Approved Emergency Navigation
Stay prepared for critical failures with our 1-day Approved Emergency Navigation Course, specifically designed for officers serving on paperless ships operating without traditional paper charts. This practical training equips bridge teams with the essential skills and procedures to safely navigate in the event of total ECDIS failure.
Description
Modern ships increasingly rely on Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) for safe navigation, with many vessels now operating entirely paperless. However, in the event of a total ECDIS failure—whether due to technical malfunction, cyberattack, or power loss—navigating without backup paper charts presents serious operational risks. This 1-day Approved Emergency Navigation Course provides deck officers and bridge teams with the critical knowledge, skills, and confidence to respond effectively in such scenarios.
The course focuses on practical methods of position fixing, route monitoring, and safe watchkeeping using alternative techniques and available backup systems. Officers will revisit fundamental terrestrial navigation methods, including dead reckoning, visual and radar bearings, parallel indexing, and estimation of position without reliance on digital overlays. Special emphasis is placed on restoring and maintaining situational awareness during degraded conditions and ensuring the safety of the vessel through manual techniques.
Participants will also learn emergency celestial navigation, including the use of a sextant, identification of celestial bodies, and application of the nautical almanac and sight reduction tables to determine latitude and longitude. This knowledge provides a critical last-resort option when satellite systems or GPS signals are unavailable or untrustworthy.
In addition, the course explores emergency communications procedures, covering available options for seeking navigational support or rerouting assistance. Participants will understand how to effectively use GMDSS, VHF, MF/HF, and satellite communications (e.g. Inmarsat) during loss of navigational capability, including protocols for requesting external aid and issuing navigational warnings.
Watchkeeping during such emergencies is also addressed, with guidance on manual bridge operations, lookout responsibilities, BRM under high-stress conditions, logkeeping, and contingency planning. Case studies and real-world incident analysis are used to reinforce best practices and highlight common pitfalls.
By the end of the course, officers will be better prepared to handle a total loss of ECDIS functionality with professionalism, competence, and confidence. This training is ideal for deck officers serving on paperless vessels, particularly those operating in remote, congested, or high-risk areas where safe navigation must continue despite equipment failure.
Content
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Introduction to Emergency Navigation
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Risks associated with ECDIS failure on paperless ships
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Legal and operational considerations
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Bridge team responsibilities during system failure
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Emergency Terrestrial Navigation
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Dead reckoning (DR) and estimated position (EP) techniques
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Visual bearings and radar ranges for position fixing
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Position Fixing with no charts
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Navigation with/without radar and AIS
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Emergency Celestial Navigation
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Practical use of the sextant during emergencies
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Identifying celestial bodies for position fixing
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Calculating latitude and longitude using the sun and stars
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Basic use of nautical almanac and sight reduction tables
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Celestial Navigation with no reduction tables
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Emergency Communications Options
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Bridge-to-bridge VHF protocols for navigation assistance
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Use of Inmarsat, MF/HF, and GMDSS during navigation loss
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Requesting navigational warnings and support from shore authorities
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Watchkeeping Under Emergency Conditions
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Bridge Resource Management (BRM) during degraded navigation
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Effective lookout and logkeeping in non-ECDIS environments
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Manual passage monitoring and situational awareness
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Navigating safely with minimal systems
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Contingency Procedures and Best Practice
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Creating and updating emergency passage plans
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Use of backup digital or printed resources
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Company procedures and reporting following ECDIS loss
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Case studies of past ECDIS outages and response actions
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Who is it For?
Deck officers, though yacht skippers will find this useful
Prerequisites
Training in navigation and celestial navigation