EuroShip Services has ordered 11 Navmaster PC-based ECDIS from PC Maritime for installation throughout the Cobelfret fleet of RO-ROs. EuroShip managing director Captain Frank Davies said: “It is a major safety and service reliability benefit to have vessel positions continuously plotted onto official Admiralty charts with ARPA targets plotted onto the same display, particularly in poor visibility. PC-based ECDIS is a cost-effective and flexible solution. We’ve fitted each ship with a PC at the conning position and repeater monitors at both bridge wings to assist the berthing operation.”

PC Maritime’s development principle is to work closely with customers to incorporate their feedback and ideas into Navmaster, with particular regard to ease of use. Marketing Director Anne Edmonds said: “We want to ensure that Navmaster is what the mariner wants, as well as meeting the ECDIS specification. We will submit Navmaster for type approval at the end of this process. It is not necessarily a good thing to have type approval too early, since the ECDIS system becomes inflexible.
Changes to an approved system have to be submitted to the approval authority, which makes a subjective decision as to whether the changes constitute a functional alteration or not.

Since the coverage of the ENC charts required for full ECDIS operation is fragmented, which requires ships to continue to use paper charts, we think it makes sense for manufacturers and ship operators to work together so that the final ECDIS product submitted for approval is well-designed and practical.”