94041 Chart Corrections Poorly Done

 Chart Corrections

- Report No. 94041.

As a safety auditor, I inspect many chart outfits each year. While most are found in good order, a worrying trend of incorrect use and apparent misunderstanding of chart tracings has started to emerge. While the tracings were originally intended to enable the navigating officer to amend charts quickly and accurately they now appear to have the same effect as "radar assisted collisions" due apparently to ignorance of the system or failure to read the simple instructions provided.
It is becoming common to see corrections transferred "ad verbatim" to the chart with unnecessary lines, wording, borders, arrows and cross hatching included. Not only is this untidy, it is often, as a result, inaccurate, confusing and obliterates relevant information. Even worse is the use of typewriter correction fluid instead of a single line for deletions. It is not uncommon to find additional information unintentionally deleted as a result.

In the same vein, some second mates appear unaware of the correct filing and reference procedures for Navigational Warnings and Temporary or Preliminary Notices and choose instead to ignore them altogether. For the guidance of any navigating officer in doubt regarding corrections refer to section 1.70 of The Mariners Handbook (NP100) detailing the upkeep of the Chart Outfit and follow the instructions included with each pack of tracings.