Electronic sea charts launched

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Navy launched its new Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) on Tuesday, expecting to provide more accurate navigational data at sea than manual charts.

The ENC, a compact disc containing navigational charts displayed by an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), was put together by the Navy's Hydrographic Agency.

Chief of the Hydrographic Agency, Commodore Willem Rampangilei, said the ENC would provide a number of advantages, including accident alarms and continuous ship positioning.

"It also takes a shorter time to determine the movement of ships and get other navigational data with the ENC," Willem told a media conference after the launch of the ENC aboard the KRI Leuser, a Navy ship used for navigational mapping and research purposes.

The Hydrographic Agency, with the support of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), the Marine Port Authority of Singapore and the Japan Hydrographic Association (JHA), has completed electronic charts for sea traffic at 18 out of a total of 25 international ports in Indonesia.

The agency aims to complete the rest in 2009 in accordance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) convention on the Safety of Life at Sea, which Indonesia has ratified.

The convention obliges IMO members to apply the ENC in their navigational systems by July 1, 2010 at the latest. Some 35 countries out of the total 167 IMO member countries, including Indonesia, have applied the ENC in their navigational systems.

The Navy earlier this year also launched an ENC for the sea route connecting Malacca and Singapore Straits. The ENC, which was produced by both Indonesia and Singapore, was part of the ocean traffic system operated in three different regions in Indonesia, namely the west, central and east territorial waters.

Navy deputy chief Rear Adm. Didik Heru said the ENC did not only represent the country's ability to develop its own ENC, but also reflected its commitment to complying with international navigation safety standards.

"Indonesia's maritime area, connecting Asia and Australia, is known for its high traffic frequency by international fleets. If Indonesia does not have ENCs at its international ports, it will hamper foreign ships from traveling here."

Captain Robert Ward, the director of the International Hydrographic Bureau, who attended Tuesday's event, said the world community and particularly the maritime sector would benefit from ENCs, which covered very important trade routes and ports in Indonesia.

"A concern has been that while ECDIS equipment (the ENC displayer) has been available for some time and mariners are ready and waiting to use the systems, the necessary official electronic charts have been missing for some key areas of the world."

"Today's launching marks a big step forward in filling in one of those key areas. It sets an example for others to follow," said Ward.

While the homemade ENC was launched Tuesday, unofficial ENCs have been on sale locally for some time.

Commodore Willem reminded mariners of the danger of using those unofficial ENCs as the contents could not be held accountable. "Customers will soon be able to get the official ENC after it appoints an authorized distributor." (lln)