ECDIS Limitation

PART 1.1
The Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) is an advancement in the
navigational chart system used in ships. With the use of the electronic chart system, it has
provided navigators with a liable information that made navigation more easy and more accurate
as to navigate the ship to the desired locations with accurate positions and directions than before
when using paper charts.
Contributing to safe navigation is the main purpose of a The Electronic Chart Display and
Information System. Navigators shall be aware that, this system is not only a digital presentation
of paper charts, it will be considerably more than that. Considerable knowledge of ECDIS shall
be given to navigators, in order to use it appropriately and to use it to its maximum extent.
As the ECDIS uses the Global Positioning System to accurately locate the desired navigational
points. Since the GPS is an accurate and trustworthy system, the information provided by the
ECDIS to the navigator are reliable and trustworthy with no doubts. An approved type of ECDIS
shall also comply with the requirement and standards of the International Maritime Organisation
(IMO), which insures the reliability and trustworthy of the ECDIS.
Although ECDIS has approved it trustworthy and liability, however ECDIS have limitations that
could ought to accidents such as groundings or collisions, these limitations shall be considered
by users to avoid such accidents. And users shall be familiar with the system limitation prior to
using it.
Although present technologies used in ships are at very high standard of technology and
information,howeveraccidentsarestilltakingplace.Alotofreasonsarecausingsuchaccidents
andoneofthemisthattheknowledgeoflimitationsinNavigationalEquipment,andalsothe
inappropriateapplicationoftheknowledge.
Mariners shall have adequate awareness that ECDIS have limitations that could ought to
accidents such as groundings or collisions, these limitations shall be considered by users to avoid
such accidents. And users shall be familiar with the system limitation prior to using it.
Wecanseethatthetrainingqualityhavetobereviewedinaccordancewiththenewsystem
generationsproducedcurrently,asthemarinersarefacingconfusionwiththedifferentsoftware,
settingsandoptionsofthedifferenttypesofequipmentandwaysofusingthem. Therefore, the
purpose and the objective of this research is to identify and describe these limitations and to find
the way for the users of how to prevent such accidents caused by such limitations due to lack of
knowledge or negligence.

Ahmed AlShehhi
Jamal AlBlooshi
Mahmoud AlRaeesi

ECDIS Limitation
PART1.2
There are three main duties for a navigator in the bridge, which are navigation, collision
avoidanceandshipmanagement.Tocarryoutthesedutiesefficiently,andspendingminimum
time and effort compared the conventional navigation, the integrated bridge system was
introducedinordertoreducethenavigationloadonthenavigatorswhenmanualdataprocessing
wasused,andtoprovidenavigatorswithacleardisplayedinformationonadisplay,which
assiststhemtoacarryquickevaluationofthenavigationalsituationaroundtheship.
Theintegratedbridgesystemcoversanumberofequipmentsandsoftware,whichdesignedto
specificshipsrequirements,andtheECDISisamainpartoftheseequipmentsthatincludedin
the integrated bridge system. ECDIS is a computerized navigation system, which is
manufactured, programmed and designed in accordance with International Maritime
Organizationrequirements andregulations,anditcanbealternativelyusedinsteadofpaper
charts.
Although ECDIS standards being under development, the IMO performance standards for
ECDIS,hasobligedallnationalhydrographicofficestoprovideECDISwithanaccuratedataof
officialelectronicnauticalcharts.InordertoensurethetrustworthyandreliabilityofECDIS,it
shallnotallanydatafromanyunofficialsourcetooverwriteormodifyordeletethedatathat
beensuppliedbytheHydrographicOffice.
Furthermore, ECDIS having a combination of number of functions in one system which is
computer, this made the possibility to program the ECDIS to sound alarms or displaying
warningsasvesselexceedingcertainparameters.Whichhelpedthenavigatorstothesurrounding
navigationhazards.
TherearethreecategoriesofriskswhichareassociatedwiththeuseofanECDIS:
FirstcategorytheequipmentofanECDIS,togetherhardwareandsoftware,itspotentially
could suffer from virus infection, power outage or the lost of input from sensors. Second
categorythechartsofanECDIS,astheymaynotbeabletobedisplayedduetheexpirationof
the licenses or they might not be updated uptodate, or the updates have not been applied
correctly.AndincaseofRastercharts,overzoomingcausespixelizationandalsonextchart
requiredmaynotbeenabletobedisplayed.Thirdcategorytheserisksareparticularlydifferent
fromshiptoship,orcrew,andequipment,andthemightbeconsideredoncasebycaseonly.
From earlier researches, researcher defined risk as likelihood of occurrences of the hazard,
togetherwiththeseverityofaneventwhichishazardoustoshipssafety.

Ahmed AlShehhi
Jamal AlBlooshi
Mahmoud AlRaeesi

ECDIS Limitation
Underthesethreecategorieswewilldescribeindetailsthefollowingissueswhichcanresultin
thelimitationofuseoftheECDISequipment:
1. Over-Reliance

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.
9.
10.

