Iho News

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Port of Rotterdam Authority and 20 partners in the Green & Digital Shipping Corridor are working to reduce 20% to 30% of emissions from international shipping by 2030. This was agreed at the third Green Corridor workshop, held this week in Rotterdam.The Green & Digital Shipping Corridor was established in August 2022 to bring together partners across the supply chain to realise zero and near-zero emissions shipping on the Rotterdam-Singapore route, with the ultimate aim to reach net-zero emissions in 2050.

In a first for UK ports, the Port of London Authority (PLA) and University College of London (UCL) have launched a fully electric, remotely operated survey vessel.It will support a MSc Hydrographic Surveying course they have run in partnership since 1999.The state-of-the-art platform, manufactured by Maritime Robotics, was acquired by the partners, following a successful bid and award of an £263,000 grant from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).The vessel features the most advanced sonar and scanning system from technology manufacturer NORBIT, called a WINGHEAD.

This year marks two decades that FarSounder has been dedicated to developing its unique 3D Forward Looking Sonar technology (3D FLS). Back in 2001, the company's founders saw a need for a solution to answer the question of what is in front of my vessel underwater right now. This real world issue has since been mitigated with the innovative Argos navigation sonar systems.“These 20 years have been a fascinating journey. We started by listening to the marketplace, focusing on delivering a high-quality product and providing superior customer service.

The U.K. Hydrographic Office (UKHO) announced the appointment of Rear Admiral Peter Sparkes as the new chief executive and accounting officer. Sparkes will be leaving the Royal Navy to take up the role.As chief executive, Sparkes will continue to lead the organization’s important work in supporting safe, secure and thriving oceans. This includes the UKHO’s work in support of Defense and merchant shipping. Working in close collaboration with national and international partners…

The U.K. Hydrographic Office has announced the appointment of Rear Admiral Peter Sparkes, the current U.K. National Hydrographer and Deputy Chief Executive, to the position of acting chief executive and accounting officer.Sparkes will hold the position while a permanent replacement is sought for Tim Lowe CBE, the previous UKHO chief executive and accounting officer, who announced his retirement Friday.Commenting on Lowe’s retirement, Sparkes said, “On behalf of the senior leadership team and all at the U.K.

Shom, the French national hydrographic and oceanographic office selected SBG Systems’ inertial navigation sytems to renew their whole fleet of INS. They chose Navsight Apogee INS for their speedboats and survey vessels for both shallow and deep-water real-time bathymetric surveys and Qinertia PPK software for post-processing tasks.Shom has 3 major objectives: national hydrography and cartography, defense support in hydro-oceanographic fields, and support in maritime geospatial products and services for public policies on the sea and the coast.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim has called for Member States and the entire maritime sector including shipping and ports, to come on board to achieve the ambitions set out in the historic IMO initial strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping, adopted last year.The UN body said that the strategy makes a firm commitment to a complete phase out of GHG emissions from ships, a specific linkage to the Paris Agreement and a series of clear levels of ambition, including at least a 50 per cent cut in emissions from the sector by 2050.“We need to focus on technology transfer and research and development…

Reliable, user-friendly and integrated navigation and communications systems can help with decision making on a ship. That is where e-Navigation comes in. International Maritime Organization (IMO) attended the e-Navigation Underway International Conference which takes place every year on board a ship travelling between Copenhagen and Oslo (24-26 January 2018). IMO's Sascha Pristrom gave a presentation on IMO's plan to lead shipping into a new digital era. He updated participants on IMO's e-Navigation Strategy Implementation Plan (SIP) as well as its work with the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) to develop guidance on definition and harmonization of the format and structure of Maritime Service Portfolios (MSPs).

The Indian Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) to change its status from Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to Inter-Governmental Organization (IGO). The move will facilitate “to foster the safe, economic and efficient movement of vessels". It will bring IALA at par with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO). The IALA, having headquarters at St. Germainen Laye (France) was established in 1957 under French law. It is governed by a General Assembly having 83 National members, with its Council as the executive body.

Kelvin Hughes has introduced its latest Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) designed for commercial ships as well as naval and coastguard patrol vessels. Available as a standalone ECDIS or as part of a truly multifunction bridge display network with multiple operator positions, the new ECDIS is type approved to meet the latest International Hydrographic Office (IHO) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards. It offers an optional mil-spec processor with advanced LED display hardware in a fully integrated, easy to install and retrofit, console package.

Almost three-quarters of cargo ships over 20,000 gross tonnage (GT) are already compliant with the SOLAS-mandated Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) deadline of July 1, 2017, according to the latest figures published by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO). The UKHO estimates that a further 3,828 cargo ships over 20,000 GT are yet to make the transition to using an ENC (Electronic Navigational Chart) service and therefore do not yet meet SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations on ECDIS carriage.

