New technology is one thing of course – old technology quite another. The Nautical Institute’s David Patraiko in his second slot of the conference predicted that along with the issues already identified as threats and opportunities was that if ECDIS systems and software didn’t improve we could see a terrible third way emerging post-2012.
After whatever deadline was reached for their ship types, he mused, mariners would have an ECDIS and probably paper onboard too but for day-to day-navigation, they might actually continue to work on unofficial ECS systems – some of them the laptop and GPS combination he mooted on Tuesday.
The might be more about familiarity than malign intent. It would still be illegal and presumably the ECDIS would be switched on when Port State Control rocked up, but he said “the temptation would be very strong to use your own device. We are going to have to be very clear in messages about who can use what, where and when.”
