Vanuatu charting in support of humanitarian relief efforts

The South Pacific island chain of Vanuatu was devastated on March 13th by Cyclone Pam. This event is now regarded as one of the most severe tropical cyclone disasters in the history of Vanuatu, and has resulted in the tragic loss of 16 lives. The majority of the damage is at the capital of Port Vila, although other parts of the 65 inhabited islands have also been affected by the natural disaster. The United Nations have confirmed that humanitarian aid has been delivered to all of the affected islands of the country, providing food packages and water for more than 166,000 people, however, this important work will continue for as long as necessary in support of the affected communities.

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), which is the primary charting authority for Vanuatu, has decided to rapidly issue new editions of two Vanuatu ENC cells in response to the disaster. These new editions, GB501638 Northern Vanuatu - Espiritu Santo - Luganville and GB501494 Port Vila are to be distributed through IC-ENC on a free of charge basis for use by all interested parties and to assist with the humanitarian relief effort. At the first opportunity, these cells will be included within the weekly exchange set to the IC-ENC Value Added Reseller (VAR) network. They will also be available to download on the IC-ENC website by clicking here.

Both IC-ENC and UKHO are pleased to be able to support the international community at this challenging time.

Image of GB501494 Port Vila new edition

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Farewell from Lieutenant Marcelo Olivera

​Sadly, I must inform you that Lieutenant Marcelo Olivera has now left his position as Head of Cartography of SOHMA (Hydrographic Office of Uruguay). I speak on behalf of the whole IC-ENC team when I say that it has always been a pleasure to work with Marcelo. His enthusiastic and friendly emails were always well received, displaying a close working relationship with the whole team, even though a couple of us have never had the opportunity to meet him face-to-face!

Marcelo first joined the Naval Academy of his country in 2001, getting his degree in 2004. After two years integrating the crews of Sailing Ships of Uruguay and Mexico (including a trip around the world of 10 months in the latter), he was assigned to the Hydrographic Ship ROU22 "Oyarvide" in 2007. Between 2008 and 2009 he made his specialization in Hydrography at the Postgraduate School of the Venezuelan Navy and in the last five years, he has served as Head of Cartography Branch in SOHMA, Uruguay. Here, he worked closely with IC-ENC in order to improve both the quality and availability of cartographic products of his country.

Today, Marcelo will be rejoining the Hydrographic Ship ROU22 'Oyarvide', which he was previously assigned to, as Head of Surveys and Operations.

Marcelo has kindly provided us with a few words that he would like to share to the IC-ENC community:

"My arrival at the Hydrographic Office of Uruguay, and my assignment as Head of the Cartography Branch in 2010 coincided with the signing of the agreement between SOHMA and IC-ENC and the first steps on the path to integration to the aforementioned RENC. By then, the challenge was great and of course we do not have any previous experience that supports us.

The process took some time, in which the 'Joining Instructions' were an extremely valuable tool for guidance and orientation. Furthermore, at this stage the patience and support that each of the members of the IC-ENC had with us, assisting and advising us in the process of designing an ENC that meets the standards of validation was invaluable. In January 2012, exactly one year after the delivery of our first batch of cells, they were approved, starting their distribution.

My experience over the years working with the IC-ENC is that human warmth and generous disposition of each of its members, makes contact to be very close. It could be defined as a "group of friends at a distance" which often do not know each other in person, but let your work with ENCs to be a pleasant and enjoyable experience.

Now that I am leaving Cartography Branch in order to take on a new challenge in my naval career, SOHMA has reached 27 cells distributed worldwide through the RENC, with at least 15 additional cells in preparation for this 2015. I would like express my deep appreciation to the staff of IC-ENC for all the learning and experience they have shared with me over the years and the staff of the Electronic Cartography Division of SOHMA, by the tireless effort of preparing products which matches the greater level of world requirement.

I wish you all "fair winds" and that collaboration between SOHMA and IC-ENC keeps growing every day more and more.

Hasta pronto!"




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March

It's been a busy month down here in IC-ENC. In addition to hosting our first training course of 2015, we have also had a sharp rise in the amount of incoming data which has kept the validation team occupied (to say the least!), as well as several meetings and visits.

