The Navigator’s Aspect of PNC before and after ECDIS Implementation: Facts and Potential Implications towards Navigation Safety Improvement

Maro Car,Srđan Žuškin,Boris Svilicic,David Brčić

doi:10.3390/jmse8110842

Abstract

The global maritime digitalization reflects on navigation and paperless vessels with Paper Navigational Charts (PNC) nowadays superseded by Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). Considering the system implementation and its acceptance as a sole navigational means, opinions of navigators differ. Although the ECDIS mandatory implementation ended in 2018, some navigators have been still favouring PNCs, pointing out their advantages over ECDIS navigation. These standpoints may have an impact on the safety of navigation in terms of acceptance, interpretation, and understanding of the system as well as on conflict of standpoints of decisive navigational ranks, the latter reason being found as one of the real problems. The presented study has focused on a specific period, soon after the transitional period completion, aiming to determine the views of traditional navigation advocates, their arguments in the present maritime navigation paperless era and to identify potential problems emerging from the conflict of two navigational means. The research has induced two independent, internationally distributed questionnaires, dedicated to navigational ranks. The first survey has referred to the period from 2012 to 2018, marking the transition to ECDIS navigation. The second survey was conducted after the implementation period completion date. The answers were analysed and discussed from the navigational ranks’ perspective, considering their competitiveness and the level of ECDIS education. The research results have indicated and confirmed that PNCs could not entirely be ruled out, at least at this stage. Besides definitive questionnaire answers, the findings have been supported with categorised comments as interpreted from the first survey questionnaire results. The paper aims to present the future of the PNCs, including possibilities of fusion with modern means. The proposed suggestions have been directed towards the benefits of maritime navigation safety, referring especially to disagreement between navigational ranks in terms of particular means acceptance.

Highlights

Acceptance of new technology is a generation problem, and it is only fairly related to navigational safety. —Unknown reviewerThe tangible development of the electronic chart systems started almost four decades ago
The presented study has focused on a specific period, soon after the transitional period completion, aiming to determine the views of traditional navigation advocates, their arguments in the present maritime navigation paperless era and to identify potential problems emerging from the conflict of two navigational means
The research carried out in this paper has focused on the opinions and arguments of eligible officers as the central stakeholders in the process of the maritime navigation, elaborating their level of acceptance of new navigational means

Summary

Introduction

Acceptance of new technology is a generation problem, and it is only fairly related to navigational safety. —Unknown reviewerThe tangible development of the electronic chart systems started almost four decades ago. One of the essential dates was 1st of July 2012, marking the beginning of the transitional period and the time when the ECDIS system was officially recognized as a system that meets chart carriage requirements. The transitional period lasted for six consecutive years, after which it became a mandatory navigational aid for most International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) vessels [1]. The answers were analysed, summarized, and subsequently presented Both expected and debatable findings emerged from the research. The proper education and the lack of knowledge have been further recognised as drawbacks This current-state pros and cons outcome, together with the desired path towards navigational safety have been the motivation for the research and for the results obtained and presented in continuation

Objectives

Results

Conclusion