TIM
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TIMeMagazine
eMagazineVol.1
Vol.1Issue
Issue 5
Majority Of Global SOLAS Fleet Now
ECDIS Ready
T
ECDIS progress for large cargo ships
he majority of the global SOLAS fleet is now
compliant with the SOLAS regulations on ECDIS
carriage, according to the latest data published
by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
(UKHO) at Posidonia.
As of May 2016, 51% of all vessels that
are subject to the SOLAS regulations on the
mandatory carriage of ECDIS, including those that do not
trade internationally, are now fully ECDIS ready. This is an
increase of 6% in the past six months. Furthermore, out of
almost 42,000 internationally trading vessels, the UKHO now
estimates that 59% are ECDIS ready, which is defined as using
an ENC (Electronic Navigational Chart) service on ECDIS.
This represents an important step in the transition to digital
navigation, as it is first time that over half of the global SOLAS
fleet has been ECDIS ready.
The UKHO’s data also provides an insight into ECDIS
readiness for different ship sizes and classes. 77% of the
3,500 large cargo ships (defined as those over 50,000 gt) in
the global fleet are now ECDIS ready, ahead of the SOLASmandated deadline of 1 July 2016 for these vessels. This is an
increase of 15% in the past six months.
By comparison, 45% of cargo ships over 20,000 gt and 23%
of cargo ships over 10,000 are currently using an ENC service.
The respective SOLAS compliance dates for these two classes
of vessel are July 2017 and July 2018.
UKHO data also shows that 78% of tankers are now ECDIS ready.
Commenting on these figures, Thomas Mellor, Head of OEM
Technical Support and Digital Standards at UKHO, said:
“The news that over half of all ships subject to the SOLAS
Convention are now ‘ECDIS ready’ is an important landmark
in the transition to digital navigation. We are moving into a
new era where a growing majority of the global fleet is ready
to benefit from ECDIS and it is particularly encouraging to see
such good progress towards the adoption of digital navigation
among large cargo ships, ahead of the SOLAS-mandated
deadline of 1 July 2016.
“It is important that shipping companies yet to make the
transition to ECDIS prepare themselves in good time, and
the UKHO will continue to offer practical advice and support
to help them to make this step. For the growing number of
owners and operators that have made the switch to digital
navigation, the challenge is to ensure that their onboard
systems, policies and procedures reflect the requirements
of safe, effective and compliant ECDIS operations. This
includes upgrading their ECDIS software to the latest IHO ENC
standards.”
Greek fleet
This latest data on ECDIS readiness was published at last
week’s Posidonia exhibition in Greece, where the UKHO had
a strong presence, including a well-attended series of ECDIS
seminars. According to the UKHO, 44% of Greek-operated
SOLAS vessels are ECDIS ready, compared to the global figure
of 51%. 77% of the Greek tanker fleet are ECDIS ready, in line
with the global figure of 78%.
Support for shipowners
The UKHO continues to offer support and assistance for
ship owners at all stages of ECDIS implementation, including
those still preparing for the installation of ECDIS and those
managing the operation of ECDIS on their fleet. Over 4,000
shipping professionals in over 70 countries have attended the
UKHO’s ECDIS Seminars since 2011, most recently at Posidonia
last week, with a focus on both ‘Implementing ECDIS and
‘Living with ECDIS’.
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