Numerous groundings and near misses have occurred on ECDIS equipped ships that could have been avoided but for failures in the setup and use of ECDIS. Like most of the world’s merchant fleet trading internationally, your ship(s) is most likely equipped with an Electronic Chart
Safe practices in navigation are an important aspect of the overall safety of the ship. Perhaps more important than knowing the theory of navigation. Safe Practices are followed because of good planning and commitment by the ships leadership. In the case studies given below it
Collisions and groundings are a result of unsafe practices. Let look at the why collisions occur and how they can be prevented by implementing safe practices. Collisions in Fog The majority of collision claims seem to occur in fog or reduced visibility. Statistical analyses of
With the emergence of satellite position fixing systems, position determination at sea today has been reduced only to plotting of latitude and longitude read from the GPS screen display. Positions so obtained have very high level of accuracy, provided the equipment is working accurately. Radar
POSITION FIXING Good navigational practice demands that the officer of the watch: ● Uses visual navigation aids and Radar to support electronic position-fixing methods, i.e. landmarks in coastal areas and celestial navigation in Ocean passage / Deep waters.● Does not become over reliant on automated
The mystery, the fear and the feeling of – “I don’t want to know” which surrounds the binnacle arises from several causes. Perhaps the greatest is simply the lack of urgency or necessity. There seems to be nothing abroad ship which makes it essential that
CHECKS PRIOR USING ECDIS FOR APPRAISAL AND PASSAGE PLANNING Following checks should be carried out by the Navigating Officer while carrying out passage planning on ECDIS: Not all sea areas are covered by ENC charts. The electronic chart coverage for the voyage must be adequate
Steering Steering a ship is one of the basic skills that you should acquire as a navigating officer. Within the time that you are serving you are required to obtain adequate experience of steering a ship at various stages and develop the skills. The aim
This blog aims at understanding and planning the manoeuvres and the procedures in emergencies, such as man overboard. Mariners should take into account that these types of manoeuvres cannot possibly be practised in real life situations, for obvious reasons. It is therefore essential that the
Aspects of Bridge watch keeping!!! Upon departure from a port, when the vessel reaches deep and safe waters, a course is set and engines brought to maximum revolutions. The Master writes down his instructions in the bridge order book or advises verbally when he needs