A Fair Concern about ECDIS

Abstract

Digital technology introduced a lot of benefits in the shipping industry but the relation between the equipment and the operator remains paramount and essential. Ship’s Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), being recently a cornerstone for navigation, is not an exception. Not only scientific reviews and articles, but also marine officer’s opinion exchange, in other words, ashore and on board, point out that there is a gap, which should be addressed as soon as possible. Operation of the ECDIS by the human factor is essential for safe navigation. The shortage of training and knowledge always leads to near misses and incidents. The marine society, all over the world, has to take appropriate measures in order to “fill in the gaps” and keep the safer practices. These measures should be applied by the efforts of certain participants: the educational community, the shipowners, the manufacturers and the legal aspect, International Maritime Organization and Flag Administrations. All the mentioned parties may engage in a cooperative collaboration among themselves. The aim of this article is to research the main difficulties experienced on board by the ECDIS users and the way to rectify certain shortcomings related to the ECDIS.