Participants of the inaugural Train-the-trainer ECDIS workshop,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Using ECDIS to Manage Increased Navigation Risks

We're here today because we're in the midst of a transition, and the shift from centuries of paper charting to ECDIS is really a story about improving safety at sea. As sea lanes and coastal areas become busier with the expansion of world trade and ship sizes get progressively larger, it becomes increasingly urgent to ensure maritime safety. Add to this scenario the fact that the majority of maritime accidents are due to human error, and ECDIS may be viewed as a technology brought in to make shipping safer by reducing the scope for human error.

ECDIS combines into a single display and control system an extensive number of modern navigational aids like radar, automatic identification system, gyrocompass and electronic navigational charts. This means that the ship's draft, speed, course and other navigational information can be readily viewed in real-time without switching between instruments. With ECDIS, bridge crews gain a greater level of navigational awareness and control as well as the means to make informed decisions.

In 2009, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee made the carriage of ECDIS mandatory through SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19.2.10, and the industry was given a timeline till 2018 to fit ECDIS on board different categories of ships in stages. On 1st July 2012, this new regulation entered into force. That day, the ECDIS screen became the future face of navigation.

Transition to ECDIS brought its own challenges

However, during this transition period, there have been a number of incidents onboard ECDIS-equipped ships. We learned that ECDIS's ability to continuously provide a ship's current position and projected track and to alert of impending danger may lead to over-reliance and complacency; two factors behind human error.

ECDIS must go hand in hand with sound navigational practices and observance of operational procedures. The use of ECDIS also implies changes in how we usually approach areas like the risk assessment of ship operation, emergency preparedness, drills and exercises. For instance, to take into account ECDIS requirements, checklists for pre-departure, pre-arrival and equipment performance will need to be amended. In short, the safe and effective operation of ECDIS requires careful training.

How the IMO tried to overcome the challenges

The IMO demonstrated the importance of training to the successful implementation of ECDIS with the 2010 Manila Amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (or STCW). Seafarers are required to be trained according to new competence standards before 1 January 2017. Further, all masters and officers serving on ships fitted with ECDIS and certified under chapter two of the STCW Convention must undergo generic and type-specific ECDIS training, whether the ECDIS equipment is used as the means or aid to navigation.

By setting baseline standards for ECDIS competency, the IMO regulations are a good step forward in promoting the necessary training for safe and effective operation of ECDIS. But the IMO cannot work alone. Member States and the industry must be ready to support seafarers in meeting the new STCW requirements.

How Singapore is playing an active role in supporting the IMO

Singapore seeks to play its part by hosting the train-the-trainer ECDIS workshop. It is jointly organised by the IMO, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore under the Singapore-IMO Third Country Training Programme. As the first training of its kind conducted under the IMO for ECDIS, the workshop aims to plug in the skill gaps in shipping's transition to ECDIS.

Whether as instructors or officers overseeing training standards, training personnel have a valuable role in developing seafarers as competent and confident users of ECDIS. The workshop is designed to enhance how participants develop simulation-based exercises, evaluate trainees and use post-exercise debriefs. By guiding workshop participants on the effective use of ECDIS simulators as teaching tools, we hope to contribute towards enhancing seafarer training standards as required by the amended STCW.

Singapore's Commitment to Maritime Safety

Singapore's emphasis on training standards is tied to our commitment to the safety of navigation. Singapore was one of the first countries in the world to commercially release large scale ENCs covering its port waters and approaches for use by the shipping community. As an early advocate for ECDIS, Singapore worked with the United Kingdom and Hong Kong hydrographic offices on initiatives to demonstrate the benefits of "paperless" navigation to the shipping community. As one of the world's busiest ports located along key waterways, we have the responsibility to take navigational safety seriously and improving training standards is one way we champion this priority.

MPAA as a Global Centre of Learning

In this regard, I am delighted to introduce the repositioned MPA Academy, which is the training arm of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. We will be conducting a new range of flagship training programmes for port and maritime officials as well as technical operations staff. Let me give an example: Capitalising on Singapore's distinct position as a port state, flag state and coastal state, we will soon be starting our Port Management Programme (PMP) where we integrate perspectives from all three state roles. Port masters, harbour masters and middle management from the maritime administration may find this programme most useful. For the inaugural run, admission for these programmes will be by invitation.

Concluding Note

At the same time, we remain committed to supporting the IMO in meeting the region's training needs and it was with this objective in mind that we organised this workshop. Over the next few days, you will hear ECDIS experts share their knowledge and experience on a wide range of ECDIS subject matters such as the implementation and operation of ECDIS and ECDIS training and legislation. To ensure that you fully benefit from the workshop, there will be opportunities for hands-on learning through the use of ECDIS simulators and a field trip on board an ECDIS-fitted vessel.

Ensuring safe and efficient shipping is a shared responsibility. Thank you for joining Singapore in this collaborative effort by being a part of the workshop. Thank you.