Following continuous development, AVCS now provides ‘berth to berth’ ENC coverage in a very flexible and well-featured offering for tankers, containerships and bulk carriers thanks to its breadth of data, accessible as and when the mariner requires it.
AVCS has been constantly upgraded since launch in direct response to user suggestions and feedback to comprise more than 9,500 ENCs today, covering all the world’s major trade lanes between over 1,700 of the world’s biggest, busiest ports.
This rapid increase in coverage reflects UKHO’s response to changing patterns in world trade prompted by emerging markets and recent changes in global economic fortunes to equip the industry with official electronic charts ahead of the expected start of ECDIS Mandation from 2012.
Significant new content produced recently by UKHO includes key coverage of the Asia-Europe trade lane including new charts for the Malacca Strait, Red Sea, passage through the Suez Canal and along the coast of north Africa.
AVCS product manager Jason Scholey says the Admiralty brand offers the most extensive ENC coverage available; “If the ENCs have been produced, we’ll have them in AVCS.”
What this means for mariners is that with AVCS, there is no need to switch from ENCs to unofficial coverage, also negating the need to purchase, carry and correct the paper equivalent: since unofficial commercial products cannot be used for primary navigation under SOLAS Chapter V Regulations.
“AVCS provides a flexible, high-quality, cost-effective service that provides access to official charts and the most comprehensive ENC coverage that meets changing conditions and charterer requirements”.
Moreover, with piracy prevalent in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, AVCS offers flexibility for the mariner. With more vessels now diverting around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid a Suez transit, mariners can access additional charts as and when required, due to the fact that with AVCS, the complete set are already onboard and increasingly pre-loaded into the ECDIS, with permit generation taking just a few minutes.
The unique ‘pay-as-you-go’ structure of AVCS, available since September 2008, means that users needing to alter their passage plans or those with new orders can request access to a new set of folios or individual ENCs, or, a combination of both, as the situation demands.
The addition of new ENCs demonstrates the continuing commitment of UKHO to promote safety and support cost -efficient working of the international mariner by generating additional coverage to complement its own data sets and those official charts provided within AVCS by other national hydrographic offices.
“We’ve integrated the respected and valuable output of other hydrographic offices who are equally focused on the delivery of an official, carriage-compliant vector chart service. New ENCs have been produced by UKHO where we believe it is necessary for safe and efficient navigation in accordance with the IHO commitment to providing ENC coverage by 2010” adds Mr Scholey.