Overreliance on ECDIS Technology: A Challenge for Safe Navigation

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

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maritime digitalization reflects on navigation and paperless vessels with Paper Navigational Charts (PNC) nowadays superseded by Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS).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 potenti...

Dissertation , 2018

The research aimed to appraise the impact of ECDIS lack of standardisation on the safety of navigation. Four objectives determined to accomplish the aim:

1995

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2022

Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) offers navigators more functions and information than a paper chart. ECDIS manufacturers have applied all navigational operations to ECDISs that can be performed using paper charts. The system is designed to support the navigators in a way that does not look like a paper chart with these functions. However, the frequency of using ECDIS functions may vary due to different age groups, fields of study, competencies, etc. ECDIS functions, suitability and usage frequency are subjected in this study. Ship masters and deck officers (including deck cadets) apply the "ECDIS Functions Usage Frequency Questionnaire" for aiming to understand how they use these functions via a web-based survey. In addition, how often the navigators use the specified ECDIS functions were assessed. A total of 55 different ECDIS functions and their usage frequency were analyzed by using IBM SPSS v.25 by questioning 83 active navigators. Moreover, one of the goals of this study is to understand the awareness of correct usage. According to various age, qualification groups and ship types, the variety of applications of ECDIS's international standards determined by the International Maritime Organization and the frequency of usage and its functions were tested. As a result of this survey study, the frequency of usage was correlated by associating the professional competencies of the navigators. The five most basic and frequently used functions were also determined and interpreted.

The purpose of this Marine Guidance Note is primarily to provide an adaptable step-by-step outline of how to conduct an effective risk assessment into the use of raster navigational charts. As well as identifying a number of hazards that are inherent in electronic chart navigation, it should also assist in the selection of the optimum level of paper charts needed to compliment the electronic chart system, for operation in the RDCS mode, and the development of appropriate operational procedures. Key Points • The MCA require a risk assessment to be undertaken prior to authorising the use of ECDIS in the RCDS mode for primary navigation. • The risk assessment will depend upon a vessel's physical dimensions, hydrostatic characteristics and area of operation and must address risks to own ship, other ships and environment resulting from ECDIS-related navigation hazards. • The assessment should ensure all hazards have been identified and a system to manage the risks associated with those hazards has been successfully established onboard.

This paper is based on research and analysis of 5 incident cases from the period 2013-2016 published by European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) that clearly marks the safety risks due to the improper use of sophisticated electronic navigational tools-AIS, ECDIS, Integrated Bridge Systems, Automatic Radar Plotting Aids on board commercial ships, as well as, discusses issues of potential risks involved with complacency and over reliance on Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) and advises that seafarers should put more efforts to undergo the necessary traditional navigational training. There is a growing tendency for seafarer competence to be measured by administrative and electronic expertise, but this can mask poor performance when basic seamanship is required. Seafarers should continue to be trained in a variety of traditional and proven navigational techniques, hold a paper chart " back up " portfolio, and run table top exercises to maintain their familiarity with paper charts and proper position fixing routines. An over reliance on ECDIS can cause these traditional skills to fade and potentially lead to incidents. The industry should make sufficient navigational training widely available. Human errors are generally caused by technologies, environments, and organizations which are incompatible in some way with optimal human performance. The human has been expected to adapt to the system but this does not work. Instead, what needs to be done is to adapt the system to the human.

2021

Navigational decision making in maritime transport becomes increasingly important nowadays with the increase of technological development, as it causes a direct increase in marine traffic, as well as having various types of ships with different specifications and different dynamic behavior. Thus, a reliable navigational decision support system is important to help officers in the process to achieving the best mode of navigation using a well-defined model structure according to the area of operation, maritime traffic, ships types, specifications and behavior. Despite the benefits obtained from ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) as a tool of navigational decision-making, there are several challenges that are still facing ECDIS as a decision support system for navigation. The research aims to develop a new decision support system for maritime navigation to determine the best modes of ECDIS through an optimum model structure, which is capable of achieving an adequate level of ECDIS performance through a model software. The study followed a quantitative approach through a questionnaire to collect data from officers. Results showed a significant impact of Collision Avoidance, Under Keel Clearance Weather and Navigation Warning on officers' situational awareness in case of ECDIS integrated bridge system, implying the fact that there is an urgent need to devices and programs providing the Collision Avoidance, Under Keel Clearance Weather and Navigation Warning. These devices could be defined as the AIS, ARPA and NAVTEX as well as the programs of Tide and Sailing Direction. This research provides an insight to the importance of the five sensors; AIS (Automatic Identification System), ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid), NAVTEX (navigation telex), Tide and Sailing Direction and shows that these sensors are not optional for the ECDIS system. Instead, they should be considered as the minimum requirements of IMO (International Maritime Organization) to ECDIS navigation system as they boost the situational awareness for the officers using the ECDIS.

WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs

The aim of this study was to assess proof of concept and usability of a maritime service website prototype in a full-mission ship bridge simulator through Swedish mariners' experiences and perceptions. This test was part of the European Commission's EfficienSea2 project for e-navigation. The prototype was intended as an aid to existing standard systems and methodologies for planning, executing and monitoring voyages. The study began with 5 days of simulator trials focused on today's standard practices. This served as a baseline to compare to subsequent 4 days of simulator trials testing the prototype. For data collection, observations, video footage, interviews, and eye tracking were used. Data analysis included breaking apart the qualitative data to capture the perceptions of the participants, and a preliminary analysis of eye-tracking data as a complement. The results suggested that the prototype could be more suitable for a route planning stage, that the participants were familiar with similar existing solutions from other manufacturers, and that the contents of the tool would be most beneficial if integrated within the Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS). There is a pressing need for the novel solutions to be user needs-driven, integrated with the existing technologies, and standardized across the domain, and these processes must go hand-in-hand with accounting for all involved stakeholders, procedures, regulations, and training, as this will alter the course of shipping.

Naše more, 2015

Density of sea traffic and an increasing number of ships requires the application of new technologies in vessel traffic monitoring in order to find new solutions for existing problems. The solution is identified through application of e-navigation concept by connecting maritime institutions on shore with ships and vessels for better information sharing and integration. The implementation of e-navigation requires adaptation of existing navigation and communication systems to this new concept. The aim of this paper is to present the ECDIS development possibility through requirements of e-navigation, based on end-user needs. Given the large number of devices and systems used in navigation, ECDIS adaptation to e-navigation requirements makes sense only through a thorough understanding of user’s needs. By integrating all available information, organizing them into a database, and presenting them in a specific fashion, a suitable platform for decision-making in everyday ship navigation is...

Density of sea traffic and an increasing number of ships requires the application of new technologies in vessel traffic monitoring in order to find new solutions for existing problems. The solution is identified through application of e-navigation concept by connecting maritime institutions on shore with ships and vessels for better information sharing and integration. The implementation of e-navigation requires adaptation of existing navigation and communication systems to this new concept. The aim of this paper is to present the ECDIS development possibility through requirements of e-navigation, based on end-user needs. Given the large number of devices and systems used in navigation, ECDIS adaptation to e-navigation requirements makes sense only through a thorough understanding of user's needs. By integrating all available information, organizing them into a database, and presenting them in a specific fashion, a suitable platform for decision-making in everyday ship navigation is created. Since the application of ECDIS onboard has become obligatory and ship's primary navigational device, the adaptation to e-navigation requirements would mean also becoming a central decision support system onboard. Sažetak Gustoća prometa na moru i povećanje broja brodova zahtijeva primjenu novih tehnologija u nadzoru plovidbe brodova kako bi se pronašla nova rješenja za postojeće probleme. Rješenje je prepoznato kroz primjenu koncepta e-navigacije povezujući pomorske institucije na kopnu s brodovima i plovnim objektima u svrhu bolje integracije i razmjene informacija. Primjena e-navigacije kao preduvjet traži prilagodbu postojećih navigacijsko-komunikacijskih sustava ovom novom konceptu. Cilj ovog rada je prikazati mogućnost razvoja ECDIS-a kroz prilagodbu sustava zahtjevima e-navigacije temeljenih na korisničkim potrebama. S obzirom na veliki broj uređaja i sustava kojima se koristi u navigaciji, prilagodba ECDIS-a zahtjevima e-navigacije ima smisla jedino kroz potpuno razumijevanje korisničkih potreba. Integriranjem dostupnih informacija, njihovom organizacijom u baze podataka i prezentacijom informacija na određeni način stvorila se pogodna platforma za donošenje odluka u svakodnevnoj brodskoj navigaciji. Kako je ECDIS obveznim uvođenjem u uporabu postao primarni navigacijski uređaj na brodu, prilagodbom zahtjevima e-navigacije postao bi i središnji sustav za podršku odlučivanju u navigaciji broda.