Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS)

Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) are among the most efficient navigation aids which automate the navigation process providing the navigator with full information from all the navigational sensors on the electronic chart. The combination of all the data on a single display allows the quickest possible situation assessment and decision making. The numerous ECDIS functional capabilities allow the time underway and running expenses to be considerably reduced.

The latest Transas systems: Navi-Sailor 3000 ECDIS-I and Navi-Sailor 4000 ECDIS MFD (Multifunction Display), released on MNS 27 fully comply with the following IHO standards:

ECDIS Requirements

As the ECDIS conceptually permits the handling of paper charts to be discontinued on board, the level of requirements for such systems is rather high. The ECDIS status is defined by Regulations 18 and 19, SOLAS74 Convention, Chapter 5 and IMO Resolution А.817 (19) which stipulate the following:

• mandatory availability of a Type Approval Certificate issued by pertinent classification societies. It should be noted that it is not only electronic cartography software which is subject to certification, but also the processor unit, display and input device. Throughout the certificate’s entire effective time, the system is required to be supplied unchanged;
• mandatory use of charts in official formats issued by the properly authorised government hydrographic offices. These are currently S 57 format ENC’s (manufactured by the respective regional Hydrographic Offices). There are three coordinating centres which are engaged in the distribution of official charts in Europe: Norwegian HO-based PRIMAR, UKHO RENC in Great Britain and the Mediterranean RENC (on the basis of the Italian Hydrographic Office). These centres accumulate chart databases from European hydrographic offices, check S 57 charts for compliance with the IMO standard and distribute them via their distributor network. Transas is an official distributor of S 57 format charts in Russia and CIS and is one of five companies currently authorised to distribute official IC-ENC and PRIMAR electronic charts. For the user’s convenience, all the S 57/ENCs distributed by Transas from the main ENC providers have been converted to CD8 Transas SENC format for easy and correct installation and updating;
• mandatory availability of backup which is ensured:
  • through the installation of a duplicate set of ECDIS equipment combined in a single computer network, each computer connected to the navigational sensors and assigned “Master” or “Slave” status. This guarantees interchangeability without loss of data in case of failure of one of the systems;
  • through the availability of an updated paper chart collection (where a single set of ECDIS equipment is installed).

Transas ECDIS

Transas was the first company in the world to produce an ECDIS complying with IMO requirements and the first to receive international Type Approval Certificates from the BSH (Germany), DNV (Norway), the Russian Federation Department of Marine Transport and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. Today, the company produces an entire scope of electronic chart systems for various users: from owners of small craft and yachts to fishing and commercial fleets.

Certificates