Buy Admiralty Nautical charts and Cruising Guides for a Safe and Sound Voyage

Unknown waters, like unknown lands, project a unique sense of danger and fear into the bravest of hearts. It is, therefore, crucial to learn about such unknown waters before embarking upon the voyage. This is especially vital when the purpose of the journey is recreational and not a research or discovery. Even the experienced owners and crew members of recreational vessels utilize professional help in the form of cruising guides for recommendations about specific paths, obstacles on the waters and navigational hazards.

There are often cases when the popular navigational routes are changed and cruising guides also contains information of such essential changes too.

Besides for the recreational vessels, there are large ships that travel in troubled waters for industrial purposes too. For such large vessels that accuracy of the navigational charts must be the highest. Since any sort of hazard will lead to an unimaginable loss of both lives and finances, one must use admiralty nautical charts that are renowned for their accuracy and easily comprehensible data. Each chart is updated and corrected to the best information available about the safety and navigation in the waters before sale.

These charts become all the more important in areas that are heavily trafficked such as the English Channel, the Gulf of Suez, the Singapore and Malacca Straits.

Top 5 Benefits Of Raster Charts In Navigation

A raster navigational chart is an accurate digital image comprised of pixels, displayed on an electronic screen. Each pixel has a unique color or it has no color. The pattern of the colored and the empty pixels gives shape to the individual features of the chart. Ideal for both planning and navigation, they can help simplify operational tasks and improve situational awareness.

Using the formatted images in electronic display systems called Raster Chart Display Systems (RCDS), mariners receive accurate real-time vessel positions. Hence they are also known as marine navigation charts.

Benefits furnished by raster charts have been mentioned below:

1.    The geographical loci of each cell is implied by its position in the cell matrix. No geographic coordinates are stored, other than an origin point such as bottom left corner.
2.    Because of the nature of the data storage method, analysis is normally easy to program and quick to perform.
3.    The inherent nature of raster maps, for example one attribute maps, is ideally suited for mathematical modeling and quantitative analysis.
4.    Discrete data, like forestry stands, is housed equally well as continuous data, say for example elevation data and facilitates the integration of the two data kinds.
5.    Grid cell systems are thoroughly compatible with raster based output devices. Such as electrostatic plotters and graphic terminals.

Read the ISGOTT for the Safe Carriage Of Crude Oil And Petroleum Products On Tankers

Carrying and handling cargo that consists of petroleum products and crude oil on tankers and at terminals, requires precision as well as the know how of safety rules and regulations. The recommended operating procedures continuously undergo change. And that is what makes it all the more important for the concerned people to remain up to date with the current developments.

The ISGOTT is as important as cruising guides. Elaborated as the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals, it is the ultimate handbook to be studied and followed so that best practice and legislation can be ensured as per the current updates at every stage.

The guide is basically divided into the following sections.

1. General information
2. Section on the management of tanker and terminal interface
3. Tanker information
4. Terminal information

Naturally, it is an extremely helpful tool and that is why all the concerned operators at present are urged to make full use of it. Moreover, the stress is laid on ensuring the recommendations are read and completely understood before they can be followed for certain. Though it is not a definitive description, the guide continues to provide the best technical guidance on tanker and terminal operations, maintaining a consistent approach to operational procedures.

Move Safely in the Waters with the Help of ISM code

Like all other forms of travel, traveling in the sea is also governed by different safety rules and guidelines. In 1993, the International Safety Management or ISM Code was adopted by the International Maritime Organization that was made mandatory in 1998.  It deals with the safe operation of the ships and the prevention of the pollution in the waters. This code has gone through many amendments in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2013 and the latest edition was published in 2014. As the ships are used to transport some special type of heavy cargoes from one place to another, International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes or IMSBC code is used to carry out the safe storage and shipment of such cargoes. It provides complete information on the risks associated with their shipment along with the instructions that are needed to transport them safely. Both of these codes are used by the maritime administrators, ship owners & operators, shipping companies and other concerned parties who have an interest in safe sailing through the sea as well as safe delivery and shipment of solid and bulky items. 

If you need latest editions of the ISM code or the IMSBC code, you can get them online from different companies like American Nautical Services in good prices.

Get Admiralty Charts Online For Commercial And Recreational Use

Every sea going vessel has to abide by the set standards of British admiralty nautical charts. These charts, though produced by the UK’s Hydrographic Office, conform to the international carriage requirements.

Vector charts or admiralty charts online are useful in several ways.

1. For mariners, the use of these charts is highly recommended particularly in heavy traffic areas on the sea. Using the charts is a great way to map out the most convenient routes and save time by avoiding the traffic.

2. The merchant shipping industries as well as the Royal Navy also need these charts as aid in life protection on the waters.

3. The SOLAS convention that had been adopted by the IMO and brought to force in 1965, requires the ships to comply with the minimum basic safety standards while sailing. The same rules apply in case of equipment, construction as well as the operations of those ships.

These charts can be easily bought online. However, considering the importance of their accuracy and reliability, it is advisable to only buy them from trusted websites. That way you can be sure that you are buying the charts that are also approved by the US Coast Guard and are in tune with all the relevant global regulations.

CFR 47: The Telecommunications Code Of Federal Regulations

The standard codification that is followed by all the executive departments and agencies of the US federal government is a comprehensive set of general rules and regulations. These are published in the US Federal Register as well as maintained online in an unofficial version.

Before trying to understand the CFR 47, it is important to understand the very purpose of CFR and that is, to organize and present the federal as well as the general regulations in a formal way. The title 47 of CFR is a part of Federal Communications Commission’s rules regarding unlicensed transmissions. It is everything to do with broadcasting and unintentional emissions.

This title is one of those that are mandatory to be followed by maritime companies who manage navigation charts and operate commercial vessels. These companies are anyway obligated to comply with the US CFR when they are on US waters. When it comes to the enforcement agencies dealing with these, the US Coast Guard acts as one of the main ones. The other titles that govern the US maritime industry include CFR 29, CFR 33, CFR 46 and CFR 49, each of them dealing with a different set of regulations directed at particular areas like transportation, navigation and navigable waters, shipping and labor.    

Why Do You Need British Admiralty Charts When At Sea?

When you are at sea, whether for recreational or commercial purposes, your life is always at risk. Negotiating different conditions and choosing the best possible route to reach your destination is crucial to make sure that you make the most of your journey and reach your intended destination without any loss. This is where nautical charts come into play.

British Admiralty nautical charts have been the standard for every sea vessel since the time they first came into existence. These are developed by United Kingdom Hydrographic Office or UKHO, and are referred worldwide for safe navigation. When you buy these charts, you should make sure that you buy them from a source that has trained and experienced cartographers who regularly update them in accordance with the most recent of notices issued by different agencies. One more thing that proves their genuineness and worth is that they are approved by US Coast Guard as well. So, you can always trust these.

However, you should make sure that you use the nautical chart scale that perfectly fits your needs. These charts come with routing guide supplements that can help you plan your route in the most challenging of conditions and locations.

Another important thing to keep handy when you are navigating the sea is the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code Or IMSBC. This code provides you information about dangers that you may face while shipping certain bulk cargoes. So, refer to this code and the information it contains.