With an equipment which has such reliability and trustworthy

information, there is a propensity for navigators to over rely on it.
Technical limitation of other devices (Garbage In Garbage Out.)
The quality of the information provided by ECDIS, in only as good as the information
received from the other devices (GPS, ARPA .. etc)
Wrong Settings
If user is not setting the correct parameters for safety settings this can cause incorrect
sense of safety
Alarm Deafness
When there is a lot of alarms sounding from ECDIS, users may start to ignore these
alarms accordingly as they might think it is not an important alarm.
System Lag
As any other computerized system, the ECDIS might suffer lagging at anytime, either due
to software of hardware issues.
Different Types.
As every vessel might have different type of ECDIS, users will require familiarization
prior to use ECDIS.
Anomalies
Users shall be aware of ECDIS anomalies, this can be achieved by undertaking a
complete familiarization.
Chart Accuracy
As navigator might over zoom the ECDIS chart over its intended accuracy.
Information Overload
Having a lot of information displayed on ECDIS, this will cause information clutter.
Resistance to Change
Most of navigators these days were using paper charts as the main aid to navigation, the
transition to paperless navigation means they dont have an aid to navigation that they
were using during all their carrier time.

Furthermore,wewilldiscussacasestudythatshowsthatthelimitationsofECDISthatwas
facedbythenavigators,andcausedtheirshiptorunaground. Where ECDIS safety settings were
not set appropriately to the present conditions and the alarm sounds were disabled. Andthen
solutionswillbeproposedinordertopreventsuchaccidentsfromoccurring.

Ahmed AlShehhi
Jamal AlBlooshi
Mahmoud AlRaeesi

ECDIS Limitation
References:
1. Anon, 2016. Electronic Chart Display Information System (ECDIS). 1st ed. [ebook] Dutch P&I.
Available at:
<http://gallery.mailchimp.com/fa65104618559263fdb3e8061/files/2014March_DUPI_Electronic
_Chart_Display_Information_System_ECDIS_.pdf> [Accessed 2 Oct. 2016].
2. Bhuiyan, Z., 2016. ECDIS Display, Safety Settings and Alarm Management. 1st ed. [ebook]
Available at: <http://www.warsashacademy.co.uk/news-events/resources/article-ecdis-displaysafety-settings-and-alarm-mgt.pdf> [Accessed 27 Sep. 2016].
3. Herwadkar, N., 2014. Pros and Cons of ECDIS Or Paperless Navigation Of Ships. [online]
Marine Insight. Available at: <http://www.marineinsight.com/marine-navigation/pros-and-consof-ecdis-or-paperless-navigation-of-ships/> [Accessed 5 Oct. 2016].
4. Instone, M., 2011. ECDIS Capabilities and Limitations. [Artical] Available at:
<http://www.rin.org.uk/Uploadedpdfs/ItemAttachments/ECDIS%20Ltd%20CapsLims
%20ECDIS.pdf> [Accessed 26 Sep. 2016].
5. International Maritime Organization, 2001. INTERIM GUIDANCE ON TRAINING AND
ASSESSMENT IN THE OPERATIONAL USE OF THE ELECTRONIC CHART DISPLAY AND
INFORMATION SYSTEM (ECDIS) STCW.7/Circ.10. LONDON SE1 7SR.
6. KHATTAB, T. and GABER, E., 2016. ELECTRONIC CHART DISPLAY AND INFORMATION
SYSTEM (ECDIS) LEGAL ASPECTS AND CASE STUDY ON CSLTHAMES. [Journal] 5(1).
Available at: <http://oaji.net/articles/2016/1877-1453301178.pdf> [Accessed 2 Oct. 2016].
7. Marine Accident Investigation Branch reports, 2016. MAIB Report on the investigation of the
grounding of CSL Thames in the Sound of Mull on 9 August 2011.. [Case Study] Marine Accident
Investigation Branch reports. Available at: <https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/grounding-of-bulkcarrier-csl-thames-in-the-sound-of-mull-scotland> [Accessed 2 Oct. 2016].
8. Weintrit, A. and Kopacz, P., 2004. The Use of Distance Measurement to the Nearest Navigational
Danger in Route Planning, Route Monitoring and Voyage Recording in ECDIS. [Journal]
ResearchGate. Available at:
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260990228_The_Use_of_Distance_Measurement_to_t
he_Nearest_Navigational_Danger_in_Route_Planning_Route_Monitoring_and_Voyage_Recordi
ng_in_ECDIS> [Accessed 26 Sep. 2016].
9. Weintrit, A., 2009. The Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). Boca Raton
[Fla.]: CRC Press.
10. Yu, H. and Hsu, S., 2010. The factors affecting adoption intention in navigational information
system - A study of mariner's perception on utilizing ECDIS. [Journal] ResearchGate. Available
at:
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292444938_The_factors_affecting_adoption_intention
_in_navigational_information_system__A_study_of_mariner's_perception_on_utilizing_ECDIS> [Accessed 25 Sep. 2016].

Ahmed AlShehhi
Jamal AlBlooshi
Mahmoud AlRaeesi