Harsh Bamnolia December 20
HUAZHONG Product Page
Navigational equipment and their uses are essential components that ensure the safe and efficient operation of vessels at sea.
These devices aid in determining a ship’s position, plotting routes, and detecting potential obstacles.
Marinetech Safety & Shipping Corporation supplies state-of-the-art navigational tools designed for optimal maritime performance.
Explore our range athttps://marinetechss.com/supplies/gmdss-equipment.
Navigational equipment serves specific purposes that ensure the smooth and safe operation of vessels during long-distance voyages. Here are the top five navigational equipment and their uses:
1. GPS (Global Positioning System)
Use:
The GPS system provides accurate positioning, enabling ships to determine their exact location, track routes, and plan courses. It uses satellite signals to provide real-time location updates.
Why It’s Important:
Essential for long voyages and international shipping routes
Helps avoid dangerous areas and navigate complex waterways
Reduces the risk of human error in manual navigation
2. AIS (Automatic Identification System)
Use:
AIS transmits a ship's location, speed, and direction, enabling real-time tracking by nearby vessels, port authorities, and coast guards.
Why It’s Important:
Prevents collisions by sharing vessel details with nearby ships
Helps maritime authorities track ship movements and maintain port traffic control
Enhances onboard situational awareness
3. RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging)
Use:
RADAR detects nearby objects such as ships, land masses, and weather formations using radio waves. It provides clear visuals, especially in low-visibility conditions like fog or nighttime.
Why It’s Important:
Detects obstacles, reducing the risk of collisions
Offers precise tracking of nearby vessels and weather patterns
Ensures safe navigation even in extreme weather
4. VDR (Voyage Data Recorder)
Use:
VDR records crucial voyage data such as navigational routes, engine performance, and crew communication. This data is essential for post-accident investigations and improving safety protocols.
Why It’s Important:
Stores essential voyage data for future reference
Helps understand the cause of accidents for better safety measures
Ensures compliance with international maritime safety regulations
5. GMDSS Radio (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System)
Use:
The GMDSS radio supports worldwide communication, enabling vessels to send distress signals in case of emergencies. It ensures ships can communicate with rescue teams regardless of their location.
Why It’s Important:
Provides a reliable communication system during maritime emergencies
Helps coordinate rescue operations quickly and efficiently
Meets international safety standards mandated by the IMO
Marinetech Safety & Shipping Corporation offers a comprehensive range of navigational equipment tailored to meet maritime safety standards. Here’s a closer look at some essential products:
1. NAXTEX Receiver
Use:
Receives real-time maritime safety updates, weather forecasts, and navigational alerts.
Why It’s Important:
Keeps the vessel informed of maritime conditions
Reduces navigation risks by ensuring timely safety alerts
2. MF/HF Radio (Medium and High-Frequency Radio)
Use:
Facilitates long-distance communication, enabling vessels to remain in contact with shore stations and other ships even in remote oceanic areas.
Why It’s Important:
Provides consistent and reliable long-range communication
Supports weather updates, distress alerts, and emergency calls
3. VHF/UHF Radio
Use:
Enables real-time short-range communication with nearby vessels, port authorities, and coast guards.
Why It’s Important:
Critical for port docking, ship-to-ship communication, and collision avoidance
Ensures constant communication even in remote maritime zones
4. AIS EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon)
Use:
Automatically activates and transmits distress signals when submerged in water, enabling rescue teams to locate the vessel.
Why It’s Important:
Acts as a life-saving device in emergencies
Ensures the quick location of vessels during critical incidents
5. AIS SART (Search and Rescue Transponder)
Use:
Transmits precise location details to rescue teams during search and rescue operations.
Why It’s Important:
Directs rescue efforts to the exact distress location
Reduces search and rescue response time
To ensure uninterrupted operation, it’s essential to maintain navigational equipment regularly. Here are some maintenance tips:
Routine Inspection: Conduct routine inspections to detect potential issues early.
Software Updates: Keep equipment software updated for optimal performance.
Crew Training: Train crew members on how to operate the equipment correctly.
Service Logs: Maintain detailed service logs for compliance inspections.
Manufacturer Recommendations: Follow the manufacturer’s maintenance and servicing guidelines.
Navigational equipment ensures the safe passage of ships by providing accurate location tracking, route planning, and emergency communication.
These tools minimize maritime accidents, streamline shipping operations, and reduce operational costs through optimized fuel consumption.
Equipping vessels with reliable navigational equipment is essential for safe and efficient maritime operations.
From GPS and RADAR to GMDSS radios and AIS systems, each tool plays a vital role in ensuring safe voyages across global waterways.
Marinetech Safety & Shipping Corporation provides certified, high-performance navigational equipment designed to meet international maritime standards.