Following on from the first week of the training course, the delegates spent the weekend exploring the local area. On Saturday, a few of the delegates spent the day in Bath, and on Sunday, IC-ENC organised a day trip down to Lyme Regis, a small seaside town on the South coast of England. Luckily it was a lovely sunny day (the past few days it had been pouring with rain!), so the delegates were able to make the most of it. We also organised a couple of evenings during the two week period for the team and the delegates to relax and enjoy a friendly drink together.


​Matija, Martien and Mlungisi enjoying a tour around the Roman Baths, Bath


A sunny day spent at Lyme Regis, Dorset


Mike, Course Instructor, and a few of the delegates enjoying a casual drink together

Some of the topics covered in the second week included data consistency, where the delegates were able to discuss their views on the use of SCAMIN and the problems associated with overlapping data in detail, as well as the distribution of data where the delegates learnt about S-63 (Data Protection Scheme) and the route to the market place via the IC-ENC VARs. In addition, the delegates had the opportunity to get hands on with the Transas ECDIS, helping them to put some of their learning into practice.


Peter getting to grips with one of the practical exercises

The next course is scheduled to take place from 25th May to 5th June, and will be held at the Australian Hydrographic Office (AHS), located in Wollongong, Australia. Invitations for the delegates selected to attend this course will be sent out very shortly.

On a final note, we hope that those of you who attended our first training course enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed hosting it!


Team photo of the training course delegates

On the data front, we are pleased to announce that the first 17 Philippines cells sent to IC-ENC were released to the market place for distribution by our VARs on 27th February 2015. As of week 10, this addition brings our total number of issued ENCs to 5,500!

Richard Fowle, IC-ENC Technical Manager, attended the Joint TSMAD29 and DIPWG7 meeting which was held in Ottawa, Canada from 2nd-6th February. The meeting was well attended by both Hydrographic Offices and Industries. Individual reports were given to the meeting group regarding the activities of other IHO Working Groups and organisations, and as a result there were some good discussions surrounding the topics of S-58, S-100 and S-101. Some of the main outcomes of the meeting were the further developments regarding S-101, and the restructuring of TSMAD and DIPWG, which have now been replaced by the S- 100WG and ENCWG. If you are interested in finding out more about the Joint TSMAD29 and DIPWG7 meeting, the minutes will be available on the IHB website in the near future. In addition, more information on the new S-100WG and ENCWG can be found on the IHO website.

James attended the 6th RSAHC meeting in Abu Dhabi, which took place from 9th- 11th February. James presented on IC-ENC services, with a particular focus on capacity building and our first training course of 2015. The presentation was well received, and some interesting questions were asked. Additionally, James met several new contacts from our existing members Pakistan and Bahrain, and continued to develop IC-ENC's relationship with several prospective new members.

On 27th February, We had a visit from Commander Nickolás Roscher, Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation at the Brazilian HO (DHN). Nickolás spent the day with the team, learning about our core services and some of the main processes we perform on a daily basis. We believe that visits such as these provide a great opportunity to develop and strengthen our working relationships with one another.

James and Mathias have also just attended the 5th WENDWG meeting, which was held in Singapore from 3rd – 5th March. At the meeting, James presented a RENC progress report, based on the 2014 Annual Report, which was well received by the group and sparked some interesting discussions. The main topics of discussion included the issues surrounding overlapping data, and the method of assessing progress on delivering adequate ENC coverage to support the mandation of ECDIS, the IHO ENC catalogue, and the S-101 future standard. As a direct result of this meeting, IC-ENC will be collaborating with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in order to investigate the effects of overlapping ENCs on various types of ECDIS, including both behaviour and display of data.


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5th WENDWG meeting, Singapore

James Harper, IC-ENC Manager, and Mathias Jonas, IC-ENC Chairman both attended the 5th IHO WENDWG meeting, which was held in Singapore from 3rd-5th March.

The WENDWG (Worldwide ENC Database Working Group) is an IHO group, and subsidiary of the Inter Regional Coordination Committee (IRCC) which is responsible for advising the IRCC on the development and monitoring of the principles, guidelines and governance surrounding the WEND. As a result, the WENDWG aims to facilitate a worldwide consistent level of high quality, updated official ENCs through integrated services that support SOLAS carriage requirements and the IMO Performance Standards for ECDIS.

At the meeting, IC-ENC presented a RENC progress report, based on the 2014 Annual Report, which was well received by the group, and as a result sparked some good discussions. The main topics of discussions included the problems and solutions to overlapping ENCs, and the method of assessing progress on delivering adequate ENC coverage to support the mandation of ECDIS, the IHO ENC catalogue, and the S-101 future standard.

