[QUOTE=ElCapitan;95345]Who has paper chart free wheel houses? Is there anyone besides our navy dumb enough to try that?[/QUOTE]
My company has a few vessels that have “paper free” wheel houses, where two completely independent ECDIS system are carried on the bridges. These vessels also carry a small paper folio of charts called “Take me home charts”, enough to get you a crude passage plan to safe port of call in worst case scenario.
ECDIS is a really great thing provided that it is being operated by well trained competent personnel and you are using a good approved make of ECDIS. Over the years there have been many many navigational incident due to paper charts, and I’m sure there will be many due to improper use of electronic system. With ECDIS it tends to be more down to people not being able to use it to it’s full advantage, people might tweak with the layers etc and mess it up by taking many features off it and not setting the contour alarms to the correct level.
A properly used ECDIS system has many advantage over paper charts, provided it is operated by competent personnel, using the great features of it like radar overlays which give you an immediate visual indication of your position rather than having to waste precious seconds putting on range and bearings.
If is this case the reef was actually not in the correct position on the electronic chart, then should the company that supplied the electronic chart not be liable?