Gone are the days when a ship navigation officer had to take help of unconventional ways to plan and navigate a voyage at sea. Today, a ship officer has myriad of marine navigation equipment which makes his life a lot simpler, thanks to the advancement in technology. Moreover, present-day seafarers are trained so as to know the functioning and operation of all modern day navigational equipment that has made the journey at sea smoother and safer.
With modern day facilities and automation, a ship today has several advanced navigation equipment systems which give accurate data for the voyage.
Herein, we have enlisted 30 types of navigational equipment, both old and new, which are present on all merchant ships.
The company is the world’s best marine navigational aids manufacturer supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
It is used for finding the right direction. Unlike magnetic compass, gyro compass is not hampered by an external magnetic field. It is used to find the correct North Position, which is also the earth’s rotational axis to provide a stable directional source. Its repeater system must be present in the steering platform for emergency steering.
Read more about Gyro Compass here
Related Read: Top 3 Free Marine Compass Apps for Android Smart Phones
The seagoing vessels depend on S-band and X-band frequency radar system for navigation as it can detect targets and display the information on the screen such as the distance of the ship from land, any floating objects (an island, rocks, iceberg etc.), other vessels, and obstacles to avoid a collision. It is a rotating antenna which discovers the surrounding area of the ship.
Read more about ECDIS here.
Related Read: 15 Things To Consider While Using Radar On Ships
The magnetic compass work in conjunction with the magnetic field of the earth and is the essential means of the direction indicating device. It is used to get a planned course for the voyage. This ship navigation equipment is usually fitted at the centre line of the ship on the monkey island. A transmitting magnetic type compass is fitted so that the output can be displayed in the bridge panel.
Related Read: What is a Binnacle On Ships?
The ship bridge layout is filled with equipment and tools used for navigation. The autopilot is considered to be one of the most effective bridge navigational equipment as it assists the human operator in controlling the ship by keeping the steering in autopilot, which allows them to concentrate on broad aspects of the operation.
It is a combination of hydraulic, mechanical, and electrical system and is used to control the ship’s steering system from a remote location (Navigation bridge).
Related Read: 10 Things to Consider While Using Auto-Pilot System on Ships
Automatic Radar Plotting Aid displays the position of a ship and other vessels nearby. The radar displays the position of the ships in the vicinity and selects the course for the vessel by avoiding any kind of collision.
This bridge navigational equipment constantly monitors the ship’s surrounding and automatically acquires the number of targets, in this case; ships, boats, stationary or floating objects etc., and plot their speeds and courses respectively. It also presents them as vectors on the display screen and constantly update the parameters with each turn of the antenna by calculating their nearest points of approach to own ship and also the time before this will occur.
Just like ARPA, automatic tracking aid displays the information on tracked targets in graphic and numeric to generate a planned layout for a safer and collision-free course.
Usually, A large size target measuring 800 m or more in the circumference is considered as a landmass and not tracked. Echoes less than 800 m are deemed as targets to be tracked.
Related Read: 10 Important Things To Do During Ship Collision Accident
This bridge equipment on a ship is used to measure the speed and the distance travelled by a ship from a set point. By calculating the same, ETA of the ship is adjusted or given to the port authority and agent.
There are many modern ship navigation tools present on ship and echo sounder is one of the instruments which has been in the play from almost 100 years now. It is used to measure the depth of the water below the ship’s bottom using sound waves which work on the principle of transmission of sound waves and an audio pulse which will bounce off a reflecting layer, returning as an echo to the source.
ECDIS is a development in the navigational chart system used in naval vessels and ships. With the use of the electronic navigation equipment, it has become easier for a ship’s navigating crew to pinpoint locations, and attaining directions are easier than before.
Read more about ECDIS here.
Related Read: Pros and Cons of ECDIS Or Paperless Navigation Of Ships
AIS is also among the types of a navigation system which helps to pinpoint the location and other navigational statistics of ships. AIS uses VHF radio channels as transmitters and receivers to send and receive messages between ships which endeavours to fulfil a lot of responsibilities.
As per the regulation enforced by The International Maritime Organisation (IMO), all passengers’ vessels and commercial ships over 299 Gross Tonnage (GT) sailing in the international to carry a Class A AIS transponder.
Read more about AIS here.
Related Read: Download: The Definitive AIS Handbook
LRIT is an international tracking and identification system incorporated by the IMO under its SOLAS convention to ensure a thorough tracking system for ships of 300 gross tons and above which are on international voyages across the world. This maritime equipment is fitted to improve the maritime domain awareness.
Read more about LRIT here.
Rudder angle indicator, as the name indicates, provides the angle of the rudder. The display is provided on the navigation bridge equipment console so that the ship navigation officer can control the rate of turn and rudder angle of the ship. The indication is also provided in the bridge wing and engine control room.
Related Read: How Does A Rudder Help In Turning A Ship?
A VDR or voyage data recorder is a crucial instrument among the ship navigation equipment list which is installed on a ship to continuously record vital information related to the operation of a vessel. It contains a voice recording system for a period of at least the last 12 hours. This recording is recovered and made use of for investigation in events of accidents. The importance of VDR is similar to a “black box” installed on an airplane.