As a direct result of this meeting, IC-ENC will be collaborating with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in order to investigate the effects of overlapping ENCs on various types of ECDIS, including both behaviour and display of data.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to view the IC-ENC 2014 Annual Report, you can access it by clicking here.


Attendees of the 5th WENDWG Meeting, March 2015


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IC-ENC 2014 Annual Report

IC-ENC is pleased to announce that the IC-ENC 2014 Annual Report is now available to view on the 'About Us' page under the 'Who is IC-ENC' section.

If you have any comments, feedback or observations regarding the 2014 annual report, please feel free to email these through to therenc@ic-enc.org.


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February

Firstly, thank you for all of your positive comments on the first blog post; I'm so glad that you enjoyed reading it. As a result, I'm back with blog number two!

IC-ENC is now half way through the first training course of 2015, which is being held here in Taunton for a two week period from 2nd – 13th February. Eleven delegates were selected to attend the course from various different regions of the world: Belgium, Egypt, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, and Spain. So far, the delegates have been learning about IC-ENC's roles and responsibilities, as well as its core processes such as how we download and register data from our members.


Some of the training course delegates enjoying their mid-morning break! From left to right: Tamer Nada; Mlungisi Buthelezi; Costica Furnica; Martien Coolgem; Elizaveta Ratner

The training course aims to provide the knowledge and skills required to carry out the various aspects of ENC Validation back at their home offices. In addition, delegates will be able to demonstrate an understanding of IC-ENC, the relevant international standards, and the content and construction of ENCs by validating ENC data and investigating the reported errors.

We also intend for our training courses to bring our members together to share ideas and build strong working relationships with one another, therefore showing us as a truly international organisation. In addition, the delegates also have the opportunity to meet and build working relationships with the team at the IC-ENC UK office.

There will be two more training courses delivered during 2015, one in Latin America and one in Australia. If you are interested in attending one of our training courses, please see the IC-ENC website or contact Mike Hawes (Course Instructor) at mike.hawes@ic-enc.org for more information.

We have also enjoyed a visit from Dr Mathias Jonas, IC-ENC Chairman, to the IC- ENC HQ office in Taunton on 5th February. Mathias was introduced to the course delegates before spending the rest of the day with the each member of the IC-ENC team to gain a full understanding of all the services IC-ENC provides, as well as some of the current project work that each team member is working on.

James Harper, Mathias Jonas and Mike Hawes

On the data front, IC-ENC has now released all of the Italian ENCs to the market place for distribution by our VARs. As a result, 253 additional ENCs have been added to our catalogue, which brings our total number of issued ENCs to 5,473!


Week 06/2015 IC-ENC Cell Totals

This month also saw the release of Real Time Reporting (RTR), the new IC-ENC business system, which has been one of Richard Northover's main projects since he joined as IC-ENC Commercial Manager in March 2014. The main features of the system include automated XML based sales orders, from VARs, submitted on a 24 hour basis via email, fully automated sales order processing, immediate automated VAR receipts or error reports via email, and automated monthly VAR invoicing. This new system will provide immediate benefits including a robust, streamlined and automated sales order process for both the VARs and IC-ENC with the elimination of manually induced errors. In addition, RTR will provide the ability to customise reporting for members on far more elements than has previously been possible.

Further afield, James will be attending the 6th Meeting of the RSAHC, which will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 9th – 11th February. James will be there to meet with current and potential members, so please do go and introduce yourself if you are also attending.

Looking ahead to September, IC-ENC is pleased to announce that this year's Steering Committee Meeting will be held in Munich from 7th – 8th September. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Munich – City Centre hotel. All invitations were sent out on Friday 23rd January, so please make every effort to respond by Monday 16th February, and if you have any questions please contact me at laura.tyzack@ic-enc.org.


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January: a round up on the year's achievements

Now we're already a few weeks into the New Year, we thought it would be a great opportunity to give a round up on last year's achievements. There is no doubt that 2014 has been a busy year for IC-ENC, but we have a lot to show for it. From welcoming six new members, to launching our ENC Validation training course, we've been kept on our toes at all times.

2014 has seen a dramatic increase in membership, and IC-ENC welcomes Suriname, The Philippines, Slovenia, Italy, Egypt and Malaysia to our family of members, bringing the total number of IC-ENC members to 34. All of these nations will provide important coverage for the IC-ENC ENC folio, and we are now working to incorporate all of the ENCs into our database.

