Universal routes and Lightweight Ethernet added to PC Maritime ECDIS
In line with the IMO’s e-navigation strategy, PC Maritime has added the universal route format RTZ to its ECDIS to provide ship operators with the potential to share routes across their fleets, regardless of the ECDIS type onboard.
Routes created in PC Maritime’s ECDIS can be transferred to other makes of ECDIS and to other equipment such as radar, vessel tracking systems, integrated bridges, back-of-bridge planning applications, shore-based planning tools. Universality of route planning is a major step forward for the shipping industry where most fleets have several types of ECDIS & other equipment installed. It gives managers freedom from single vendors, allowing them to standardise across different platforms. Already there are services developing around the new format, such as the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s digital route service, where vessels can download recommended, quality-assured routes free of charge to their ECDIS.
Also in PC Maritime’s latest ECDIS version are user-interface improvements from customer feedback, and Lightweight Ethernet compatibility in accordance with IEC61162:450. This standard is set to replace serial port communication on all marine instruments, providing multiple talker/receiver pathways via a single network cable instead of several – sometimes many – individual serial cables to and from instruments. Lightweight Ethernet provides greater and faster connectivity across navigation and radio-communication equipment, with talker/listener filtering to prevent overload. Navmaster ECDIS can still work with serial ports, but is now future-proofed. PC Maritime customers with service contracts will receive the upgrade free of charge.
Contact PC Maritime for further information.