Read more about VDR here.
This navigational tool indicates how fast the ship is turning at a steady rate (useful during pilotage and manoeuvring), normally shown as a number of degrees turned. The rate a ship is turning is measured in degrees per minute. This essential tool assists a coxswain in steering a course safely.
A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver is a display system used to show the ship’s location with the help of Global positioning satellite in the earth’s orbit.
With the record of the ship’s positions, the speed, course, and the time is taken to cover the distance between “two marked positions” can be calculated.
Related read: 5 Best Handheld Portable Marine GPS Devices
This acoustic system is required for a ship with a fully enclosed type bridge. It enables the navigating officer inside the cabin to listen to the sound signals (such as fog or ship’s horn) from other ships in the vicinity. This is fitted in ships bridge equipment console and helps the navigating officer to conduct the look-out duty as per the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
Related read: 10 Important Points Ship’s OOW Should Consider During Restricted Visibility
All boats – whether big or small are required to have night lights as a part of the navigation systems. This system was introduced in the year by the United States and then was followed by the United Kingdom in . In the year , the International Maritime Conference was established by the United States to establish proper guidelines to prevent marine accidents. In the year , these rules were officially adopted internationally. The navigation lights are one of the most critical navigation equipment needed for sailing in high seas as it enables self vessel being clearly visible to other ships in the vicinity.
Read more about navigation lights here.
Related read: How Maintenance of Navigation Lights is Done On Ships?
A ship’s horn is known as a whistle and it is generally provided in duplicate. One is driven by air and the other is electrically operated. The whistle should be both manually and electrically operational from the bridge.
Among different instruments used in difficult navigation such as bad weather, fog, poor visibility, high traffic etc., the ship’s whistle or horn helps in alerting the nearby vessels.
During an emergency, the horn is used to notify and alert the ship’s crew and other vessels nearby.
They are light-signalling devices used foremergency signalling in the day time (and can also be used during the night). Like other emergency ship instruments, the energy source for the lamp is not solely dependent on the ship’s main power supply. Also, the lamp enclosure should be weather and seawater- proof material.
It is an informative booklet provided to the ship’spilot. It consists of the dimension, draught, turning circle, manoeuvring, propulsion equipment and other navigation tools and instruments list of the vessel for safe manoeuvring.
Related Read: What Are The Duties of Officer On Watch When Pilot is On Board Ship?
A voyage Plan must be present onboard for referring past voyage plans or planning a future voyage. Among the different aids to navigation carried on a ship, a voyage plan is a tool for the deck officer to ensure the safety of the ship from a commercial and legal perspective too. It is prepared by gathering different information such as weather, meteorological, ship’s current and future cargo data, other navigational data etc.
Read more about Voyage Plan here
It is used to mark the presence of the ship in fog or bad weather and sound the alarm in case of an emergency, along with the ship’s main horn or whistle.
Related Read: What to do When Ship Encounters Rough Weather?
In this booklet, the performance of the propulsion plant and the ship during manoeuvring in different weathers and situations is recorded for quick reference. The important content of the manoeuvring booklet are:
Related Read: Understanding Different Types Of Manoeuvres of a Vessel
It is a day time signalling shape used to determine the characteristics of the vessel with a different arrangement of ball shapes. For e.g. avessel at anchor will show a black ball at the foremost end of the forecastle and a ship not under command shows two black balls in a vertical line on her highest mast.
Related Read: Responsibilities Of Deck Officer During Anchoring Operation
All the navigational activities which are performed by the ship’s officers and crew using different navigation equipment on the bridge must be recorded and kept on board for ready reference. This is mandatory and the most important log book.
Related Read: Different Entries To Be Made In Bridge Log Book of The Ship
The hard copy of all the ship navigation system and equipment list must be present as records onboard ships for ready reference of port and regulatory authorities and must be signed by master and duty officers of the ship.
Related Read: Daily, Monthly And Weekly Tests Of GMDSS Equipment On Board Ships
Present in the Navigation bridge, it displays detailed information of manoeuvring characteristics of the ship including turning circle, stopping and manoeuvring characteristics of the vessel.
Transmitting Heading Devise or THD is an electronic device which is used to display the information of the vessel’s true heading. The THDs compliance information is provided in chapter V of the SOLAS Convention.
When the ship is being towed or when a vessel is unable to manoeuvres on itself, a black diamond shape is shown during the day time.
Related Read: Preparations For Emergency Towing Of Ship – 10 Important Points
Various types of ship flags with different colours and signs are used to indicate a navigation ship’s position. Signal flags are they are commonly known, have been used since the ancient times and are still used on all vessels.
These are the different bridge equipment and their uses which are installed on the ship to assist the deck officer for navigating the vessel safely. If we missed any equipment or you want to add more to the list, please comment below.
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