The transition to digital navigation has a long history, stretching back to the 1990s. However, the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) expects the pace of transition to accelerate rapidly in 2013, as the shipping industry appreciates the scale of the challenge it faces if it is to meet its obligations for Electronic Chart Display & Information Systems (ECDIS) compliance. We have entered a six-year rolling timetable for the enforcement of SOLAS regulations on the carriage of ECDIS for different ship types and sizes. The next annual deadline arrives in July 2013, when all new merchant ships over 10,000gt must fulfil the requirement for ECDIS carriage. Between now and the end of 2018, it is now estimated that up to 200,000 officers will need to go through generic and type-specific ECDIS training; no small task.
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