In training for the ECDIS mandate
Digital technology is transforming the way that mariners access and use navigational information, writes Michael Cauter, deputy chief executive at the UKHO.
Electronic Chart Display & Information Systems (ECDIS), improvements in ship to shore communication and what is now global official electronic chart coverage provide mariners with much faster access to the information they need to deliver greater visibility of the marine environment. Ultimately, electronic navigation helps improve the safety of life at sea, as well as drives operational efficiencies for shipping companies.
One of the critical success factors in delivering these benefits to the maritime community lies in ensuring that mariners are able to confidently and safely use ECDIS. An estimated 500,000 personnel will need to be trained on ECDIS navigation over the next seven years, as the rolling timetable of deadlines for the ECDIS Mandate come into force from 2012.
To achieve that, there needs to be clear and consistent set of training guidelines based on international agreement, which ensures everyone in the shipping industry knows they have the right training available for compliance with the Mandate, and that it delivers the appropriate skills to crew.
At present, there is still work to be done. The basic requirements are that crew need to undertake two types of ECDIS training: generic ECDIS training, which explains the main features and principles of ECDIS; and manufacturer or type-specific training, which explains the features native to each model. Currently however, there is a lack of uniformity in the training available, and a lack of clarity over the type of training required by different flag states. The UKHO is also concerned that key differences between navigating with paper charts and their electronic versions, Electronic Navigation Charts (ENCs), are not being adequately addressed.
Generic training uses the IMO standard model and is the minimum training required by most flag states. The IMO is making progress to improve the minimum standards of ECDIS training. Last year it ratified amendments to the International Convention of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). This takes into account the new provision for ECDIS training standards and should go some way to setting down the marker for acceptable standards.
Following generic training, mariners need to know the features of the actual ECDIS model they will use at sea. There are over 25 different ECDIS manufacturers, and while all ECDIS models offer essentially the same information, the way the data is presented and the precise controls and features may vary by manufacturer, in the same way that Mac, PC or Linux-based computers differ in user experience. For this reason, it’s vital for mariners to attend a type-specific training course.
Finally, in addition to the ECDIS training, mariners need to feel confident managing the information available to them on the ENC. ENCs can offer much richer data to support safe and efficient navigation, but the mariner must know how to quickly and easily interpret that data. The UKHO is working with a number of organisations and to develop an additional training module, which is aimed at helping mariners get the most from the information presented on the ENC.
Navigation with ECDIS has the potential to make a step change in the safety of life and ships at sea and to drive measurable business efficiency along the way. As the first of the deadlines for the ECDIS Mandate approaches, the maritime community as a whole needs to play a part in making sure that the mariner has the right level of support to make the transition from paper to digital navigation as simple, successful and operationally beneficial as possible.
