Electronic Nautical Charts

Transas Receives VAR Status

Transas Ltd. has received Value Added Reseller (VAR) status for the IC-ENC (International Center for ENCs) official electronic nautical charts (ENC). Transas successfully passed all the tests and assessments and is now authorized to distribute the ENC data produced by national Hydrographic Offices and primarily designed for use with Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS). Hydrographic offices are the only national institutions, which can produce and/or authorize the production of ENCs of their own territorial waters. There’re only four VAR’s that have been appointed so far, including Transas, which is the only ECDIS manufacturer to also supply official electronic charts in System ENC (SENC) format to be used with ECDIS. This allows Transas to exceed customer requirements by offering a complete ‘one stop shop’ for all electronic charting requirements. SENC format data is encrypted using the Transas protection scheme. In order to meet the IHO Technical Resolution on SENC distribution (A3.11), Transas will offer a delivery service for ENC data, encrypted by the IHO S-63 scheme. DNV certification process for SENC distribution is ongoing and Transas expects type approval shortly for a SENC/ENC delivery service. This enhances Transas’ market position allowing Transas to offer a complete SENC/ENC services. The first release of Transas SENC CD will be available shortly and will incorporate ENC data from both IC-ENC and Primar Stavanger.

Nautical Chart Updating – White Paper by OceanGrafix

The paper highlights why waterways change and how chart updates are made OceanGrafix, the exclusive provider of NOAA print-on-demand (POD) nautical charts for U.S. waters, announces the availability of “The Creation of Accurate, Precise Charts: Understanding U.S. Nautical Chart Updates and Their Distribution.” This new white paper highlights why nautical charts are so important to mariners—including recreational boaters—and explains how a mariner can easily access

NOAA Launches On-line Chart Viewer

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched its On-line Chart Viewer. The service allows persons with Internet access to display virtually any nautical chart in the national suite. It also allows for panning and zooming. While not sufficient for navigational purposes, it is great for familiarization.

Navy Ship Certified for “Paperless” Nav

The Aegis guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) is equipped with the first Electronic Chart Display and Information System – Navy (ECDIS-N) approved for use by Navy surface ships. ECDIS-N, developed by Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit, was authorized for use in May 2005 after an extensive certification process to ensure it met the Navy’s requirements for safe navigation. Northrop Grumman has supplied the advanced Integrated Bridge System and Voyage Management

C-MAP Wins China Shipping Contract

PHOTO: Mr. Huang Zhi Bin Head of Navigation in the Safety and Technology Division Right hand side Captain Peng Ji Qing of Xin Pudong China Shipping Container Lines Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of China Shipping Group, is one of the largest Shipping companies in China. It owns a fleet of 103 container vessels with a total capacity of over 120,000 TEUs, and is operating dozens of domestic coastal and international routes from China to Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe

Waterproof Charts Available from OceanGrafix

Nearly all nautical charts in stock are now available from OceanGrafix in new 100% waterproof format. Printed on a high-grade synthetic material, OceanGrafix’ s new waterproof charts are completely impervious to water. “Mariners face a variety of conditions onboard that can make it challenging to keep paper charts dry,” says OceanGrafix President Ron Walz. “This new format, however, will ensure that charts canå be utilized under even the most challenging

U.S. ENC Availability Starts to Gain Speed

It is no secret that acceptance and incorporation of electronic charting systems has been more widespread in Europe than in the U.S., as European governments and commercial organizations collectively have worked more diligently together and built and maintained a lead in this area. The gap, however, is closing, as the era of the electronic chart is quickly arriving in the U.S. In a recent Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), the U.S

Coast Guard Places New Orders with Offshore Systems

Offshore Systems International Ltd., a marine electronic navigation company with a strong defense niche, announced today that it has received $1.4 million in new orders from the U.S. Coast Guard. The orders are for additional Offshore proprietary ECPINS®-M (Electronic Chart Precise Integrated Navigation System-Military) systems as well as system upgrades. "The order for system upgrades adds ECPINS, a full range of electronic chart data handling to the U.S

Jeppesen Marine Supports ECDIS Training

Jeppesen Marine is contributing to the training of the next generation of seafarers in electronic navigational charts and ECDIS by supplying systems and data to one of Norway’s maritime training institutions, Bergen Maritime Technical School. In addition to the C-MAP Professional vector database and ENCs that Jeppesen Marine already supplies for the school’s bridge simulators, the company will now supply 50+ C-MAP OceanView systems for route planning in an office environment.

Jeppesen, Brazil Forge Marine Data Agreement

Jeppesen and ’s Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation (DHN) have reached an agreement giving Jeppesen access to all of the nautical charts and data published by DHN for ’s sovereign waters. The agreement, signed through Empresa Gerencial de Projetos Navais (EMGEPRON), will allow Jeppesen to use DHN’s high quality nautical charts and data in its industry leading marine navigation products for both commercial and light marine users