The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has approved two new providers of its ADMIRALTY Vector Chart Service (AVCS) Online, the shore-based version of the maritime electronic chart service that allows teams to access AVCS from their offices.
Bogerd Martin and Global Navigation Solutions (GNS) have been authorised to provide AVCS Online to their customers, which can be integrated into web-based systems such as Bogerd Martin’s Chart Track Ship Manager and GNS’ Voyager FLEET INSIGHT (VFI).
AVCS Online gives shore-based users and fleet planning teams access to more than 15,000 Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs), updated weekly, to support vessel tracking, voyage planning and for use in accident and emergency incidents.
Access to the same charts used at sea allows shore-based users to be more closely involved in navigational activities, UKHO says, collaborating with their mariner colleagues to support safe navigation.
“By enabling ENCs to be displayed ashore via web browsers, AVCS Online sets a new standard for office access to navigational data and empowers shore-based decision-making,” said Nathanael Knapp, Product Manager, UKHO.
“At the UKHO, we’re proud to work together with our ADMIRALTY distributors in developing AVCS Online solutions to meet the evolving needs of customers in an increasingly digital environment, therefore bringing the benefits of AVCS from ship to shore.”
In related news, Dubai-based Elcome has announced the launch of a new online shopping portal for ADMIRALTY standard nautical charts, allowing customers to review, select and order charts from its inventory.
Orders are fulfilled by one of Elcome’s print-on-demand centres located in Dubai and Colombo, Sri Lanka, with the products shipped to the customer’s office or the shipping agent for shipboard delivery.
The portal is linked directly to the UKHO’s ADMIRALTY Marine Data Portal and is updated automatically on a weekly basis.
“We developed this new online purchasing service as part of our swift response to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jimmy Grewal, Executive Director of Elcome International.
“We initiated a work-from-home programme with a goal of having at least two-thirds of our staff working remotely, but we realised this would affect the large number of local customers who normally come to our business in person to purchase charts. Within two weeks, we successfully developed, tested and launched the new charts service on our website.”
