Pay-as-you-sail electronic navigational charts

Transcription

1 SHIPPING & SHIP OPERATION NAVIGATION & COMMUNICATION Pay-as-you-sail electronic navigational charts PAYS The introduction of advanced integrated navigation systems, such as Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) utilising electronic navigational charts, has changed onboard operational procedures and competence requirements for navigators. As regulations and technology evolve, so does the way that chart distribution and licensing are organised. New pay-as-you-sail (PAYS) solutions offer increased efficiency, flexibility and the opportunity to save on chart costs, writes Julie Ann Chan, maritime IT and communications correspondent. Screenshot of an ENC Modern navigation the process of staying on course, avoiding collisions, minimising fuel consumption and keeping on schedule has become an increasingly complex undertaking that requires careful advance planning as well as the flexibility to act fast on the spot. Under Chapter V (Regulation 20) of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), all ships are required to carry adequate and up-to-date charts to assist navigation. Nautical charts as part of modern navigation systems are undergoing substantial change. Having used conventional paper charts for hundreds of years, mariners now face the challenge of handling a growing number of electronic navigating systems and technologies. To ensure the safety of the vessel and economical running of the trade, navigators need to master electronic navigational charts and the different ways of obtaining and using them correctly. Electronic navigational charts Modern, digital navigation uses a variety of tools, among which electronic navigational charts (ENCs) are essential. These official digital vector nautical charts, produced by national hydrographic organisations (HO), use computer software and electronic databases to provide navigation information and are designed primarily for use on ECDIS. ECDIS display ENCs and present the information required to ensure navigational safety and operational efficiency. They are recognised under SOLAS regulations as capable of meeting the chart carriage requirements for international shipping. Therefore, ENCs can be used to replace paper charts and, unlike other electronic charts, may function as the primary source of navigational information. In July 2012, the first stage of the ECDIS mandate (obligation to fit certain vessel types with ECDIS) came into effect, making digital navigation an even more pressing issue for large passenger, tanker and cargo ships. As regulations and technology evolve, so does the way that chart distribution and licensing are organised. New pay-as-yousail (PAYS) ENC solutions offer increased efficiency, flexibility and the opportunity to save on chart costs. Conventional ENC distribution Conventionally, the navigator plans the voyage by selecting and purchasing a specific portfolio of ENC cells, units or folios (depending on the subscription) for the route either online or via a local sales office. He then has to obtain the permits or licence files and ensure the correct installation prior to each voyage. This procedure, commonly called pre-licensing, usually involves purchasing a collection of licensed charts to be able to view any chart data even for voyage-planning purposes. ENCs are available through chart agents and other distributors in a way similar to paper charts, typically with three-, six-, nine- or twelve-month subscriptions depending on the producing HO. ENC subscriptions include the right to receive updates or new editions that may be issued by the producing HO during the term of the subscription. Updates of ENC data are supplied conventionally on CD or available over the Internet. Traditionally, ENCs are offered in units or folios, each containing coverage for a certain area. These geographic collections provide the coverage needed for a vessel to 50 Ship & Offshore 2012 N o 7

