e-Navigation is a concept developed under the auspices of the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) to bring about increased safety and security in commercial shipping through better organization of data on ships and on shore, and better data exchange and communication between the two. The concept was launched when maritime authorities from seven nations requested it be added to work undertaken in IMO's NAV and COMSAR sub-committees.[1] Working groups in three sub-committee (NAV, COMSAR and STW), and a correspondence group, as well as the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), are working on an e-Navigation strategy implementation plan meant for adoption in 2012.
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A study conducted by UK authorities indicated that navigational errors and failures were a significant element in over half of the merchant shipping accidents that merited an investigation in the years from 2002-05.[2] Further studies have shown both that the number of accidents is increasing, and that 60 per cent of these accidents were caused by human failure.[3] The combination of navigational errors and human failure indicate a potential failure of the larger system in which ships are navigated and controlled.
Accidents related to navigation continue to occur despite the development and availability of a number of ship- and shore-based technologies that promise to improve situational awareness and decision-making. These include the Automatic Identification System (AIS), Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), Integrated Bridge Systems/Integrated Navigation Systems (IBS/INS), Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA), radio navigation, Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) systems, Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS).
It is believed that these technologies can reduce navigational errors and failures, and deliver benefits in areas like search and rescue, pollution incident response, security and the protection of critical marine resources, such as fishing grounds. They may also contribute to efficiencies in the planning and operation of cargo logistics, by providing information about sea, port and forwarder conditions.
The initial definition for e-Navigation was formulated by IALA thus:
The IMO has entrusted Norway and the Norwegian Coastal Administration to coordinate the work of developing a proposal for an e-Navigation strategy implementation plan. Three sub-committees within the IMO - NAV, COMSAR and STW - have established working groups on e-Navigation; each group is chaired by John Erik Hagen of the Norwegian Coastal Administration.[5] Further, a correspondence group overseen by the Norwegian Coastal Administration has an ongoing role in gathering input from national maritime administrations to proposals and decisions related to the process of establishing an e-Navigation strategy implementation plan.
The work on an e-Navigation strategy implementation plan has been broken down into several clear phases:
The final e-Navigation strategy implementation plan will contain eight core elements, defined thus:
Along with work taking place under the aegis of the IMO, a number of public and private groups are working to advance e-Navigation and topics related to e-Navigation. Foremost among these are the e-Maritime project[7] within the EU and the EfficienSea project[8] coordinated by the Swedish Maritime Administration and the Danish Maritime Safety Administration. Another project in this area is ALIS, which built an e-navigation framework and prototype aimed at the sub-SOLAS sector.[9]