Your Chart Outfit

Meeting the regulations

There are many regulations within the maritime industry which affect vessels upon the high seas and none more so than when it comes to the conduct of safe navigation.  Passenger ships, cargo ships or private vessels must comply with the details laid down by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to remain compliant under the regulations of the Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) V Regulation 27 which states:

   "Nautical charts and nautical publications, such as sailing directions, lists of lights, notices to mariners, tide tables and all other nautical publications necessary for the intended voyage, shall be adequate and up to date."

Section 18 of the Annual Summary of Notice to Mariners (NP247) defines 'up to date' as:

   "All charts and publications must be of the latest obtainable edition and be kept up-to-date from the latest relevant obtainable Notice to Mariners and Radio Navigational Warnings"

Furthermore, SOLAS Regulation 19 subparagraph 2.1.4 goes on to state:

   "nautical charts and nautical publications to plan and display the ship’s route for the intended voyage and to plot and monitor positions throughout the voyage; an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) may be accepted as meeting the chart carriage requirements of this subparagraph"

To ensure your vessel remains compliant with the regulations and faultless at an International Safety Management (ISM) inspection with respect to your chart outfit, we specialise in providing you with an auditable trail of checks and weekly navigation outfit updates. 

Weekly Notice to Mariners (NtM's) can be downloaded through an automated service connectable via e-mail, broadcast or downloadable via a dedicated web service to keep your outfit supplied with all the latest notices that affect the charts you are holding. 

You won't receive the updates you don't need and this will therefore significantly reduce the time necessary to maintain the outfit.  Furthermore, with Port State Control Inspections of vessels on the increase, particularly within the Mediterranean, you will be able to demonstrate that you meet all the chart holding regulations and in this context, seaworthiness legislation.  Detailed reports can be printed at the press of a button to demonstrate the update status of your chart outfit with respect to both paper and electronic charts.

As an agent of ChartCo, we are able to provide you with an unprecedented service of quality control.  Applying for this service also opens the opportunity to obtain access to weather routing information, daily summary newspapers, corrections to List of Lights and Radio Signals and the well respected 'Regs4Ships' and 'Regs4yachts'.

To learn more about the facts and requirements for the carriage of electronic charts, click here to read the official documentation from the UK Hydrographic website and even if you're not sure whether all this is right for you vessel, talk to us to go through the various options and discuss your requirements 

If you're still in doubt, why not try the free 2 month software trial.

Chart Support

It doesn't matter if you operate on paper, electronic or both means of navigation to determine your position, we can support you with the supply and maintenance of all of these systems.  Be it the initial supply of charts, the weekly updating of Notices to Mariners or the requirement for storing your non-operational folios ashore to be corrected and collected at a later date (with free insured courier shipping service), we can support you. 

Captains don't always have time for maintaining the chart outfit and delegation can sometimes lead to additional workloads for crew members, therefore perhaps it's worth looking at the alternatives.  Talk to us to discuss the ways in which we can assist you further in these simple yet regulatory vital tasks.

Suppliers

To keep your vessel compliant with the rules and maintain your bridge to the required standards we can supply you with all the necessary regulatory publications and additionally:

  • Everything from pencils to EPIRBS
  • Hand held GPS to VHF radios
  • Highest quality ensigns of all nations, courtesy flags, dressing lines and bespoke flags.
  • Embroidered crew uniform, guest and recreational clothing at competitive prices.
  • Guest and crew library publications of interest.

Personal Service

Signing up to our annual agreement provides clients with all of the above and access to direct 24/7 chart support. With our dedicated team providing quick response to short notice programme changes and guest demands we remain thoroughly professional, discrete and prompt through regular contact with the Captain and crew.