Capt. Ted Morley was raised aboard a schooner and has made a career working on board vessels ranging from superyachts to super tankers. During his tenure at sea, he worked his way up from seaman to master. He currently holds a USCG Master’s License, Unlimited Tonnage as well as several foreign certificates. Capt. Morley actively participates in maritime advisory committees in the U.S. as well as overseas and is involved in regulatory policy review in the U.S..
As paper charts begin to fade away, the navigational skills of understanding them remain critical, says Ted Morley.
The USCG and the MCA, along with virtually every flag state, require practical demonstration of a bridge watch officer’s ability to plot a course, a position and a route on a paper chart, yet the future of paper plotting on board and in training has been in question. Well, the USCG has just updated their chart exam modules and created several new chart exams on… paper charts. The critical skill set for a mariner to be able to plot a position, obtain critical information off the chart and create a course line are still considered just that — critical skills. Electronics are great, but the person looking at them still needs to understand the relationship between the information being displayed and the world around them.
At the end of 2024, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will no longer update traditional paper chart products; that timing was determined back in 2016. Electronic navigation charts (ENCs) will become the only official chart product available from NOAA. ENCs, known as vector charts, have long been the standard in commercial shipping, and their use is commonplace on vessels that are using an ECDIS display compliant with the International Hydrographic Organization. In many ways, vector charts are better than paper charts, as they allow for layering of information and user-created data layers, and NOAA is working on standardizing future ENCs to ensure seamless use and updating. Those of us who have worked as a second mate or a navigator know how much time is spent updating paper charts! The ability of a system to automatically update a vector chart is a real advancement to safety and efficiency. Also, the system’s ability to integrate and overlay data from weather sensors, tides and currents, waypoints, etc. can help make voyages more efficient and use less fuel.
At the end of 2024, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will no longer update traditional paper chart products; that timing was determined back in 2016
Since 2016, the USCG has allowed the use of ENCs in place of paper charts on board vessels, provided the ENCs are compliant with the regulatory requirements of carriage of charts under Title 33 and 46 CFR, along with compliance with SOLAS certificates. The RTCM advises the USCG on its Electronic Chart System (ECS) technical requirements for domestic carriage while SOLAS is used as the international standard for carriage. While devices such as SOLAS-compliant ECDIS units are considered “equivalent to paper charts,” many smaller vessels’ ECS or MFD units and larger vessels’ back-up systems may not. Making sure that your vessel has the required electronics on board to allow paperless operation is a must, and a qualified consultant must be brought in to ensure you comply with flag state, port state and insurance.
As with the US decision, the UK Hydrographic Office will cease production of Admiralty paper charts by late 2026. The MCA has issued notices for how vessels can comply; even smaller vessels can reference guidance such as MGN 293, which sets the rules for vessels in commercial service under 150GT and/or under 24 meters (78ft) in length.
Even though the paper chart carriage requirement allows vessels to comply using ENCs, that does not change the requirement of the watch officer to be able to interpret the data on the screen. An ECS can plot a course, an autopilot can maintain the course and an ARPA can provide collision avoidance — but the role of a mariner is to know how to do the job when those things break.
Captain Ted Morley is the Chief Operations Officer at MPT in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He holds several licenses, including a USCG Master Unlimited Tonnage, and is an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute as well as a Member of the Royal Institute of Navigation in London.