New ICS guide helps seafarers navigate digital bridge

(Posted on 20/01/22)

The newly launched edition of the Bridge Procedures Guide from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) reflects the rapid technological advances taking place in the shipping industry. It provides crews with the knowledge and confidence they need to deal with the digital transformation taking place within the world fleet.

At the cutting edge of these rapid developments is the bridge, and the new guide will help seafarers keep up with the latest best practice for bridge technologies designed for the digital age.

“I’ve seen navigation equipment that I sailed with on display in Hamburg’s maritime museum.?Now you walk onto the bridge?and it’s like Star Wars,” says Nick Rich, BSM’s Group Technical Manager – Systems and a member of the expert panel that helped ICS develop the new edition.

“Navigation has become so much more accurate and straightforward in many ways,?as?officers have an incredible amount of information?that?guides?their decision-making.?Today’s navigator uses?ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) and ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) to track everything in real time, from their ship’s position and nearby traffic to how the current and tide affects the vessel.”??

Referenced in several International Maritime Organization (IMO) documents, the ICS Bridge Procedures Guide is widely acknowledged as the principal industry guidance on safe bridge operations.

“The environment in which pilots and bridge teams work is changing rapidly, making it essential to ensure ships’ officers on the bridge understand the latest systems and procedures – which is why the ICS Bridge Procedures Guide is such a valuable resource,” says Captain Simon Pelletier, President of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) and another expert panellist for the latest edition.

He adds: “Mariners can take it off the shelf in the middle of the ocean, go through a chapter and remind themselves about the fundamentals of the environment they work in, such as bridge resource management or the process for when a pilot comes on board. It’s essential reading for any seafarer.”

Thoroughly revised and updated to be relevant to today’s international shipping landscape, the new edition provides clear guidance on best practice approaches to watchkeeping that make safe and effective use of modern technology and embrace internationally agreed standards and recommendations adopted by the IMO.

The Bridge Procedures Guide complements the guidance in the ICS Engine Room Procedures Guide and, when used in collaboration, readers can be confident of gaining a comprehensive understanding of the latest best practices in the industry.