As part of a capacity building initiative, IC-ENC successfully launched its ENC Validation training course in March, delivering the pilot course to three delegates: two from Greece and one from the Netherlands. The pilot course was a huge success, and as a result there will be three courses delivered throughout 2015.


Pilot ENC Validation training course delegates and Course Instructor Mike Hawes

We had another successful Steering Committee meeting in September, which saw the highest number of participants to date. It was great to have so many of our member nations together to discuss issues and ideas, and set the strategic direction for the year ahead. The end of the meeting saw IC-ENC Chairman Capt. Peter Kortenoeven complete his two year tenure, followed by the election and appointment of the new IC-ENC Chairman, Dr. Mathias Jonas, and two Vice Chairmen, Jens Peter Hartmann and Cdr. Ricardo Lopez Cruz. Capt. Peter Kortenoeven, and his family, have since temporarily moved to Ethiopia to embrace the African way of life.

Dr Mathias Jonas

IC-ENC Chairman

Jens Peter Hartmann and Commander Manuel Ricardo Lopez Cruz

IC-ENC Vice Chairmen

In addition to the Steering Committee, IC-ENC has also attended various Hydrographic commissions and conferences throughout the year. In particular, IC- ENC attended the Extraordinary International Hydrographic Conference (EIHC) in October. This was an excellent opportunity to represent IC-ENC globally and to promote the service which we provide, whilst working in harmony with our RENC colleagues from PRIMAR. Additionally, it was great to see so many of you there visiting our exhibition stand.


IC-ENC and PRIMAR's joint stand at EIHC 2015

A little closer to home at the IC-ENC UK office, Richard Northover was appointed as IC-ENC Commercial Manager in March. Richard has been focused on ENC licensing considerations and Real Time Reporting, amongst other commercial responsibilities.

Whilst down under at the IC-ENC Australia office, the team has continued to provide a high level of support to both the local region and to us here at the IC-ENC UK office with their frequent ideas and suggestions to improve the service that IC-ENC provides.

Looking to the year ahead, we are excited to continue delivering and improving our service for our members. We look forward to delivering the first training course of 2015 in February here in Taunton to eleven delegates from Europe and beyond. Further courses will follow in Australia and Latin America. Not only does the course emphasise our dedication towards capacity building, but it also shows our enthusiasm to pass on our ENC expertise to our members, with the anticipated result of creating and managing a more seamless ENC folio, all for the benefit of the mariner.


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Egypt becomes 33rd member of IC-ENC

IC-ENC would like to announce that the Egyptian Navy Hydrographic Department (ENHD) has become the 33rd National Hydrographic Office to join its ever expanding family of members.

ENHD currently has a folio of 28 ENCs, providing significant coverage in and around the major shipping thoroughfare of the Suez Canal.

IC-ENC is looking to incorporate ENHD's ENCs into its database during 2015, and will then be working with ENHD to support further development of its ENC coverage.

This adds important new coverage to the IC-ENC ENC folio, and IC-ENC is looking forward to building a long-standing business relationship with ENHD.


Capt. Dr. Ashraf El Assal (Head of Hydrographic Division) and Dr. Mathias Jonas


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Italy becomes 32nd member of IC-ENC

IC-ENC is proud to announce that the Istituto Idrografico della Marina (IIM) of Italy has become the 32nd National Hydrographic Office to join its ever increasing global family of members.

IIM currently has a folio of 252 ENCs, providing significant coverage within the Mediterranean region.

IC-ENC is looking to incorporate IIM’s ENCs into its database by 1st January 2015, and will then be working with IIM to support further development of its ENC coverage.

This will establish new coverage in the IC-ENC ENC folio, and IC-ENC is looking forward to building a long-standing business relationship with IIM.

Former IC-ENC Chair, Peter Kortenoeven and Cdr. Paolo Lusiani

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New IC-ENC Chairman and Vice Chairs

IC-ENC is pleased to announce that the new IC-ENC Chairman was selected at Steering Committee 15, hosted in The Hague.

The Chairman, with immediate effect, is Dr Mathias Jonas (DE), who previously occupied the role of Vice Chairman.
He will be ably assisted by both Jens Peter Hartmann (DK) and Commander Ricardo Lopez Cruz (MX) as the incoming Vice Chairs.

Dr Mathias Jonas

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