Familiarisations
11 - ECDIS Familiarisation
ECDIS Familiarisation checklist for all the ECDIS operators.
Checklist
Ensure that all personnel that are expected to participate in ECDIS operations receive complete information and are made aware of his/her responsibilities aboard, particularly those relating to the Safety Management Manual.
| # | Initial Preparation | ✔︎ |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Identify the primary ECDIS equipment and the facilities for back-up | |
| 02 | Understand ship procedures in event that the ECDIS and its back-up fail | |
| 03 | Determine procedure for updating charts and obtain additional chart permits | |
| 04 | Determine and understand the position-fix systems that feed the ECDIS | |
| 05 | Determine the method of switching between sources, such as primary and secondary position-fix systems | |
| 06 | Determine what other systems feed into the ECDIS, such as radar (acquired targets, Radar picture overlay), AIS, water speed logs, echo sounders, etc. For each, establish the reference framework, eg. ground-, water- or ship-stabilised (relative) |
| # | Basic Operation | ✔︎ |
|---|---|---|
| 07 | Determine how to switch the ECDIS on and off | |
| 08 | Establish the function(s), position and general operation of the physical controls and switches, including cursor control, and the access and selection of menu items. | |
| 09 | Understand how to access the main menu and select menu options | |
| 10 | Determine the methods for setting day/night viewing modes, brightness, contrast | |
| 11 | Determine how to put equipment in route-monitoring mode and route-planning mode | |
| 12 | Determine how to select the safety contour and safety depth | |
| 13 | Determine how to select two- or four-colour contour mode | |
| 14 | Determine how to select deep and shallow area display options | |
| 15 | Determine how to set all other parameters concerning the safety domain | |
| 16 | Establish how alarms and other alerts are given by the ECDIS and understand the procedure needed to acknowledge them |
| # | Navigation Tools and Functions | ✔︎ |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Determine how to display the legend of general information | |
| 18 | Determine how to select information about an object (Pick report) | |
| 19 | Determine how Zone of Confidence (CATZOC) information can be displayed | |
| 20 | Determine what Marine Information Overlays (MIOs) are available | |
| 21 | Determine how to set display settings | |
| 22 | Determine how to view, add, edit and delete Mariners’ Notes | |
| 23 | Determine how to access all navigational elements and parameters | |
| 24 | Establish the facilities provided for the measurement of range and bearing | |
| 25 | Determine the method(s) used for inserting Parallel Index lines | |
| 26 | Determine what other navigational tools are available and how to access them | |
| 27 | Determine the procedure for identifying and reacting to sensor/GPS failure |
| # | Route Planning | ✔︎ |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Determine how to load existing routes and enable for editing | |
| 29 | Determine how to initiate a new route plan | |
| 30 | Determine how to save route plan | |
| 31 | Determine how to add, delete and adjust graphically the position of waypoints | |
| 32 | Determine how to add, edit and delete critical points | |
| 33 | Establish all the features available for planning routes | |
| 34 | Determine how to use the facilities for checking the planned route |
| # | Route Monitoring | ✔︎ |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | Determine how to load a pre-planned route for monitoring | |
| 36 | Determine how to switch to North Up, Head Up, Course Up | |
| 37 | Determine how to switch to REL / TRUE Vector set up |
| ECDIS Operator | Signature | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | I hereby confirm that I have been briefed and familiarised in all the above. | |
| Date and time | ||
| Master / Officer | Signature | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | I hereby confirm that the ECDIS operator listed above have been fully briefed and familiarised in all above. | |
| Date and time | ||
Revision History
| Version | Date | Editor | Revision History |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 04 Feb 2026 | Christophe Guegan | Initial Commit |