The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) has released a new information paper: ‘Recommendations on Usage of ECDIS and Preventing Incidents’.
The paper, released in November 2020, provides guidance to enhance policies and procedures regarding the safe use of Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).
There have been several significant navigational incidents over the last decade where one of the contributing factors has been ECDIS-related. Recommendations on Usage of ECDIS and Preventing Incidents takes into account ECDIS-related navigational incident findings and safety-related observations from OCIMF’s Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE). To provide practical support and guidance, the information paper draws upon this analysis to provide recommendations for improving ECDIS-related practices and preventing ECDIS-related navigational incidents.
The information paper, which is available to download for free from www.ocimf.org, is aimed at ship owners, operators, Masters, Navigating Officers and bridge team members including pilots, as well as ECDIS system manufacturers. Key chapters in the information paper cover ECDIS carriage requirements, ECDIS training and familiarisation, passage planning and alarm management.
By Jake Frith
