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MARITIME SAFETY COMMITTEE MSC 98/11/7

98th session 17 April 2017
Agenda item 11 Original: ENGLISH

NAVIGATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND SEARCH AND RESCUE

Comments on the proposed amendments to resolution MSC.252(83)

Performance standards for integrated navigation systems (INS)

Submitted by the Cook Islands, Germany, the Republic of Korea and CIRM

SUMMARY

Executive summary: This document comments on the application date of amendments to

resolution MSC.252(83) requiring the display of MSI information on
INS displays before further amendments to the performance
standard, which are under consideration by the correspondence
group developing Guidelines for the harmonized display of
navigation information received via communications equipment,
have been finalized

Strategic direction: 5.2

High-level action: 5.2.4 and 5.2.6

Output: 5.2.4.4 and 5.2.6.1

Action to be taken: Paragraph 8

Related documents: Resolutions MSC.252(83) and MSC.191(79); NCSR 3/29;

NCSR 4/16, NCSR 4/29 and MSC 98/11

Introduction

1 This document is submitted under the provisions of paragraph 6.12.5 of the document
on the Organization and method of work of the Maritime Safety Committee and the Marine
Environment Protection Committee and their subsidiary bodies (MSC-MEPC.1/Circ.5) and
comments on documents NCSR 4/29, section 5 and annex 4, and MSC 98/11, paragraph 2.

Background

2 At NCSR 3 (NCSR 3/29) the issue of integration and presentation of navigation

information received via communications equipment was discussed under agenda items 6, 9
and 13. As a way forward, a correspondence group was implemented to move forward with
agenda item 6 Additional modules to the Revised Performance Standards for Integrated

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Navigations Systems (INS) (resolution MSC.252(83)) relating to the harmonization of bridge

design and display of information. Furthermore, the Sub-Committee invited Norway to
coordinate a joint proposal from interested Member Governments and international
organizations to NCSR 4 containing draft Guidelines for the harmonized display of navigation
information received via communications equipment to continue the work on agenda item 9.

3 As all three agenda items are closely related, the Chair indicated that it would be
appropriate to wait for the outcome of the work agenda items 6 and 9 before concluding or
finalizing agenda item 13 Interconnection of NAVTEX and Inmarsat SafetyNET receivers and
their display on Integrated Navigation Display Systems. Consequently, the Sub-Committee
invited the United States and interested Member States and/or organizations, if required, to
submit revised proposals, as appropriate, to NCSR 4.

4 The report of the twelfth meeting of the Joint IMO/ITU Experts Group on Maritime
radiocommunication matters to NCSR 4 (NCSR 4/16) proposed, among other things, to amend
the INS performance standards to include the display of MSI as a requirement.
After consideration of the report, the Sub-Committee approved the draft amendments to the
INS performance standards and invited the Committee to adopt them.

5 NCSR 4 also agreed to extend the work on the Guidelines for the harmonized display
of navigation information received via communications equipment for two more years and
agreed to establish a correspondence group under the coordination of Norway to handle this
work. NCSR 4 also tasked the correspondence group with continuing the work to develop an
additional module to the Revised Performance Standards for Integrated Navigation Systems
(INS) (resolution MSC.252(83)) relating to the display of information.

Discussion

6 To ensure the safe operation of the ship, it is imperative to have consistent

presentation of information across the displays of different task stations on the bridge, as
required by resolution MSC.191(79). Therefore, the substantial amendment to the INS
performance standards proposed by NCSR 4, that introduces a mandatory requirement for the
presentation of MSI information, should only be agreed upon once the related Guidelines on
the harmonized display of navigation information received via communications equipment
have been finalized.

7 Furthermore, patchwork in respect of amendments to well-established performance

standards should be avoided in principle. For this reason, amendments to the performance
standards for INS (resolution MSC.252(83)) should be done in one step, after completion of
the related work on the additional module and guidelines.

Action requested of the Committee

8 The Committee is invited to consider the information provided above and to decide to
postpone the decision on amendments to resolution MSC.252(83), until the related work is
completed on the Guidelines for the harmonized display of navigation information received via
communications equipment and the additional module to the Revised Performance Standards
for Integrated Navigation Systems (INS) (resolution MSC.252(83)) relating to the display of
information.

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