Latest from the IMO
Navigation, Communications and Search & Rescue at the IMO
NAVTEX disruption, emergent VDES technology and even a chart datum adjustment off South Åland (in the Baltic Sea), were all scrutinised at the International Maritime Organization’s recent Navigation, Communications and Search & Rescue meeting.
The sub-committee received a series of updates regarding NAVTEX, including current fragmentation in NAVAREA III, where the North Africa service is in a state of disrepair. The same NAVAREA is affected by ongoing Black Sea disruption, with various adjacent stations providing additional maritime safety information support.
Among others, The Nautical Institute represented our members on Working Group 2, which considered the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) along with radio navigation and electronic nautical publications. As technology advances, the IMO is looking for the best way to incorporate the use of such new systems whilst ensuring that rules remain coherent. The working group discussed a series of amendments to incorporate VDES into the SOLAS, and other, regulatory frameworks, which will in turn be passed to the Maritime Safety Committee for formal adoption. This is an important subject for members of The Nautical Institute who need to keep abreast of regulatory changes.
A series of proposed maritime routing measures, and amendments to existing reporting schemes, received very detailed scrutiny. The proposal for a new ‘Area to be Avoided’ off La Réunion was refined and will be passed to the 2026 meeting of the Maritime Safety Committee with a recommendation for adoption. The sub-committee also approved an update to the IMO’s Safety of Navigation Circular regarding the South Åland Sea, where a recent refinement of chart datum has changed the reported minimum depth of water in the Deep-Water Route.
With 20 separate Agenda items covered during the meeting, a more comprehensive report will be published in the upcoming edition of our member’s journal Seaways.
The Nautical Institute was represented by Captains Chris O’Flaherty AFNI and Moin Ahmed FNI, Rear Admiral Tim Henry AFNI, and Ms Sasha Henry MNI.