Vessel unseaworthy because of crew’s failure to update navigation chart

[Mike Wilmot]

Interesting piece in The Times today.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/v...hart-90sfs037s

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[Colin Wood]

I think I heard that would be th case when studying for Masters at Plymouth tech in 1962. Always tried to keep chart corrections up to date as 2nd. mate.

[Ivan Cloherty]

In our era at sea, we had long sea passages (slow ships), longer in port, 3 and even four mates (thogh I never sailed with a fourth mate), more time to catch up on the paper work etc, now vessels are faster, shorter sea passages, no time in port, only two mates, heaps more paperwork, something has to suffer.

[John Arton]

Mike
Does not say how old or size the vessel was but irrespective of age, the charts they would most likely be using would be electronic rather than paper. The electronic charts could either be faster, a scan of the paper chart then displayed electronically on a screen or a digitised electronic chart displayed on the Electronic chart display information system, commonly known as ECDIS, both systems are updated by electronic means, very similar to when you get updates 5o your own computer operating system.
Paper charts are almost a thing of the past these days.
Rgds
J.A.

[happy daze john in oz]

FRom what I have seen and been told of all modern day ships now rely on electronic charts.
Though no doubt there still may be paper ones on board in case of emergency.

[Keith Tindell]

I would think to keep a paper chart for all the regions of the world that a proper ship would traverse would cost a fortune in addition to the electronic ones, i suppose these days electronics are more dependable, as we move ever closer to unmanned , or minimum crews, kt

[Michael Chamberlain]

Ships are still required to carry paper charts and as any second mate will tell you they have to be updated according to Notice to Marinerd.

[Graham Shaw]

Ships are still required to carry paper charts and as any second mate will tell you they have to be updated according to Notice to Mariners.

That's something I didn't know,but I suppose it makes sense,in case of electronic meltdowns.
What a pain though for 2/0 (as usual) but I think there are hydrographic agencies these days who will I think replace an edition of your paper chart every so often to avoid relying on the master to have completely up to date chart corrections done by the Bridge Team,until then any urgent corrections to charts would be promulgated in Notices to Mariners. Perhaps our shipmate John Arton will know as I think he recently taught in nautical colleges.

But as always what a money spinner for the Admiralty Hydrographic Office,keeping their boys (and girls) in office jobs ,and a huge expense for the shipowner.

I'm glad I'm not at sea today then. For me,the worst part of chart correcting was lifting some very heavy regional portfolios out of chartroom drawers or off shelves-oh my poor back. And woe betide if any other mate 'borrowed' my chart correcting pens !

I also remember having to order and correct US charts when visiting their waters,even if we already had the right Admiralty charts on board. The US Coast Guard could make spot checks,like our DtI surveyors could in UK ports.Their charts( or surely did they not call them maps?) depicted the sea in blue and land in yellow if my memory is correct so much more nicer than our dull ones, and quite logical really ,in case you got confused,ha ha !

I used to like studying some of the West African coast old Admiralty charts,which sometimes depicted individual palm trees( or maybe they were baobabs?) and little insets depicting a sketch of an old fort....maybe the remains of old slave stations,quite un PC I suppose these days,so don't go waking up the Wokes or they might come round and 'topple' the giant inflatable Santa outside my house-except it's my neighbour's not mine,so go ahead! Bah Humbug !

Xmas Garland (2).gif

[Ivan Cloherty]

Graham I remember in my tramping days of 50's and 60's we could exchange portfolios of charts at various ports around the world for shore updated ones, but you still had to go through every chart and N to M to make sure the shore wallahs had not missed anything. Had to go aboard a Japanese ship in San Pedro and try and purchase a chart of Kaimashi (San Pedro for bunkers and orders) as local agent didn't have one and there wasn't one in our portfolio. It was handed over to me with much bowing and tots of Saki with no charge in the spilit of flendship. The Master was from Kaimashi and spent a great deal of time with me explaining the approaches and what to look for which were not on the chart. Only problem was all soundings were in metres so spent a lot of the passage converting them to fathoms, off watch of course, but got paid overtime for it, but was told to log it as painting and not chart corrections....happy days sailing towards my little Michiko Tobo, she being unknown to me then of course but later became my own Madame Butterfly moment in life.

[John Arton]

A world wide folio of paper charts would consist of something in the region of 10 folios of up to 600/70 paper charts each costing around £6 plus the required nautical publications; list of lights, radio publications, T and P notices, pilot books, etc, all of which to keep them updated was a full time job for the 2nd mate, especially so deep sea and the annual cost to the ship owner to maintain such could run to 10's of thousands pounds annually.
With the advent of electronic charts and publications, this lightened the load on ships staff considerably whilst ensuring that charts etc would always be up to date. Along with voyage data recorders linked to ECDIS together with A.I.S there is a record of the vessels movements world wide.
This explains the requirements for the carriage of, or not, of paper charts.
Rgds
J.A.
https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Safet...nicCharts.aspx