2 pass safely through a region or more detailed information on coastal regions or ports. In addition, shipping companies can purchase individual ENC chart coverage on a chart-by-chart basis usually containing ENC data approximately equivalent to a paper chart. Pay-as-you-sail solutions The conventional way of purchasing and managing charts requires shipping companies to carefully plan and order charts beforehand, thus providing limited flexibility. Shipping companies are required to pay the licence fees for an electronic chart as soon as the navigator opens the ENC for voyage planning without the possibility of refund if not all charts are used. Additionally, distributors have different pricing structures for updates and new editions, not all of which may be needed at all times. An alternative option, providing a simplification of the licensing and voyage-planning procedure, is the use of pay-as-you-sail (PAYS) services. These provide a more flexible way of using and paying for electronic charts and are now offered by a number of navigational chart distributors. Shipping companies choosing a PAYS subscription receive a folio of all globally available ENCs as well as the relevant permits for installation on board the vessel prior to departure. This enables navigators to make unlimited use of the necessary ENCs at the voyage-planning stage without extra charge. Licensing costs are usually incurred from the time that the vessel enters the respective chart coverage area. In order to monitor and record the vessel s consumption of ENCs, a variety of satellite-based tracking methods and devices are used. Whereas some distributors require additional hardware to be installed on the vessel (tracking units), others resort to already existing devices. Licences are purchased for a minimum period (regularly three months) initially; they are then automatically extended as required. The post-usage payment services track and record the route of the vessel, assessing the consumption of ENCs as well as the exact start of usage upon entering the respective chart coverage area. The post-usage payment subscription services generally stipulate a regular payment interval for which the individually used licences are totalled. A variety of solutions Since the first launch of a pay-as-you-sail service in 2009, several distributors have entered the market of PAYS-based subscription services. The respective solutions while all offering free and unlimited access for voyage-planning purposes, tracking the subsequent journey and charging only for used charts feature a number of distinctions. Datema The first company to develop and offer a pay-as-you-sail solution was Netherlandsbased Datema Delfzijl in After a lengthy debate that hindered distribution of the service for nearly two years, Datema received approval for the re-launch of its ENCTrack service in April The solution has been in use on an increasing number of vessels ever since. The ENCTrack subscription offers immediate access to a world folio of ENC permits, initially valid for two months. All available scale charts are delivered to the vessel and are pre-installed into the ECDIS on board, where they can be used for voyage-planning purposes free of charge. The ENCTrack system requires the installation of a Datema ENCTrack tracking unit, which is designed to monitor and record the actual route of the vessel using both Inmarsat and Iridium networks. The installation can be carried out by the ship s crew. Any new chart cell entered by the vessel is automatically registered. The licence period of the required ENC will automatically begin when the system detects that the vessel has passed into the coverage area of the chart. Licences for the used charts are standardly registered for a minimum of three months. The usage frequency is assessed periodically, whereas licences for more regular routes can be bought for a longer time period. The Datema ENCTrack PAYS subscription service registers and stores the used chart cells and invoices the respective shipping company periodically. The subscription contains regular ENC updates via CD, Internet or . In addition, Datema provides a web platform according to which shipping companies can access their ENC usage and monitor the activity of their vessels. Navtor In the third quarter of 2011, Navtor, a Norway-based provider of electronic charts and navigational information services for the professional maritime market, entered the market with its pay-as-you-sail Navtor ENC Service. Under the Navtor subscription, a global folio of available charts is provided to the vessel on the NavStick, a durable USB device. The offering includes free access for voyage-planning purposes while the vessel is alongside dock and not moving. The system uses tracking data, collected every 90 minutes via satellite systems, to monitor and record which charts have actually been used for navigation. The solution also registers the precise moment of entry into a chart coverage area, thus postponing the start of the licensing period to the latest possible date. In addition, the Navtor NavSync online update service offers chart updates, which can be imported to the NavStick via The Datema ENCTrack tracking unit The NavStick from Navtor Ship & Offshore 2012 N o 7 51

3 SHIP OPERATION NAVIGATION & COMMUNICATION Transas Navi-Planner 4000 any PC with an Internet connection (over satellite or in port) and then transferred to the ECDIS. The company says weekly updates typically amount to about 3MB. Transas Russia-based Transas has been offering its pay-as-you-sail solution for SENC (system electronic navigational charts) since March Like other PAYS solutions, the Transas subscription offers full access to all ENCs for voyage-planning purposes free of charge. The usage is tracked on the basis of the Transas ECDIS logbook. Unlike other systems, the Transas PAYS solution records not only which chart coverage areas the vessel enters, but also which ENC scales have actually been used for navigation monitoring. In order to note which scale has been used, only charts that have been displayed on the screen together with the ship s position and symbol or generated navigational alarms are recorded and invoiced. Jeppesen A newcomer to the PAYS market is the Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen, which announced the release of its OpenENC service in September Jeppesen s OpenENC also provides free worldwide coverage of ENC charts on the ECDIS for route-planning purposes. The usage is tracked either via the ECDIS on board or an approved satellite tracker that has to be installed on the vessel. The customer is invoiced periodically for the chart cells used along the route in the two best scales available. The Jeppesen offering additionally includes the usage of its customer web portal, where navigators can report chart usage for both fleets and single vessels. Shipping companies using the OpenENC can use other Jeppesen licensing services and combine different formats according to their preferences. Benefits of using a PAYS solution With the carriage of ECDIS becoming mandatory for large vessels, shipping companies must decide when and how to implement ECDIS and paperless navigation on board. A number of differently weighted factors will influence each company s decision. However, cost of operations, safety of operations and retention of crew are likely to be prominent among them. In order to survive in a difficult market still recovering from the recession and to maintain a competitive edge, shipping companies aim to keep costs as low as possible while making the necessary investments in modern technology. With the implementation of ECDIS and the use of pay-as-you-sail ENCs, the need to maintain worldwide or even regional folios is eliminated. Under a PAYS solution, no superfluous licence needs to be purchased. In addition, the licence period begins at the latest possible moment, namely when the vessel actually enters the chart coverage area (as opposed to when ordered for planning purposes). Furthermore, the respective solution offers the optimal licensing period according to the frequency with which ENCs are used. Depending on the trading pattern of the vessel, cost savings of between 20% and 80% compared with current licensing and charting are reported by PAYS distributors. Another key aspect in the equation is safety. A high percentage of marine insurance claims are related to navigational incidents (formal safety assessment study conducted by Det Norsk Veritas on behalf of the IMO), the majority of which are not due to incompetent officers but to the loss of situational awareness in unforeseen situations. Traditional chart management includes voyage planning, chart selection and instal- 52 Ship & Offshore 2012 N o 7

