PRESS RELEASE

PRIMAR is encouraging distributors to adopt innovative solutions for distributing its offcial electronic navigational  charts  (ENCs) as part of efforts  to  improve  safety of navigation  through  reducing  the use of unoffcial charts on vessels.

Along with other RENCs and hydrographic offces, PRIMAR supports and encourages the exclusive use of ENCs for primary navigation and has been a major force behind the mandatory carriage requirements coming into effect in 2012.

A major obstacle  to  the acceptance and use of ENCs by  the maritime  industry until  they become mandatory has been widespread use of and over reliance on unoffcial charts as an aid to navigation. This has lead to several well documented accidents.

To  try  to  tackle  this problem head on and encourage  the use of offcial up  to date products, PRIMAR  is backing approaches which simplify the delivery and use of ENCs, and which are more understandable to the mariner.

In recent months, Jeppesen Marine – one of PRIMAR’s 55 distributors – has decided to incorporate the PRIMAR brand in its product line as the Jeppesen PRIMAR ENC service. This has been accepted by PRIMAR on condition that the company maintains a commitment to cease selling unoffcial charts wherever ENCs exist.

PRIMAR has no special relationship or exclusivity deal with any of its distributors, and treats all of them equally. Each is accordingly allowed to incorporate the PRIMAR brand into their own when supplying the ENC service. At  the  same  time,  SENC  distributors  are  permitted  to  bundle  unoffcial  charts  into  end  user  services.

To  avoid confusion, however, each product must be clearly labelled and it must be clear to the end user/navigator when the navigation system is in ECDIS or ECS mode. It should be noted that the ECDIS 61174 performance standard requires these systems to give a clear warning and switch automatically to ECS mode when unoffcial charts are being used. In that case the simultaneous use of offcial charts is required for primary navigation.

NOTES TO EDITORS

PRIMAR
The PRIMAR offcial ENC service  is operated by  the Norwegian Hydrographic Service  through a  regional ENC coordinator centre (RENC) regime and distributor agreements with countries and ENC suppliers.
Currently offering more than 8 900 ENCs, it works with an international network of authorised distributors. Regular updates are provided through standard CDs, the PRIMAR Chart Catalogue, the PRIMAR Online remote updating service and PRIMAR ECDIS Online™.

ENCs from PRIMAR meet IMO SOLAS chart carriage requirements when kept up to date and used in conjunction with a type approved electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) plus appropriate backup.

Stavanger, June 2009