Australian Electronic Chart Service Launched

On the recent UN World Hydrography Day the Hydrographer of Australia announced enlarged ENC coverage & a new AusENC service

AMSA's Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mick Kinley, was a guest of honour at a celebration held at the Australian Hydrographic Office in Wollongong on Thursday 21 June to celebrate United Nations World Hydrography Day.

Commodore Rod Nairn AM, RAN (Hydrographer of Australia) used the event to mark Australia's achievement of Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) coverage for Australian and Papua New Guinea waters and to launch a new Australian Electronic Navigational Chart service (AusENC).

The AusENC service will support vessels operating within Australian and Papua New Guinea waters through simple ordering and easy availability of official charts for use in Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).

This achievement comes ahead of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) mandate for phased compulsory carriage of ECDIS for certain types of ships on international voyages from July 2012 to 2018.

The United Nations World Hydrography Day is celebrated annually on 21 June to raise public awareness of the importance of hydrography and nautical cartography to support safety of life at sea, enable reliable maritime trade and enhance the protection of the marine environment.