dropped, it suggests audit standards have risen and we are at the final stages of making shipping as safe as could be.

Over the past two years seafarers have found more time to share knowledge in ECDIS, and we have witnessed a surge of passing ‘lessons learnt’ and openness in navigation to each other, as we pull together during the increased pressures faced at sea.

The team here at ECDIS has worked exceptionally hard over the last two years to pool this knowledge and keep the ECDIS operators at sea informed and up to date for safe navigation culminating in this 2023 ECDIS Procedure Guide.

Details