All vessels that are fitted with ECDIS in compliance with SOLAS V/19.2.10 are required to have the relevant ECDIS software upgraded to meet the new IHO & IEC ECDIS standards. (IEC61174) by 01 September 2017.
The IMO has already extended this deadline by 12 months from the original date for compliance of 01 September 2016. However, it has been reported that still many ECDIS units fitted on board will not be upgraded by the new deadline due to the following reasons: -
· Incompatibility between ECDIS and the update;
· Lack of availability of technicians in undertaking the updates; and
· Updates displaying incorrect information.
Due to these issues, Flag States may now be issuing dispensations for the use of ECDIS units where ECDIS is used as the primary means of navigation, requiring that ships navigate using paper nautical charts until the manufacturers can resolve this issue.
IHO ECDIS Data Presentation and Performance Checks
Changes to the IHO S-52 Presentation Library introduced in edition 4.0 will invalidate the tests contained in IHO ECDIS Data Presentation and Performance Checks which were specifically designed and developed for ECDIS using the IHO S-52 Presentation Library edition 3.4 or earlier.
For a graphical way to establish that the ECDIS is correctly displaying the new symbols introduced in IHO S-52 Presentation Library Edition 4.0 you can check ECDIS Chart 1. Chart 1 is a legend of the entire set of symbols that may be used within an ENC, and is installed on all type-approved ECDIS systems.
Action required by Inspectors.
With effect from the 1st September 2017 please check the following with respect to VIQ question 4.22: -
1. Have all the ECDIS units on board the vessel had the software upgrade in accordance with IEC61174? If the answer is yes, then please make a note in ‘Other Inspector Comments’ that software has been upgraded.
The verification of ECDIS units that are type-approved to the new IHO & IEC standards (IEC 61174:2015) should involve:-
a) Review of appropriate documentation, including ECDIS type approval certificate. The Type Approval Certificates should contain following information: -
- Model of the ECDIS installed on board should match with the Type Approval Certificate.
- The IEC standards should be mentioned as 61174:2015.
b) Officers should be able to pull up and demonstrate software information indicating “Presentation Library: 4.0” (PresLib) on the ECDIS unit.
c) For ECDIS units which have been type-approved to the old standards (IEC 61174:2008), and have had software upgrades to ensure compliance with new IHO & IEC standards (IEC 61174:2015), there should be records available on board that the Performance Check (IHO ENC Check Dataset) has been successfully carried out after the software upgrade. If a record of the Performance check is not available then the then Officers should be able to conduct the `visual` check to the inspector proving that their system is capable of displaying the new symbols introduced with 4.0 as shown on pages 2, 3 and 4 of the IHO S-52 performance check.
2. If the relevant software has not been upgraded, record an ‘Observation’ that ECDIS software upgrade in accordance with IEC 61174:2015 has not occurred and check for a dispensation issued by the Flag state.
3. If a dispensation letter has been issued by the flag state, then note in the ‘Observation’ that a dispensation has been issued by the flag state and record the conditions attached to such dispensation.
4. Check that the conditions attached to the dispensation are being complied with. If the conditions of the dispensation are not being complied with, then add this to the ‘observation’ and indicate which parts of the conditions are not being complied with. If the conditions of the dispensation are complied with then this must be recorded with the ‘observation’
The above apples to all vessels, irrespective of size, that are fitted with ECDIS where ECDIS is used as Primary means of Navigation.