Question 1

At 0200, the primary ECDIS fails and the backup ECDIS alarm is showing a chart data error. You are 15nm from a shoal area. As Chief Mate on watch, what do you do?

Accepted Answer

ECDIS FAILURE IN PROXIMITY TO DANGER — CHIEF MATE RESPONSE: IMMEDIATE: (1) CALL THE MASTER: immediately. Do not attempt to manage this alone with land 15nm ahead and a shoal; (2) REDUCE SPEED: buy time. Slowing the vessel reduces the closure rate with the danger and allows time to restore navigation; (3) ALTER COURSE: if the shoal is ahead or on the bow — alter course to move away from it while the ECDIS is restored; (4) FIX POSITION BY ALTERNATIVE MEANS: (a) GPS stand-alone display (if fitted separately from ECDIS); (b) Radar — take two or three radar range/bearing fixes from known landmarks (headland, lighthouse, buoy). Plot on paper chart; (c) Visual bearings if close enough to landmarks; (5) PAPER CHART BACKUP: SOLAS V/19 and SOLAS V/27 — vessels must carry paper charts as backup. Open the paper chart for the current area. Plot the radar-derived position. Plot the shoal from the paper chart; (6) RESTORE ECDIS: attempt to restart the primary ECDIS. Check power supply, chart data connection. If backup ECDIS has chart data error — try to reload the chart cell; (7) GMDSS: if the navigational situation is becoming dangerous and the vessel cannot be safely navigated — consider a MAYDAY or PAN PAN; (8) MAINTAIN DEAD RECKONING: while restoring ECDIS — maintain a DR track on the paper chart using course, speed, time; (9) LOG: all actions — time of failure, position at time of failure, actions taken, master called. STCW VIII/2 — back-up navigation: STCW requires that officers of the watch are capable of maintaining a navigational watch without ECDIS. This means using: (a) paper charts; (b) radar; (c) visual bearings; (d) GPS stand-alone. The ability to navigate by radar fix and paper chart is a core STCW competency that cannot be abandoned simply because ECDIS has become the primary navigation tool. Paper chart mandatory backup: SOLAS V/19 and V/27 and SOLAS Resolution A.893(21) require paper charts (or an equivalent backup) sufficient for the voyage. In practical terms — many vessels now carry paper charts as backup specifically for this scenario. A vessel with only ECDIS and no paper chart backup is in potential SOLAS non-compliance if the ECDIS fails. AIS position (option C): AIS broadcasts the vessel's own GPS position — but the AIS display shows OTHER vessels' AIS transmissions. AIS is not a navigation display and should not be used as a position-fixing tool. Other vessels' AIS positions can help build a traffic picture but cannot replace chart-based navigation. Immediate anchoring (option D): anchoring immediately is a last resort when all else fails and the vessel is in imminent danger. With 15nm to the shoal and a reduced speed, there is time to fix position, plot on paper chart, and navigate safely. Anchoring should not be the first response to an electronics failure — it may cause its own hazards depending on water depth, traffic, and bottom type.

Question 2

As Chief Mate, you are responsible for preparing the passage plan for a voyage from Rotterdam to New York. Describe the APEM framework you use and what the master must approve.

