UK Hydrographic Office Guide to Electronic Charts

15 August 2007, 12:39pm

15 August 2007 - Guide to electronic charts and carriage requirements is now available from UKHO website. The UK Hydrographic Office is making available as a free download from its website a comprehensive guide to electronic charts and chart carriage requirements which is an essential tool for all mariners. The second edition of Facts about electronic charts and carriage requirements has been created by the two leading ENC centres – International Centre for ENCs (IC-ENC) and PRIMAR Stavanger. Written in an easy to read ‘question and answer’ style, this guide answers over 20 of the most commonly asked questions.

It details regulations in force today, and is set to provide a useful reference for anyone involved in the production, purchase, regulation or use of electronic charts. There are now many ECDIS systems on the market and almost 6,000 official ENCs are available from the UK Hydrographic Office. However, lack of knowledge and understanding of the relevant carriage regulations has long been highlighted by industry commentators as one of the main reasons for hesitation in adopting ECDIS as the primary navigation tool.

The new guide, which will continue to be expanded and updated to ensure it remains accurate, was created by a Joint Information Working Group of the two regional centres. This new edition, which updates the original 2005 guide, is now split into five separate areas focusing on different aspects to make the information easier to find. These sections are:

• Facts about electronic charts and carriage requirements
• Compendium of Flag State ECDIS requirements
• Training requirements
• Technical details of electronic charts
• Appendix: References and glossary

The guide is available as a series of free downloads in pdf format from the UKHO website by visiting: www.ukho.gov.uk/amd/carriageRequirements.asp.

For further information about the Admiralty ENC and ECDIS Services please contact your Admiralty Distributor or visit the UKHO website at www.ukho.gov.uk.

To view the ENC coverage available within Admiralty services, please download the UKHO’s Admiralty Digital Catalogue from www.ukho.gov.uk/amd/admirDigCat.asp

For further information contact:
Nick Tasker, Commercial PR Manager
United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
Tel: 01823 337900
Email: nick.tasker@ukho.gov.uk

www.ukho.gov.uk

Geo: International