Technology news that matters to captains and crew.

COURTESY CHIEF OFFICER WESLEY WALTON

Time to dump paper charts?

By Erik Speyer

SOLAS mandates that all passenger vessels 500GT and above must be ECDIS (electronic chart display information system) compliant. It is not a surprise that yacht captains are asking, “Should we go paperless?” Two factors contribute to vessels going paperless: cost savings over time, and the elimination of tedious manual chart corrections. Depending on where the

vessel is cruising, often hundreds of paper charts must be carried and corrected weekly to remain compliant. For example, the Mediterranean has six folios with 300–600 charts.

New builds leave the shipyard paperless capable, however, most older yachts must refit their bridges to meet the stringent ECDIS requirements. Cost is by far the largest consideration in the decision to

Costs, bridge setup, itinerary, corrections and crew training are just a few of the factors to consider.

go paperless. The minimum for paperless compliance includes two separate ECDIS units, each with their own redundant power supplies. Full ECDIS installs can range anywhere from $25,000 to over $50,000, depending on the vessel’s particular bridge setup and brand choice. Other considerations include the ability of displays to be color corrected as prescribed by the IMO and certified by the ECDIS manufacturer, radar integration, point-topoint video distribution, and the capacity to isolate power.

After the installation cost, recurring costs will primarily consist of ENC (electronic navigation charts) usage and annual subscription fees for third-party software. Third-party software solutions have integrated passage planning, ENC updates, and other helpful modules. The software ranges between $250 and $2,000 per year, depending on the options you choose. Most vessels choose a “pay as you sail” (PAYS) option, which means the vessel is tracked via Sat-C, and only charged for ENCs for your physical location. Averaging the annual ENC usage for 80 yachts, the cost for 2021 was about $3,000 dollars per year. In comparison, a

THE 3G NETWORK SHUTDOWNS COULD AFFECT YOUR YACHT

The 3G, or third generation, cellphone network will be shut down this year as a transition to 4G and 5G. AT&T shut down their 3G network on Feb. 22, the first major U.S. carrier to do so. T-Mobile/Sprint will shut down their 3G network on March 31, and Verizon on Dec. 31. Most cellphones already operate on the 4G network, with many 5G-capable. If your cellphone is 2015 or newer, you should have no problems.

However, the 3G network has been used extensively for IoT (Internet of Things) and M2M (machine to machine) devices. Currently there are an estimated 5 million IoT and other devices that are working on the 3G network. Could this be a problem for yachts?

“I think there will be a significant impact for those yachts that have not updated their technology since 2015,

similar group of paper-based yachts spent about $6,000 per year on updated charts, plus $2,000 per year for the software that enables them to do onboard corrections.

One often overlooked aspect of ECDIS compliance is crew training. Most captains know you need to be ECDIS endorsed, however, you also need to be type-certified on the specific ECDIS you are using. In addition, you need to have at least three officers of the watch (OOWs) on board with an ECDIS endorsement or risk being out of compliance. This is especially important to keep in mind when there is crew changeover.

The obvious advantages of running a paperless bridge are the absence of performing chart corrections and the ability to move freely without worrying about paper chart coverage. In a full ECDIS setup, weekly chart corrections are as simple as pushing a button. Not only does this save time on the bridge, it also encourages compliance, as vessels are more

as a lot of the high-speed data devices were exclusively 3G,” said Jay Keenan, president and CEO of Global Ocean Security Technologies (GOST).

Keenan said the company’s security and monitoring systems were transitioned to 4G back in 2017 and their video monitoring systems were switched to 4G back in 2014, so they have no legacy 3G IoT systems.

Many other areas around the world have already begun the shutdown of the older 2G and 3G networks. Asia was one of the first regions to shut down these systems, starting as early as 2020. Europe is planning to have the legacy 2G/3G networks shut down by 2030.

Some marine safety devices, such as the personal man-overboard devices, operate on the legacy 3G networks. If you have any IoT or communication devices that are older than 2015, you should check with that manufacturer to see if there will be any issues with the 3G shutdown. ‹

– By Corey D. Ranslem

apt to stay up-to-date. But to remain in compliance, you must run official ENCs produced by an official hydrographic office, which can be troublesome in certain regions like the Bahamas, where official ENCs don’t provide adequate detail. In these cases, you may choose to supplement the official ENCs with data from the private sector.

The question of whether to refit vessels with a paperless bridge requires consideration. Many factors determine both the cost of the installation and annual upkeep of a digital bridge, and variables like crew training and changeover should also be considered. However, if vessels decide to take that step, they will certainly benefit from a reduced task load to remain in compliance. ‹

ERIK SPEYER, DIRECTOR OF SALES AT BLUEWATER BOOKS & CHARTS, PREVIOUSLY WORKED IN THE TECHNOLOGY SECTOR. HE CAN BE REACHED AT ERIK@BLUEWATERWEB.COM.

Get a doctor — stat!

Medical platform transmits vital data in real time from anywhere.

Crew increasingly find themselves traveling to the far reaches of the globe as yachts explore new and exciting places. However, medical support in those remote locations can be hours or even days away. Medical Support Offshore (MSOS) has launched a tool to help yachts maintain a critical medical link regardless of location.

The Themis Telemedical Communication Platform (TCP) is designed to be used by the medical officer on board or crew to connect the patient directly to the advising doctor. It’s a “case management” system that records all medical information for an incident — including vital signs, physiological parameters and medical background — then transmits that information in real time to the MSOS onshore control room, said Dr. Spike Briggs, managing director of MSOS.

Briggs, who has been involved in various aspects of remote medical support for more than 25 years, said this technology not only aids in the rapid transmission of data from the patient to the doctor, but also provides a video link so the doctor can see what is happening with the patient. “This makes a significant contribution to the understanding of not only the potential diagnosis, but also just how unwell a patient might be and whether evacuation may be required.”

Themis can be expanded to include other point-of-care tests that may be required, such as ultrasound, more sophisticated blood tests, and microbiological disease analysis, Briggs said, all of which improve rapid assessment and patient care.

Crew can be trained to use the system in a half-day or daylong session, delivered either face-to-face or remotely. ‹

– By Corey D. Ranslem

GPS Rollover

means Furuno devices may require update or replacement

An interesting phenomenon happened on Jan. 2, something that happens once every 19.6 years: the GPS week number rollover. It occurs because of how the system stores the date, and it happens every 1,024 weeks.

The GPS system broadcasts a time and date, including a week number counter that ranges from zero to 1,023. Once the counter reaches 1,023, it rolls back over to zero.

GPS software not properly coded to anticipate the rollover will show issues with the date and could stop working altogether. Some units roll the date back by 20 or 40 years.

The last time this phenomenon took place was 12 a.m. on Aug. 22, 1999. GPS usage wasn’t as widespread then, so it didn’t cause a lot of problems.

There are several GPS units that have been affected within the maritime industry. Furuno GPS or GMDSS devices with built-in Furuno GPS experienced the rollover phenomenon. According to the Furuno website, conducting a cold start of the unit will not fix the problem. A software update is required, and in some cases the GPS unit will need to be replaced.

U.S. Coast Guard and MCA issued advisories in late 2021 warning of the upcoming rollover. The MCA advisory specifically mentioned Furuno units.

If the date and time of your GPS is not correct, you should immediately contact the manufacturer to determine the best course of action. Incorrect date and time on the GPS could cause issues with safe navigation. ‹

– By Corey D. Ranslem