Hydrogaphy, the science of surveying and charting bodies of water, is essential to the safe, sustainable and cost-effective use of the world’s oceans. This was International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim’s message at the 1st Assembly of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) in Monaco (24 April). Around 90% of the world’s oceans and 50% of coastal waters have never had their depth measured. And there are higher resolution maps of the Moon, Mars and Venus than for most of the world’s maritime areas. In this context, hydrographers make a valuable contribution to the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 14 on conserving and sustainably using the oceans – whether in support of navigational safety…

Raytheon Anschütz introduces what it claims is the world’s first user-defined Electronic Chart Display and Information System, a system it will officially launch at NorShipping in Oslo. Raytheon Anschütz designed the new Synapsis ECDIS NX software based on direct input from customers. The software features a state-of-the-art design and stands out with an intuitive user interface, a clearly structured display, consistent operational concepts and modern interaction patterns such as touch operation, ‘drag and drop,’ pins and handles, and context-sensitive help dialogue.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is participating in the annual gathering of Asia Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies (APHoMSA) in Langkawi, Malaysia (20-24 March). Participants from 24 IMO Member States as well as observers from IALA, IHO and SPC are taking part in discussions surrounding APHoMSA's work to promote safe, secure shipping and a clean marine environment within the Asia-Pacific region. The event coincides with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2017 week, which brings together senior maritime officials from Pacific Ocean Rim countries and territories to exchange ideas and identify areas of cooperation.

DNV-GL has issued an official certificate for PC Maritime’s Navmaster ECDIS after the company passed all the tests. Navmaster ECDIS is up-to-date against all current standards including the new IEC 61174 Edt. 4 and the IHO Presentation Library Edt 4.0. This means PC Maritime’s ECDIS will meet carriage requirements from August 31, 2017 when the IHO withdraws support for version 3.4 of its Presentation Library. Existing ECDIS must be updated by then to meet carriage requirements. PC Maritime said it will offer upgrades to its customers to ensure that they are compliant in time to meet the August 2017 deadline.

DNV GL has awarded a type approval certificate with EU Wheelmark for Danelec Marine DM700 and DM800 G2 ECDIS models. The type approval signifies that the products meet all applicable technical requirements, including the new IEC 61174 Ed. 4, IHO-52 and IHO S-64 performance standards. “We are offering an easy pathway for shipowners to be in full compliance with the new ECDIS standards when they enter into force in August,” said Hans Ottosen, CEO of Danelec Marine. “All new Danelec Marine DM700 and DM800 G2 ECDIS models meet the new standard, and we are providing free upgrades for installed legacy DM800 ECDIS products. Ottosen noted that Danelec also provides free-of-charge update retraining for navigators already holding a type-specific certificate on previous versions of the Danelec ECDIS…

In December 2016 RH Marine’s ECDIS has officially been certified to meet the latest international standards. RH Marine is one of the first suppliers to have a fully certified ECDIS complying with the updated International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) standard that will be effective on September 1, 2017. Almost a year ago the IHO and the IEC introduced new ECDIS standards. One of the biggest benefits of upgrading ECDIS systems to the latest S-52 Presentation Library will be a reduction in the number of audible alarms triggered by ECDIS…

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) will offer its free ‘Living with ECDIS’ seminars in Vancouver, Canada on Tuesday, November 29 and in Houston, U.S. on Thursday, December 1. Following on from the latest ECDIS usage figures, published earlier this year by the UKHO, which revealed that 59 percent of the global SOLAS fleet is now ECDIS-ready, the UKHO’s seminar is designed to ensure that the navigational benefits of ECDIS are achieved in an efficient and compliant manner.

Danelec Marine is rolling out its new DM700 series Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) for marine navigation at the SMM maritime trade fair in Hamburg, Germany, held from September 6-9. The DM700 ECDIS provides a basic ECDIS solution that fully complies with the new IEC and IHO performance standards which will be mandatory in all ECDIS ship installations beginning August 2017. Danelec Marine introduced its new-generation DM800 ECDIS in 2015. With the addition of the new DM700…

Danelec Marine has launched a new computer-based training (CBT) program for its second-generation DM800 ECDIS G2 products. The convenient and user-friendly CBT courseware allows students to download the training curriculum to their own computers or laptops and perform the self-study portion offline, at home or at sea. At the end of each module, the student takes a self-administered test. The student can communicate with an ECDIS instructor at any stage of the self-study portion by email or interactive chat. Upon completion of the 32-module course, the student logs onto the internet for a multiple-choice exam, followed by a live-cam interview with a certified instructor. When the student achieves a passing grade, Danelec Marine issues a certificate of completion.

The majority of the global SOLAS fleet is now compliant with the SOLAS regulations on ECDIS carriage, according to the latest data published by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) at Posidonia. As of May 2016, 51 percent of all vessels that are subject to the SOLAS regulations on the mandatory carriage of ECDIS, including those that do not trade internationally, are now fully ECDIS ready. This is an increase of 6 percent in the past six months. Furthermore, out of almost 42,000 internationally trading vessels, the UKHO now estimates that 59 percent are ECDIS ready, which is defined as using an ENC (Electronic Navigational Chart) service on ECDIS.

Driven by the SOLAS-mandated transition to ECDIS, the adoption of digital navigation is the most visible sign of how navigational practices are being transformed. Additional tools are also playing an important role in supporting bridge teams and delivering accurate navigational information to the bridge. We are now halfway through the transition period under the timetable set out in the amendments to the SOLAS Convention adopted in 2009, requiring the mandatory carriage of ECDIS for ships engaged on international voyages.

German navigation system manufacturer Raytheon Anschütz announced it is ready to deliver Electronic Chart Display & Information System (ECDIS) Software compliant with new International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) standards. The IEC and IHO have published new versions of some of their ECDIS standards, and all users must update their existing ECDIS to be in compliance by September 1, 2017. Raytheon Anschütz has finished type approval of the ECDIS Software according to these standards.