Safety Settings on ECDIS

Appropriate safety settings are of paramount importance for

ECDIS display. These settings control how the ECDIS presents
depth information, making it easier to visualize areas of water that
are safe for the vessel to navigate in from those which are not.

This article will help to understand the best practice for handling
safety settings on ECDIS which includes the Safety contour, safety
depth, shallow contour, and deep water contour. The model of
ECDIS used for illustrations is Furuno.

Safety Contour:

The safety contour is the most important parameter of all the safety
settings for the display of unsafe water areas, detecting isolated
dangers and triggering anti-grounding alarms. The safety contour
is basically an outline which marks the division between safe and
unsafe waters.

The colour blue is used to indicate the unsafe areas while white or
grey for safe areas. The default safety contour if not specified by
the mariner is set to 30m. The blue colour in a traditional paper
chart does not provide a vivid picture of shallow water, i.e the
depths mentioned in the blue part of a paper chart may be
shallower for a deep draft vessel while safe for a vessel with a
smaller draft. Unlike paper charts ECDIS allows the officer to set
safety parameters according to the ship’s static or dynamic
particulars. The safety contour can be calculated as follows:

SAFETY CONTOUR = SHIP’S DRAFT + SQUAT + UKC –

HEIGHT OF TIDE

Let us consider that as per company policy UKC requirement is

10%. Please note that UKC calculation takes into account various
factors such as sea conditions, density or increase in the draft due
to rolling. It should be calculated as per company UKC calculation
sheet.

UKC = 1.0m

Consider SQUAT AT MAX SPEED = 1 m

Height of tide = 1 m

Safety contour value would, therefore, be equal to 11 m.

Contours are present in the values of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 and so
on. If the value set by the mariner is not available among the
available depth contours, ECDIS selects the next deepest available
contour in the ENC.

If within a specified time set by the user, the ship is about to cross
the safety contour, an alarm will sound. Based on the value of
safety contour, ECDIS displays the isolated danger symbol for
underwater features and obstructions which may pose a danger
to navigation. The Isolated Danger Symbol is displayed if any
underwater feature like wrecks, rocks or other obstructions has a
depth less than the safety contour in waters beyond the safety
contour.

Safety Depth Setting:

The sole purpose of the safety depth is to portray spot soundings
either in gray for deeper depths or black for shallower depths
compared to the safety depth value entered by the navigating
officer thereby highlighting the potentially safe and unsafe areas.
The safety depth value has no effect on alarms or any other aspect
of ECDIS. Safety depth is normally the ship’s draft + squat.

Now the question is why do we need to mention safety depth when

safety contour can demarcate between safe and unsafe waters? It is
also logically to select Safety Depth equal to Safety Contour.

Some soundings on the shoaler side of the safety contour will be

gray because they are deeper than the safety depth set by the
mariner, although shoaler than the safety contour selected by
ECDIS. The depths below safety contour may not always be non-
navigable. Suppose for example if safety depth and safety contour
are set to 11 m, the ECDIS will emphasize the depth contour equal
or deeper than the selected contour which say is 20m, whichever is
available in the ENC.

Thus we can see that water areas with depths between 11m to 20 m
are navigable but are below the safety contour. This provides the
mariner with additional information about where the ship could
most safely pass if crossing the safety contour is required (an alarm
will still sound). This could provide additional maneuvering room
in narrow passages where safe depths exist.

There is also a possibility that depths shallower than the safety

depth may exist at one point in the navigable waters. Safety depth
setting will then highlight this danger.
In the picture above, safety depth value is 14m. You can see that
depths equal to and below safety depth value are highlighted in
bold.

Zone Of Confidence Catzoc:

In calculating safety depth it is also important to consider
CATZOC features OR ZONE OF CONFIDENCE. We should be
aware that much of the survey data displayed on ENCs derives
from data that is many years old and hence cannot be relied upon
completely for its authenticity. ZOC is used to determine the
accuracy of the underlying hydrographic data. This is available in
six categories. It enables the mariner to make sensible decisions on
the degree of reliance to place on the chart when planning a
passage or conducting navigation.
Let us consider an example.

