Becoming ECDIS Compliant

Professional Mariner Forum
1

I have scoured the internet to the best of my ability and could not find anything firm on what a US flagged vessel with ABS classification is required to have to become full ECDIS compliant. I figured someone on here has probably been through the process before and could help me to guide my office into implementing this and finally get away from paper charts.

Currently my vessel already has:

  • two Transas 4000 Navi Sailor ECDIS’s (One is always master and the other slave, although they are interchangeable and automatically switch if there is an issue)
  • Each ECDIS has each own battery and are on different nav panels/ups
  • There is only one wind sensor, depth sounder, gyro, and gps fed into the systems

I have heard (but so far have been unable to confirm) that all we would need is to hook up another GPS

Any experience or a point to any publications would be very helpful.

2

I believe you’re going to need them to be independent from each other. Not just one as a master then the other unit running as a slave. Because of that master fails, so we’ll the slave

3

I’ve had that same though as well. Especially since other ECDIS boats I’ve been on have had 3 ECDIS’s (a master and slave on the bridge and another master in the chart room)

The way this boat is set up if there is any power issue or a loss of the master then the slave will automatically become a master… not sure if that matters

4

What paper charts!? There haven’t been approved paper charts in the US for 6 months!! All the US paper charts, and raster Electronic charts were canceled back in December. You need to be on ENCs at this point. I still believe the printed ENCs do not meet carriage requirements, also they suck and I hate them.

I believe the governing document is NVIC 01-16

I think you are correct in that you need a 2nd GPS. The Master/Slave relationship you describe sounds perfectly normal and it sounds like a standard, two redundant ECDIS system.

That being said, I extend a heartfelt WTF. If you are in the US and still paper primary, you could (and should) make a stink about not actually having charts, because all of the US’s paper charts have been canceled. The extent to which you want to make a stink depends on how much you like your employer. This is very much the Office’s problem and it needs to be addressed a year ago. The Office and the captain should be asking ABS directly, not a (presumably) junior mate asking gCaptain. If you are somewhere still covered by BA charts, lucky you, you may still have charts for a while, but if you’re in the US… it’s your license on the line and this will come up next COI or External ISM audit.

5

Can’t you ask ABS?

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6

So technically we are ECDIS primary and paper back up but that’s moot.

I completely agree with everything you’ve said. It’s very frustrating trying to explain this to office personnel who don’t care to understand. If you could hear the things I’ve heard, your head would spin.

I have come across that NVIC in my research, but it doesn’t state any requirements for additional equipment which is really what I’m trying to figure out.

We’ve already been told by the office that it’s the Master’s responsibility to fix our carriage problem. I just like having my ducks in a row before trying to suggest solutions. BA does not have all the charts we need due to them canceling some recently. So if the office won’t make us ECDIS compliant and the print “on demand” ENC charts don’t meet carriage requirements, I see no solutions until we get a nonconformity.

7

Sounds like the office has failed you.

It would be a shame at your next inspection/audit/whatever if you pointed this failure out in a round-a-bout way or something slightly more obvious.

Then the office will have to address it for you.

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8

There seems to be CH 3 to 01-16 coming some time shortly, talking about acceptable paper charting using ENC derived charts that are compliant to be used on domestic vessels. That being said, it still hasn’t officially made its way out yet, so IDK for certain what the rules will be. Check out the NOAA document NOAA NOS CS-60 for their best guidance on ENC derived paper charts.

9

Better and more proactive move: Self report a non-conformity on your company’s SMS.

That puts the ball partially back in their court and when you have your next ISM audit, you have the paperwork to prove that you have done your due diligence to get the issue rectified and the office has been notified properly to resolve it.

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