You have been either hacked... or just didn’t know you have been hacked! By George Ward (ECDIS Ltd.) - I predict that the first catastrophic maritime cyber incident will not be the result of a direct attack on a safety critical specific piece of equipment. It will be the result of an infection on a random PC, perhaps an unassuming email to a crew member, whose PC is … [Read more...]
Australia Finds Detained Bulk Carrier’s Crew Was Unable to Operate the Ship’s ECDIS
Australian authorities have detained a Panama-flagged bulk carrier in Brisbane after officials found that the crew was untrained in the operation of the ship's electronic navigation equipment. The Brisbane Times reports that the bulk carrier African Alke was detained Thursday after a port state control inspection revealed the bridge officers on board were unable to … [Read more...]
In Double ECDIS Failure what good is a Sextant?
By Jaquelyn Burton (Coeval, Inc.) ECDIS is becoming ubiquitous - and that is a good thing. However, as we move towards more and more vessels relying wholly on ECDIS and heavily on its integration with GPS, some new problems are of growing concern. At a time of an ever-increasing amount of automation, the U.S. Navy is going back to teaching celestial navigation after an … [Read more...]
U.S. Coast Guard Approves Use of Electronic Charts
The U.S. Coast Guard published guidance February 5th that allows mariners to use electronic charts and publications instead of paper charts, maps and publications. The Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular, NVIC 01-16 establishes uniform guidance on what is now considered equivalent to chart and publication carriage requirements. Combining the suite of electronic … [Read more...]
The New S-52 ECDIS Standards: What Do They Mean for You?
By Tom Mellor, United Kingdom Hydrographic Office Much has been written about the mandatory carriage of ECDIS, but one of the most important initiatives currently underway is the revision to the technical standards for ECDIS. On an ADMIRALTY paper chart our highly skilled cartographers have presented accurate and reliable information to the mariner for over two … [Read more...]
UKHO Calls for Ship Owners to Liaise with ECDIS Manufacturers Over New IHO ECDIS Standards
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is encouraging all ship owners to speak to their ECDIS manufacturers following the recent announcement of updated ECDIS Standards by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) in order to ensure a smooth, timely transition. The technical standards that govern the display of Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) within an … [Read more...]
New Normative References for the Type Approval of ECDIS
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) has published new versions of some of its ECDIS Standards. These have been reviewed and updated to reflect lessons learned from earlier reports of unexpected chart behaviour in some ECDIS. The updated versions of the Standards are a significant contribution by the IHO to supporting navigational safety by ensuring that all … [Read more...]