UKHO: 72 Pct of Cargo Ships over 20,000 GT Are ECDIS Ready
Almost three-quarters of cargo ships with a gross tonnage of over 20,000 tons 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).
According to MANA, this corresponds to a total of 9,680 cargo vessels having a gross tonnage of over 20,000 tons which use an Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) service.
The UKHO estimates that a further 3,828 cargo ships over 20,000 GT are yet to make the transition to using an (ENC) service and therefore do not yet meet Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations on ECDIS carriage.
12 months ago, the SOLAS regulations on ECDIS carriage were extended to cover cargo ships over 50,000 GT. Today, 90% of these larger cargo ships are now considered ECDIS ready.
Since the ECDIS mandate was introduced, the UKHO said it has highlighted the importance of understanding that having an ECDIS fitted does not guarantee compliance or constitute its effective use.
it is important to be aware of the implications for the several thousand of cargo ships and any others whose ECDIS deadline has passed without having yet adopted ECDIS. For example, if a ship is detained by Australian Port State Control for non-compliance, the only way of lifting that detention is to first become compliant. Whilst ships have until the first survey after their deadline, in some cases this may mean fitting an ECDIS and training crew at considerable
cost and delay,” Mellor added.