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UKHO unveils Admiralty Information Overlay

The UKHO has launched the Admiralty Information Overlay, which includes all temporary and preliminary Notices to Mariners (T&P NMs) and also provides additional navigational information from UKHO's ENC validation programme.

This overlay is displayed as a single layer on top of a basic ENC. It will be available free of charge as part of the Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS) and within Admiralty Value Added Resellers' services.

UKHO has developed the new overlay to give seafarers an easy way to view the information they need, in addition to the standard chart, to navigate safely and compliantly, the organisation said.

It will make passage planning simpler and safer by clearly showing where important temporary or preliminary changes may impact a voyage. It will also give seafarers the same consistent picture of the mantime environment on their ECDIS as they have always had with the Admiralty paper chart, the UKHO claimed.

As a result, shipping companies will be able to comply more easily with port state control requirements by providing T&P NMs where they do not currently exist in ENC coverage today. It will also help simplify their transition to digital navigation. be able to view the new overlay for planning purposes in Admiralty e-Navigator, which will start its roll out to vessels in the first half of next year.

UKHO is working with major ECDIS manufacturers to ensure the overlay can be displayed on their systems. Transas was the first to announce compatibility with others expected to follow soon. Customers will also be able to view the new overlay for planning purposes in Admiralty e-Navigator, which will start its roll out to vessels in the first half of next year

Soren Andersen, marine superintendent, SQE at Nordic Tankers Marine said; "We are using the Admiralty Information Overlay as an integral element of our ECDIS-based navigation within the Transas Navi-Sailor ECDIS. Used as a navigational and planning aid as part of the company's wider move to adopt ECDIS navigation, the overlay is making passage planning and the task of keeping track of the latent ENC updates much easier.

"It will also make it easier for our crews to demonstrate compliance during PSC inspections. Overall, it has proved to be another important element in our efforts to continually improve the safety and efficiency of navigation," he concluded.

Michael Cauter, deputy CEO with responsibility for developing new Admiralty products and services, said "The marine environment is constantly changing. The Admiralty Information Overlay is needed because many nations don't yet include important temporary or preliminary notifications of those changes in their weekly updates. Even when they are included, they can be difficult to identify within the ENC.

"The Admiralty Information Overlay provides this information on top of the ENC and displays it clearly and consistently so the mariner can instantly see the impact of changes on a route and can take appropriate action," he said.

Alongside AVCS and Admiralty e-Navigator, the UKHO said that the overlay is a further step in its programme to support the transition to digital navigation and ensure vessels continue to sail safely, compliantly and increasingly more efficiently.

Transas explained that it would be available with the Transas Admiralty Data Service (TADS) license, through the Transas Navi­Sailor ECDIS.

Underwater hazards

The company also gave additional information on the UKHO `NAVAREA I Warning 317/10', issued on 29th October 2010.

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and UKHO have performed tests to ascertain different ECDIS behaviour.

As a result of the testing, the UKHO identified that in some ECDIS, underwater hazards were not displayed and did not activate alarms in route checking and route monitoring modes.

Transas Marine has carried out a test of its Navi-Sailor 4000 ECDIS MFD and Navi­Sailor 3000 ECDIS-I based on the description of the ENC objects and attributen provided by UKHO. The test results show that there are no errors in Transas ECDIS with displaying underwater hazards, which was also confirmed by UKHO.

In particular, the following objects were tested by UKHO. Each object was checked in Transas Navi-Sailor 4000 ECDIS MFD and all objects were displayed correctly in standard mode and generate anti-grounding alarms. The table opposite shows symbols displayed in Transas ECDIS.

In order to ensure that all safety related information from ENC data is always correctly presented on ECDIS display, Transas Marine said that it will continue to investigate in close co-operation with the UKHO.        

 

 

 

 

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