This background paper provides guidance to those Australian vessels intending to employ ECD1S to meet the chart carriage requirements of SOLAS Chapter V.

　

　

A revision of SOLAS Chapter V (Safety of Navigation) will enter into force on 1 July 2002. New Regulation 19.2, which lays down the carriage requirements for shipborne navigational systems and equipment, requires (at subparagraphs 2.1.4 and 2.1.5) that:

　

　

The revised SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 2.2 also refines the definition of a "nautical chart" to more clearly reflect the electronic charting aspects and the "official" responsibility for their production, quote:

　

　

All non-ECDIS electronic chart systems are classified simply as Electronic Charting Systems (ECS). While they may be used as an aid to navigation, ECS cannot be used to meet a mandatory SOLAS carriage requirement for charts. An ECS classification may apply because the system does not comply with the ECDIS performance standards and/or uses chart data from an unofficial source.

　

　

Under the terms of new SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19.2.1 .4, an ECDIS, which meets the performance standards of IMO Resolution A.817(19) as amended, may be accepted by a national administration as complying with the up-to-date charts required by new Regulation 27. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is the national administration in this context.

　

The following paragraphs lay down AMSA's pre-requisites for an Australian flagged vessel intending to use ECDIS to legally meet the chart carriage requirements of SOLAS Chapter V. These will also be laid down in an amendment to Marine Order Part 21.

　

　

Type Approval is the certification process that ECDIS equipment must undergo before it can be considered as complying with the IMO Performance Standards for ECDIS. The process is conducted by recognized type-approval organizations or by marine Classification Societies. Some maritime nations have type-approval programs within their maritime safety administration and most maritime nations recognize the certificates issued by other nations.

　

A type approval certificate confirms that the particular ECDIS carried complies with the requirements of IMO Resolution A.817(19) Performance Standards for ECDIS (as amended) - including the requirements for suitable back up arrangements in the event of system failure. An IMO-compliant ECDIS will have been tested using IEC 61174 as the standard.

　

There are no ECDIS type-approval facilities or organizations based in Australia. AMSA, acting as the "Administration", has delegated type approval and certification of marine equipment coming under international convention and standards to six well recognised Classification Societies, these are:

　

　

The European Council Directive 96/98 (EC Standard on Marine Equipment) has created a new certification scheme within Europe and resulted in the replacement of the former national systems in European Union countries by a single certification scheme. It is based on both design and production conformity assessments and any marine equipment, listed in Annex A.1 of the Directive, that has been type approved in one EU member state ('wheelmarked') must be accepted by all other Member States, plus Norway and Iceland.

　

AMSA's "Instructions to Classification Societies" states that where equipment, required by Marine Orders, is required to comply with Australian standards, equipment complying with an appropriate 96/98 EC MED may also be considered equivalent and acceptable. The intention here is that, in addition to the six Classification Societies with which AMSA has agreements, EC type approved ("wheelmarked") certification of ECDIS will also be acceptable by the Authority. ECDIS type-testing conducted by Bundesamt fur Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH), the German Hydrographic and Maritime Authority, should therefore qualify for recognition in this context.

　

　

Section 14 and Appendix 6 to IMO Resolution A.817(19) specify the requirement for adequate independent back-up arrangements. The principal requirements are to:

　

　

The Appendix lists the functional requirements of the back-up system but not the specific arrangements that may meet these requirements, the onus being on national authorities to produce appropriate guidance.

　

AMSA considers the following will meet the backup requirements for ECDIS:

　

　

Ships using ECDIS for navigation shall carry Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) (the official vector charts) or, where official ENC data has not been published, they may use Raster Navigational Charts (RNCs) which are simply raster scans of the paper charts. The ENCs and RNCs must be issued officially by or on the authority of a Government, authorized Hydrographic Office or other relevant government institution and designed to meet the requirements of marine navigation. As such, for the Australian area and for most of the world's sea areas, the so-called derived electronic charts produced by Transas, C-Map, etc (some commercial manufacturers) are not recognised under SOLAS Chapter V as meeting the relevant chart carriage requirements.

　

For ships fitted with an ECDIS that does not have an RODS mode of operation, ship's navigation must revert to reliance on a full folio of paper charts for those sections of the voyage not covered by ENCs.

　

A regular update facility must be established with the provider of the ENCs/RNCs, supported by a subscription agreement note or similar document that can be inspected.