Accepted Answer

PASSAGE PLANNING APEM FRAMEWORK: IMO Resolution A.893(21) — Voyage Planning Guidelines. The APEM framework has four stages: (A) APPRAISAL: gather all relevant information before planning: (1) Nautical charts — identify correct editions, apply NtM corrections. Use largest scale available for all coastal sections; (2) Nautical publications — Sailing Directions (NP27 Bay of Biscay, NP69 North Atlantic, US East Coast Pilot), Light Lists, Tide Tables, Tidal Stream Atlas; (3) Weather routing service — seasonal North Atlantic winter storm track, pilot charts showing prevailing winds, currents, ice limits; (4) Notices to Mariners — weekly, check latest edition NTMs for all charts to be used; (5) Ship's draught and UKC requirements at departure and arrival; (6) Vessel characteristics — manoeuvring data card, stopping distances; (P) PLANNING: using the appraisal information, plan the complete voyage: (1) Berth-to-berth — departure berth Rotterdam, arrival berth New York including pilot boarding ground; (2) Waypoints with clearing bearings/distances from dangers; (3) No-go areas — shoals, traffic separation zones, exclusion areas, offshore installations; (4) Abort points — last point to turn back to Rotterdam safely; (5) UKC calculations at critical shallow sections; (6) Speed calculations for pilot station arrival time and tidal window; (E) EXECUTION: monitoring the voyage against the plan; (M) MONITORING: comparing actual position against planned track throughout. MASTER APPROVAL: the Master must sign the plan before departure — SOLAS V/34 legal obligation. APEM standard — universal application: APEM applies to ALL voyages including ocean passages. The depth of each stage varies with voyage complexity, but an ocean Atlantic crossing requires: (a) seasonal weather routing consideration (North Atlantic in winter — Genco/Maersk weather routing service); (b) ice limit consideration (Grand Banks area — seasonal icebergs from March to August); (c) North Atlantic shipping lanes (SOLAS Regulation for routeing); (d) GMDSS provision for the sea areas (A1/A2/A3 coverage). Chief mate's role in passage planning: in practice, the chief mate prepares the voyage plan and presents it to the master for approval. This is standard industry practice reflected in STCW competence requirements for STCW II/2 (Chief Mate). The STCW Chief Mate Certificate of Competency examination includes passage planning as a key competency. Master sign-off requirement: the master is ultimately legally responsible under SOLAS V/34 for ensuring the voyage is properly planned. In practice, the master reviews and approves the plan — but the chief mate prepares it. The master's approval signature has legal significance in any investigation. Great circle only (option C): while great circle routing is the default for ocean passages, the passage plan must still consider: (a) ice limits in the Great Circle track area; (b) Traffic Separation Schemes; (c) pilot boarding grounds; (d) UKC at port approaches. A bare great circle with no additional planning is not a complete passage plan for a SOLAS V/34 purpose.

Question 3

As Chief Mate, it is your responsibility to maintain the vessel's ECDIS and charts. Describe your procedure for ensuring all charts are up to date for a voyage.

Accepted Answer

ECDIS AND CHART MANAGEMENT — CHIEF MATE'S PROCEDURE: ECDIS CHART MANAGEMENT: (1) ENC SOURCE: Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are sourced through an authorised distributor — AVCS (Admiralty Vector Chart Service), PRIMAR, or equivalent national chart authority. The subscription must be current; (2) WEEKLY UPDATES: AVCS provides weekly ENC updates. The chief mate must: (a) connect the ECDIS to the update service weekly; (b) download and apply all updates to ENCs covering the upcoming voyage; (c) verify update application — some ECDIS systems show "cells updated" count; (3) NtM CHECK: for paper charts (on ECDIS backup charts or paper chart primary systems) — weekly Notices to Mariners (NtM) must be applied. UK Hydrographic Office NtMs are published weekly. Each NtM specifies the chart number and correction. Mark each chart in the NtM index with the correction number applied; (4) CORRECTION LOG: maintain a Chart Correction Log recording: chart number, edition, NtMs applied, date of correction. This is a statutory record; (5) CHART CATALOGUE: the Admiralty Chart Catalogue specifies which charts are required for the planned voyage. Ensure all charts are: (a) latest edition; (b) all NtMs up to the current week applied; (6) NEW EDITIONS: when a chart is re-issued (new edition), all previous corrections on the old edition become incorporated. Order the new edition and apply subsequent NtMs from the new edition date; (7) T&P NOTICES: Temporary and Preliminary Notices to Mariners (T&Ps) apply to ENCs as Cell Update information — check these separately from permanent corrections. Frequency of NtM updates: the UK Hydrographic Office (and other hydrographic offices) publish corrections weekly. The MAIB has investigated groundings where the cause was an uncorrected chart — the most common pattern is a temporary or preliminary notice that changed a depth, moved a buoy, or added a new hazard. Investigations routinely check when the last NtM update was applied. SOLAS standard: SOLAS V/27 requires ships to carry adequate and up-to-date charts. "Up to date" means NtMs applied to the current week. Outdated charts are a PSC deficiency. The MCA's Concentrated Inspection Campaign on navigational equipment in recent years specifically targeted NtM compliance. Automatic ECDIS updates (option C): ECDIS does NOT automatically update charts without action. The chief mate must: (a) have an active subscription to AVCS or equivalent; (b) download updates from the update server; (c) apply them to the ECDIS. The process is not automatic — many ECDIS groundings have involved failure to update ENCs. Chart Correction Log requirement: the requirement for a Chart Correction Log is implied by SOLAS V/27 ("adequate and up-to-date charts") and MCA MGN guidance. The Log is not explicitly required by a single SOLAS regulation but is standard practice and expected by PSC. In any grounding investigation — the chart correction log will be examined to verify the chart was current at the time of the incident.