Partial Analysis of ECDIS EHO Research: Port State Control

Abstract

The implementation of Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) on board merchant ships involves several parties responsible for its proper use. These include inspection and maritime training institutes. Since ECDIS system is a new system and differs significantly with respect to different manufacturers, the question is how successfully inspections monitor the use of the ECDIS system. The results of concentrated campaigns by the regional port State control, previous research studies and reports produced by the International Hydrographic Organization were all analysed in this paper. The last part of the paper analyses the part of the international questionnaire that answers the question of how often respondents come across the ECDIS inspection, and what is the nature of that control. The results point to the lack of frequent control and oversight of some essential elements of the system by inspections. The results of the conducted questionnaire were compared with those of the concentrated inspection campaigns and with the results of previous research. A degree of coincidence between the obtained results reveals the need to further refine the ECDIS training process. The last chapter proposes activities aimed at improving the training of parties involved in the process for the purpose of improving navigation safety.