Ship’s draft = 7.7m

Squat = 1m

Effective draft = 8.7m

Required company UKC is 10% of the deepest draft which is 0.87

approximately 0.9m.

Thus we see that the total safety depth required complying with
company UKC policy is 9.6m. Safety depth value can be set as
10m. However, we haven’t yet considered the depth accuracy as
per ZOC. Let us consider that Catzoc in this area is category B
which implies there can be an error of 1m + 2% of depth = 1.2m.
Therefore if catzoc error is allowed, the minimum depth required
would be 10m + 1.2m = 11.2m. As safety depth cannot be entered
in decimals in ECDIS, we can enter 12 m as safety depth. During
passage planning, it is essential that CATZOC is displayed and
noted for all stages of the voyage

Catzoc Category B

Shallow Contour:
The shallow contour highlights the gradient of the seabed. It is
considered to be the grounding depth i.e this is the depth below
which the ship will definitely go aground. This value can be set
equal to the ship’s draft. Therefore if ship’s draft is 7.7m, shallow
contour value can be set as 8m. The ECDIS will then display the
next depth contour available in the ENC. All of the areas between
the 0m depth and the shallow contour is therefore not navigable at
all and appears hatched. As I have already mentioned earlier that
the division between safe and unsafe water is highlighted by chart
colouring, with blue colour for indicating unsafe area while white
or grey for safe areas. The unsafe area is further defined with the
selection of shallow contour showing dark blue in the shallow
water and light blue between the shallow water and the safety
contour when 4 shade display is selected. 2 shade and 4 shade
display is further explained below.

Deep Water Contour Setting:

This is normally set to twice the ship’s draft. However navigating
officers can use deep water contour value the way they want.

ECDIS also gives the option of simple two colour shading. In this
situation light blue and deep blue will merge into a single blue
colour and grey and white will merge to a single white colour. If
the value of the safety contour is changed, the boundary between
two depth shades changes accordingly. Two depth shades can be
used during night time with caution to reduce the contrast
difference between adjacent depth areas.
The picture above shows that the four shade depth option is not
selected.

The pictures below show a comparison between two shade and

four shade depth in daytime and night time.
Day Time

Night Time
Watch Vector/Anti Grounding Function:
The look ahead or watch vector actually compares the safety
settings that have been entered by the navigating officer with the
depth information contained in the ENC, and generates an
indication or warning where the safety settings will be
contravened. It provides advance warning of dangers/cautions,
primarily intended to prevent grounding. It acts as a final layer of
safety should a navigational danger be missed by the visual check
or route scan. The scanned area is sometimes displayed as a cone
or column on screen and should be set to a distance appropriate to
the amount of navigable water ahead of the vessel. This value
should be determined for each stage of the voyage and noted in the
passage plan. Many officers fail to realize the significance of the
safety contour and do not make proper use of the look-ahead
vector.
This is how you can activate own ship check-in Furuno ECDIS.

1. Go to Chart menu and select Initial Settings

 2. Open the menu displayed at the left and choose Chart Alert
Parameters

3. Click the Check area tab.

4. Set Ahead Time or Ahead distance
5. The Around field allows the officer to set fixed areas.

Note that the chart alert always uses the largest scale chart
available, which may not be the visualized chart.
Note that the ‘Chart Alert’ feature should be highlighted so as to
trigger the audible alarm whenever safety contour is breached.

It is required to amend the alarm parameters from their previous

settings when beginning a new voyage. The alarm parameters need
adjustments throughout the voyage to ensure they are optimized
for the prevailing circumstances and conditions. ECDIS is a
valuable asset in assisting navigators and providing them with
more detailed situational awareness. However, until used
accurately and properly, ECDIS may contribute to accidents rather
than preventing them.

Increased training and practical use will help to develop and

create a better ECDIS mindset. Trainee officers should be
encouraged to understand the benefits that Ecdis provide and
make the optimum use of the same. During route planning, a
chart alert calculation should be done to detect any dangerous
situation and the same should be modified as necessary. A better
understanding of ECDIS safety settings and their proper use can
act as a potential barrier to the grounding of ships and any
untoward situation