MONITORING SAFETY

OF NAVIGATION
 WHAT SHIP NAVIGATION MEANS?

• SHIP NAVIGATION IS REFERRING TO THE VOYAGE PRACTICES, FOCUSING ON THE

PROCESS OF MONITORING AND CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF THE SHIP
FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER. SPECIFICALLY, STARTING FROM KNOWING
WHERE YOU ARE ON A CHART AND CHOOSING THE BEST ROUTE TO WHERE YOU
ARE HEADING. MARINE NAVIGATION IS A BIG CHALLENGE, AS IT REQUIRES BOTH
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE NOWADAYS - IN THE GPS AGE -
BUT IT WAS ALSO TRUE WHEN THE ONLY AVAILABLE NAVIGATION WAS THE
CELESTIAL.
 WHEN EQUIPMENT CAN PROVIDE A SAFE SHIP
NAVIGATION
• WITH MODERN DAY FACILITIES AND AUTOMATION, THERE ARE SEVERAL
ADVANCED SHIP NAVIGATION SYSTEMS. MERCHANT SHIPS ARE EQUIPPED WITH
NAVIGATIONAL TOOLS WHICH GIVE ACCURATE DATA FOR THE VOYAGE. A FEW
OF THEM ARE:
• GYRO AND MAGNETIC COMPASSES,
• RADARS,
• AUTO PILOT,
• ARPA,
• SPEED & DISTANCE LOG DEVICES,
• ECDIS,
• AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS,
• VOYAGE DATA RECORDERS,
• GPS RECEIVERS,
• NAVIGATIONAL LIGHTS,
• PILOT CARD ETC.
GYRO AND MAGNETIC COMPASSES

A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic

compass which is based on a fast-spinning
disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another
planetary body if used elsewhere in the
universe) to find
geographical direction automatically. The
use of a gyrocompass is one of the seven
fundamental ways to determine the heading
of a vehicle.
 RADARS

Marine radars are X band or S band radars on ships,

used to detect other ships and land obstacles, to
provide bearing and distance for collision
avoidance and navigation at sea. They are
electronic navigation instruments that use a
rotating antenna to sweep a narrow beam
of microwaves around the water surface
surrounding the ship to the horizon, detecting targets
by microwaves reflected from them, displaying a
picture of the ship's surroundings on a display
screen.
SPEED AND DISTANCE LOG DEVICES

Ship's Log and Log Distance. An

instrument for measuring
the speed of a ship through water is
called a ship's, or maritime, log. The
same word is also applied to the
daily record of a ship, though it is
more properly termed a logbook.
 ECDIS
An Electronic Chart Display and
Information System (ECDIS) is a
computer-based navigation system that
complies with IMO regulations and can
be used as an alternative to paper
navigation charts.
ECDIS has some functions which indicate
not only chart‘s information but also
other information and has function that
give to ship's navigator an alarm when a
ship is approaching or entering into
potentially dangerous areas.
VOYAGE DATA RECODER
Voyage data recorder, or VDR, is a data recording
system designed for all vessels required to comply with
the IMO‘s International Convention SOLAS
Requirements (IMO Res.A.861(20)) in order to collect
data from various sensors on board the vessel. It
then digitizes, compresses and stores this information in
an externally mounted protective storage unit. The
protective storage unit is a tamper-proof unit designed
to withstand the extreme shock, impact, pressure and
heat, which could be associated with a marine
incident (fire, explosion, collision, sinking, etc.).
 GPS RECEIVER

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is

made up of satellites, ground stations,
and receivers. The receiver figures out
how far away they are from some of
them. Once the receiver calculates its
distance from four or more satellites, it
knows exactly where you are.
AIS(AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

AIS is intended to assist a vessel‘s

watchstanding officers and allow
maritime authorities to track and
monitor vessel
movements. AIS integrates a
standardized VHF transceiver with
a positioning system such as a GPS
receiver, with other electronic
navigation sensors, such as a
gyrocompass or rate of turn
indicator
NAVIGATIONAL LIGHT

A navigation light, also known as a

running or position light, is a source of
illumination on a vessel, aircraft or
spacecraft. Navigation lightsgive
information on a craft's position,
heading, and status. Their placement is
mandated by international conventions
or civil authorities
 IMPORTANCES OF PREPARATION
PROCEDURES BEFORE SHIP NAVIGATION.
• A REAL-LIFE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON 07 MAY 2016, IN NINGBO, A FEW MILES OUT OF EEZ, INDICATES
THE IMPORTANCE OF THOROUGH PREPARATION PROCEDURES BEFORE AIN OCEAN WATERS. A BULK
CARRIER WHICH WAS ENROUTE TO SAMARINDA IN INDONESIA, TO ALTER COURSE FOR NINGBO,
CHINA, SUSPECTED OF BEING INVOLVED IN A COLLISION WITH A FISHING VESSEL. WHILE MAKING AN
ALTERATION OF COURSE TO STARBOARD TO PREVENT THE COLLISION, IT WAS ALLEGED THAT THE BULK
CARRIER SNAGGED THE FISHING GEAR. THIS MOVE CAUSED THE CAPSIZAL OF THE FISHING VESSEL,
WITH THE LOSS OF ALL PERSONS ON BOARD. THE SAFETY INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT THE BRIDGE ON
BULK CARRIER WAS NOT PROPERLY MANNED. IT DID NOT MATCH THE EXIGENCIES OF SHIP NAVIGATION
IN RESTRICTED VISIBILITY AND THE OBSERVATION OF TRAFFIC BY RADAR WAS INADEQUATE.
• THE INCIDENT PROVIDES MANY LESSONS CONCERNING THE SAFE SHIP NAVIGATION AT OPEN SEA. IT
MAKES APPARENT THAT THERE ARE SOME ACTIONS TO BE FOLLOWED IN ORDER TO PREVENT SUCH
SITUATIONS. EXCEPT FROM GOOD MAINTENANCE OF THE PASSAGE PLANNING, THE BRIDGE TEAM
SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS:
• SCALE CHARTS TO BE AVAILABLE WITH ROUTE PLOTTED

• WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE AREA AHEAD.

• APPROPRIATE MEASURES TO BE TAKEN TO COMPLY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND

REGULATIONS

• ECDIS TERMINALS TO BE SETUP CORRECTLY FOR NAVIGATION IN OCEAN WATERS WITH THE DISPLAYED
ROUTE

• ADEQUATE BRIDGE MANNING TO ENSURE A PROPER LOOK-OUT

• SHIP’S POSITION CONFIRMATION AT APPROPRIATE INTERVALS

• WEATHER MONITORING BY MAKING REGULAR BAROMETER OBSERVATIONS

• NAVAREA NAVIGATIONAL WARNING BROADCASTS TO BE CHECKED IN ACCORDANCE WITH OTHER

LONG-RANGE WEATHER REPORTS

• PARTICIPATE IN AREA REPORTING SYSTEMS

• ENSURE THAT CELESTIAL NAVIGATION TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN PRACTICED

• GYRO AND MAGNETIC COMPASS ERRORS AND RADAR PERFORMANCE TO BE CHECKED PROPERLY