How is the acceptance of ECDIS by Port State control?
Ships arriving at a port may be subject to Port State control by local officials based on Flag State regulations and international agreements. Nations have formed a number of regional groups to ensure consistent application of Port State controls. In Europe the Port State control acts on the regulations set out in the Paris Memorandum of Understanding. Its ECDIS guidelines explain how a PSCO should assess whether a ship is using electronic charts in accordance with SOLAS requirements. Checks may include whether: • The ship has documentation indicating that the system complies with IMO Performance Standards for ECDIS. In the absence of such documentation, the PSCO should seek confirmation from the Flag State that the system does meet the statutory requirements; • The system is being used for primary navigation. It should be established if ECDIS is used in the ENC mode or RCDS mode or in both modes; • There are written procedures onboard the vessel for using ECDIS; • The master and watch
