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Electronic Navigation Charts Safety Issue
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In February 2010 the International Hydrographic Office (IHO) informed member states of a potentially serious issue with the display of some soundings on ECDIS. When the user is utilizing either Base or Standard Display in an ECDIS, soundings are normally turned off. While using these display modes, if there is an isolated sounding that is shoaler than the surrounding depth contours it will not be highlighted in the navigation system.
In Full Display mode the isolated sounding is shown and the mariner can see by visual inspection that there are isolated shoals located on the wrong side of the depth contour. In Standard and Base Display with the safety contour set to 3.6M the isolated shoals are not depicted. Since the ECDIS does not set off any type of warnings or alarms for these types of soundings in any display mode, it is important that the mariner turn soundings on during route planning and route monitoring to ensure that there are no isolated soundings in the voyage path. Click Here for more information.
In order to rectify this situation, NOAA has begun examining its entire ENC suite for these explicit cases and has issued the following notice to mariner to highlight the issue: NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts – Display of Isolated Shoal Soundings
Mariners are advised that ECDIS may not display some isolated shoal depths when operating in “BASE or STANDARD Display” mode. Route planning and monitoring alarms for these shoal depths may not always be activated. To ensure safe navigation and to confirm that a planned route is clear of such dangers, mariners should visually inspect the planned route using the ECDIS configured to display “ALL DATA”. The Mariner should not solely rely on the automated voyage planning check function. NOAA is in the process of examining its ENC data for these cases and will issue a notice to mariner for each area that has been examined and updated.
In addition, NOAA will begin by examining and correcting the following ports as its first priority: 1 New York, NY
2 LA/Long Beach, CA
3 Valdez, AK
4 Boston, MA
5 Philadelphia, PA
6 Norfolk, VA
7 Tampa, FL
8 Baltimore, MD
9 Portland, ME
10 Portland, OR
11 San Francisco/Oakland, CA
12 Seattle/Tacoma, WA
13 Honolulu/Pearl Harbor, HI
14 Anacortes, WA
15 Miami, FL
16 Port Everglades, FL
17 Jacksonville, FL
18 Paulsboro, NJ
19 Charleston, SC
20 Houston, TX
21 New Orleans, LA
The rest of the US ENC suite will be examined in the coming months as resources allow.
In Full Display mode the isolated sounding is shown and the mariner can see by visual inspection that there are isolated shoals located on the wrong side of the depth contour. In Standard and Base Display with the safety contour set to 3.6M the isolated shoals are not depicted. Since the ECDIS does not set off any type of warnings or alarms for these types of soundings in any display mode, it is important that the mariner turn soundings on during route planning and route monitoring to ensure that there are no isolated soundings in the voyage path. Click Here for more information.
In order to rectify this situation, NOAA has begun examining its entire ENC suite for these explicit cases and has issued the following notice to mariner to highlight the issue: NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts – Display of Isolated Shoal Soundings
Mariners are advised that ECDIS may not display some isolated shoal depths when operating in “BASE or STANDARD Display” mode. Route planning and monitoring alarms for these shoal depths may not always be activated. To ensure safe navigation and to confirm that a planned route is clear of such dangers, mariners should visually inspect the planned route using the ECDIS configured to display “ALL DATA”. The Mariner should not solely rely on the automated voyage planning check function. NOAA is in the process of examining its ENC data for these cases and will issue a notice to mariner for each area that has been examined and updated.
In addition, NOAA will begin by examining and correcting the following ports as its first priority: 1 New York, NY
2 LA/Long Beach, CA
3 Valdez, AK
4 Boston, MA
5 Philadelphia, PA
6 Norfolk, VA
7 Tampa, FL
8 Baltimore, MD
9 Portland, ME
10 Portland, OR
11 San Francisco/Oakland, CA
12 Seattle/Tacoma, WA
13 Honolulu/Pearl Harbor, HI
14 Anacortes, WA
15 Miami, FL
16 Port Everglades, FL
17 Jacksonville, FL
18 Paulsboro, NJ
19 Charleston, SC
20 Houston, TX
21 New Orleans, LA
The rest of the US ENC suite will be examined in the coming months as resources allow.
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