4 lation, ordering the licences and permits to access the electronic charts needed for the upcoming voyage and procuring updates. This process can take up considerable time and focus and has proven to be comparatively inflexible. The growing number of international and regional regulations as well as the rising amount of applications on board threaten to distract from the navigator s core task, which is to navigate the vessel safely and efficiently from its port of origin to its destination. This process must often accommodate a number of unforeseen circumstances, such as changes in route due to bad weather, an ill crew member who needs to be taken to the next available port, etc. When the necessary ENC licences have to be ordered in advance, sudden changes in route are sometimes difficult to accommodate or take a lot of time, and missing ENCs can become a problem. The procedure of ordering additional ENCs is further complicated by high crew turnover rates and unclear responsibilities. Especially in emergency situations, crew need to be able to act fast and without the further impediment of bureaucracy. PAYS solutions reduce the complexity of obtaining and managing charts. All available ENCs are accessible for planning and licences are brought to account automatically. Updates can be procured online or via a data storage unit. A PAYS service renders ordering and licensing charts as well as waiting for permits obsolete, thus reducing the pre-departure workload to voyage planning and allowing the navigator to concentrate on navigating the vessel and adapting his route quickly. A further advantage of using a PAYS service is increased flexibility of navigation. Since the system offers access to all charts and permits at all times, the captain is granted high flexibility in voyage planning. Although this may help some shipping companies more than others depending on their respective trade, all vessels benefit from flexibility in emergencies due to bad weather or accidents. Charts may be urgently required to accommodate a changed port of call, alternate route planning or weather conditions. In such cases, the instant availability of all charts in the ECDIS allows for quick action. Finding and retaining qualified and welltrained crew is a major challenge for shipping companies. Naval education is increasingly focusing on electronic devices and applications, and young navigating officers are likely to choose a vessel that features modern navigational systems. The administrative burden of traditional chart management may erode the job satisfaction of bridge officers. PAYS solutions can therefore contribute to creating a work climate in which qualified crew strive to stay. Who should use a PAYS service PAYS solutions, while offering the potential to significantly save on chart licensing costs, may not be an adequate solution for every customer. The cost-saving potential largely depends on the type of trade that the respective shipping company s vessels are involved in. Ships that frequently sail on fixed routes, such as freight liners, will reuse the same charts over and over again. They are therefore less likely to benefit from the implementation of a flexible PAYS service than ships that are engaged in the tramp trade and on the spot market. Ships that lack a fixed schedule and rely on flexibility and the possibility of acting fast are consequently better suited for the system. In addition, shipping companies engaged in coastal trade are expected to achieve lower cost savings through the use of a PAYS service due to the large number of charts needed for the numerous port calls. ECDISPILOT Basic and BNWAS Basic The cost-effective Retrofit Solutions Ready for Compliance! Also available as ECDISPILOT Platinum and BNWAS Platinum for Integrated Navigation Systems. SAM Electronics GmbH Behringstrasse Hamburg. Germany ANC@sam-electronics.de

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6 DVV Media Group GmbH Sales Department P.O. BOX Hamburg GERMANY Yes, I would like to test three issues of Ship&Offshore The international maritime publication Ship&Offshore presents current trends from all areas of the maritime sector, focusing on shipbuilding, marine and offshore technology with high. specialist expertise. Ship&Offshore is published eight times per year, spotlighting various global maritime markets. As a reader of Ship&Offshore, you will gain a unique insight into latest developments in the maritime industry. Please send the trial issues of Ship&Offshore to: by or by post Company Company activity Department First name/name Telephone / Fax Street / P.O. BOX Postal code, Town, Country Date / Signature SPI_Redo_1200 Important: If Ship&Offshore meets my expectations, I will automatically become a subscriber after the trial issues. If I do not wish to receive further issues of Ship&Offshore regularly, I will inform you no later than one week after the receipt of the second trial issue. Ship&Offshore is published eight times a year and costs 76,. *. A billing period consists of 12 months. Cancellations must be notified six weeks prior to the end of a billing period. If I do not cancel my subscription within the time specified, the subscription will automatically be extended another year. * (Germany incl. postage, excl. VAT; foreign countries excl. postage) service@shipandoffshore.net