Although it has a tradition of "keeping a low profile", China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) has provided something of a beacon for the industry in nurturing a seminal, safety-related development. Its bold decision to fit a multi-function navigation support and tracking system, the product of Sino-British technical collaboration, aboard every unit of its near 500-strong fleet, undoubtedly advances the cause of digital chart-based electronic navigation. The resultant Global Navigation Intelligence System (GNIS) combines a raster chart display with meteorological, tidal, current and port data, plus route planning and fleet tracking, as well as search and rescue capabilities within a software and hardware regime which caters for the evolution of the various technologies.
