Annex 13 - M agnetic Compasses

The foll owi ng notes give guidance and expl ain the requi rements for operati ng, mai ntaining and testing magneti c compasses. The new Regulations revoke part II of the Merchant Shippi ng (Navi gati onal Equipment). Regulations 1993. These Guidance notes supersede MGN 57. 1.) Regulation 19, paragraphs 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and 2.2.1 l ay down the requirements for all ships (excluding fishing vessels and pleasure craft under 150 gt) to be fitted wi th a magnetic compass or other means to determine and display the vessels heading independent of any power supply. They must al so be fitted with a pelorus, or other means, to take beari ngs over an arc of 360 of the horizon and a means for correcting heading and bearings to true at all times. 2.) Smal ler fi shi ng vessels should make every effort to meet the requirements of Regulation 19. Performance standards 3.) Equipment must comply with the IMO Performance Standards as follows: Magneti c compasses - Resol ution A.382(X) and Transmitting magnetic heading devices Resol ution MSC.86(70), annex 2 4.) Regulation 19 requires all ships of 150 G T and over, and all passenger shi ps to carry a spare magnetic compass (or equi valent.) Responsibility for Maintenance 5.) The Owner and the Master are responsible for ensuri ng that compasses on their ships are maintained i n good worki ng order. Adjustment of Compasses 6.) Each magneti c compass required to be carried by the Regulati ons shall be properly adjusted and its table or curve of residual deviati ons availabl e at all times. Magneti c compasses should be adjusted when: a.) they are first i nstalled; b.) they become unreliable; c.) the shi p undergoes structural repairs or alterations that could affect its permanent and induced magnetism; d.) electri cal or magnetic equipment cl ose to the compass is added, removed or altered; or, e.) a period of two years has el apsed si nce the last adjustment and a record

of compass deviations has not been maintai ned, or the recorded deviations are excessive or when the compass shows physi cal defects. Effects of Changes in Magnetism During the Life of a Ship 7.) Because the magnetism of a new ship can be particularly unstable, the performance of magnetic compasses should be monitored careful ly during the early l ife of a shi p, and adjustments made if necessary. 8.) Masters are advised that i t is essential to check the performance of magnetic compasses parti cul arly after: a.) carrying cargoes which have magnetic properties; b.) usi ng electromagnetic l ifting appl iances to load or di scharge; c.) a casualty in whi ch the ship has been subject to severe contact or electri cal charges; or, d.) the ship has been l aid up or has been lying idle - even a short period of i dleness can lead to serious devi ations, especially for small vessels. 9.) F urther to 8(b), the retentive magnetism can alter a ships magnetism, maki ng compasses unreliable. However, a l arge amount of the magneti sm induced by an el ectromagnet may subsequently decay so immediate readjustment is not advised. Every effort shoul d be made to determine the compass deviation. Monitoring Compass Performance 10.) Compass performance should be monitored by frequently recordi ng deviati ons i n the compass deviati on book. Compass errors shoul d be determined after every l arge al teration of course, and at least once every watch when there have been no major course alterations. Checki ng the compass deviation regularly may show the need for repai r, testing or adjustment. In addi ti on, compasses shoul d be inspected occasionally by a competent offi cer or compass adjuster. Adjustments and Repairs 11.) In the UK, all adjustments should be made by a compass adjuster who holds a Certificate of Competency as Compass A djuster issued by the UK Government. 12.) If a qual ified compass adjuster is unavailable and the Master considers i t necessary then adjustments may be made by a person holdi ng a Certificate of Competency (Deck Officer) Class 1 (Master Mariner). The compass must be re-adjusted by a quali fied compass adjuster at the next availabl e opportunity. 13.) The date of any adjustment and other details should be noted in the compass devi ation book. The position of correctors should be recorded in the compass book and on deviation cards. Because the distances from the coeffici ents B and C correctors to the standard compass card and to the transmitting element are di fferent, a transmitting magnetic compass wil l be overcompensated resul ting in an error, which can be as much

as 2 and cannot be corrected. Separate devi ation cards should be prepared for the standard compass and the transmitting magnetic compass repeater by comparing headings. 14.) Repai rs should only be made by a compass manufacturer or other competent person usi ng the proper test faci lities. When the work is finished the repai rer shoul d supply the owner or Master wi th a certifi cate, speci fying that the work has been carri ed out i n accordance with the necessary requirements ISO 2269 for Class A Compass and ISO 10316 for Class B Compass whi ch are the International Standards for the Magnetic Compass. Portable Equipment that may interfere w ith Compasses 15.) Masters and Officers are advised that portable el ectrical equipment (e.g. radios and tape recorders) or items made of steel can affect the performance of a compass. Care should be taken to ensure that such items are kept away from the compass position. See Regul ation 17, para.3 Spare Bowl 16.) When a spare magneti c compass bowl i s required, it should be carefully stowed, together with its gimbal units, away from the bridge structure so that they are unaffected by any casualty di sabling the bridge. Transmitting Magnetic Compasses (TMC) 17.) If a new or exi sti ng standard magnetic compass is modifi ed to provide a transmission output then each device must be individually certi fied or re-certified with the transmitting element in place. Re-certifi cation of modified existing compasses should be made, wi th the transmitting element attached to the compass bowl. In the UK, the testing authorities are: Q i n et i Q Compass Test Centre, MOD Portl and Bill , Portland, Dorset, DT5 2JT. (F ormerl y the Admi ralty Compass Observatory), and John Lil ley & Gil lie Ltd, C l i v e S t r ee t , North Shi elds, Tyne & Wear, NE29 6LF. 18.) Modifi cations should be made by an experi enced compass technician, who should ensure that the transmitting element is compatible wi th the binnacl e. The performance of the equi pment cannot be relied upon until the compass has been re-certified (as described above) and adjustments have been made by a certi fied compass adjuster. 19.) Ancillary equipment included in the modificati ons (e.g. electronic units, di splays and power suppli es) should be type tested to establi sh safe di stances from the compass.

In parti cul ar, care should be taken to avoid the effect on the compass of spuri ous radio frequency transmissi ons. Guidance can be found in IEC 60945. See Regulation 17, paras. 1 & 2 20.) If a transmi tting magnetic compass provides heading information, i.e. i t is read by the helmsman at the main steering position, then the spare bowl must be fi tted with a transmitti ng element, and i ndividual testing is required. Al ternatively, if heading information is provided by the reflected image of a standard compass or a separate steering compass, and a transmitting compass is fitted voluntarily to provide a repeater facil ity to navigation equi pment, then the spare bowl does not require a separate transmitti ng element. Emergency Steering position 21.) Regulation 19, para. 2.1.9, requires a tel ephone or other means to communicate heading information to the emergency steering position, i f provided. On ships over 500GT a visual readi ng of the ships headi ng must be suppl ied to the emergency steering position i f provided. (See Regulation 19, para. 2.5.2).

Associated Documents
ANNEX 20 -Section 5 - Survey and Inspecti on of Magnetic Compasses