Circular Letter
MSC/Circ. 1061
GUIDANCE FOR THE OPERATIONAL USE OF INTEGRATED BRIDGE SYSTEMS (IBS)*
(adopted
on 6 December 2002)
1. The Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventy-sixth session (2
to 13 December 2002), adopted the annexed Guidance for the Operational use of
Integrated Bridge Systems (IBS) which have been developed to support the safe
operational use of an IBS by promoting procedures necessary to ensure adequate
knowledge of system functions for Mode Awareness, Situational Awareness and Workload
Management in addition to traditional seamanship.
2. The aim of the Guidance is to define the basis for minimum
criteria on the operation, training and quality control for Integrated Bridge
Systems. This Guidance is relevant to the operation of ships fitted with
Integrated Bridge Systems (IBS), which include Integrated Navigation Systems
INS(B) or (C) as per resolution MSC.86(70)**.
_______________
* See also resolution MSC.64(67) in Collection
X 6 of IMO Resolutions.
** See Collection Ks 12 of IMO Resolutions.
3. Member Governments are invited to bring this Guidance to the
attention of all parties concerned.
ANNEX.
GUIDANCE FOR THE OPERATIONAL USE OF INTEGRATED BRIDGE SYSTEMS (IBS)
This guidance supports the safe operational use of an IBS by
promoting procedures necessary to ensure adequate knowledge of system functions
for Mode Awareness, Situational Awareness and Workload Management in addition
to traditional seamanship.
The aim is to define the basis for minimum criteria on the
operation, training and quality control for Integrated Bridge Systems.
This guidance is relevant to the operation of ships fitted with
Integrated Bridge Systems (IBS), as per resolution MSC.64(67), annex 1, which
include Integrated Navigation Systems INS (B) or (C) as per resolution
MSC.86(70).
For the purpose of this guidance, the following definitions apply.
Mode awareness is based on the knowledge and purpose of various
operation modes included in the IBS. Use of different operation modes should
follow bridge procedures based on company automation policy.
Situational awareness is the mariner's perception of the
navigational and technical information provided at the INS workstation, the
comprehension of their meaning and the projection of their status in the near
future, as required for timely reaction to the situation that can be expected
from his/her trained skills in the operation of the insurance.
The failure analysis aims to demonstrate that the system has a
fail-to-safe functionality. The failure effects and their consequences are
assessed for the installed components.
The bridge procedures, provided for the ship, should implement the
functions, capabilities and limitations of the installed IBS. Especially the
documentation should include clear instructions about conditions under which
automatic control functions may be used or not.
Note:
Automatic steering may only
be useful where precise manoeuvring is required, if the automatic control
system supports the required precision, e.g. by considering speed through water
for rudder control.
The Company should have personnel ashore capable of supervising,
training and evaluating the company Operational Procedures and operational use
of the Integrated Bridge System.
3.1 Vessel Operating Manual (VOM)
The VOM should incorporate the Company policy for implementing and
using automation and the Integrated Bridge System.
The operational manual consolidates and abbreviates the
manufacturer's operational manuals to a comprehensive operational manual
without detailed technical information.
The VOM should clarify the integration and the priority of
subsystems within the control system. Special emphasis should be laid on the
effect of subsystems on the total outcome of navigation control. Advantages and
disadvantages between control and automation modes should be explained in a
clear form. It should be clearly indicated for which situations, the different
modes are designed.
The VOM should indicate corrective actions to be taken when the
system gives alarm. Operating limitations and their reasons should be
thoroughly explained.
Operating limitations and their reasons should be thoroughly explained.
A description of the checklists and purpose of the specific items
should be included in the VOM.
Terminology for standard Call-Outs should be developed by the
Company and presented in the VOM.
Note:
Where the VOM includes other
items connected to the IBS, such as cargo handling or other vessel subsystems
the resulting functions, capabilities and limitations should be addressed.
Standard Operational Procedures for normal situations should cover
normal operation at different stages of the passage including the vessel's
operational limits, manoeuvring trial data and ship's data including squat and
anchoring.
The route should be divided into zones according to the nature of
navigation, as follows:
sea passage;
shallow waters, pilotage
waters and fairways; and
harbour areas.
The standard procedures should be documented in the form of
checklists demonstrating transition from one zone to another. The items to be
listed are e.g. manning of the bridge and the use of automated equipment
including the selection of subsystems and their modes of operations.
Manual or automatic heading, track and speed control modes and the
required actions for changing modes should be clearly presented in the
graphical or checklist flow chart form, if not clearly indicated by the
equipment itself.
3.3 Emergency and Abnormal procedures
Emergency and abnormal procedures are essential for optimum
Workload Management.
The emergency procedures refer to SOLAS Conference 29.11.1995
Decision support system for masters on passenger ships (SOLAS/Conf.3/46, Annex,
page 14, reg. 24.4). Operation of Integrated Navigation, Control and
Communication systems should be considered in the following procedures:
Blackout;
Fire;
- Stranding;
Collision;
Man-over-board situations;
Emergency assistance to
other ships;
(the list is not complete)
All emergency procedures should be presented in a logical
structure, e.g. by listing each emergency control mode in the form of a
checklist, and by providing appropriate overviews.
The abnormal procedures should focus on alarms and items not
generally needed in normal operation. Typical situations are subsystem failures
that require decisions regarding the level of automation to be used.
Both emergency and abnormal procedures should carefully consider
the failure analysis of the system.
A list of alarms of different subsystems should be harmonized to
cover the whole. Integrated Bridge System. Special emphasis should be laid on
operational procedures in case of an alarm to switch the system on a lower
automation level, manual mode or to switch sensor.
Note:
All checklists based on
Standard Operational Procedures should be provided in an easy-to-handle,
concise and durable form.
The Passage Plan should be programmed in the Integrated Navigation
System. The normal procedures related to the route should be programmed in the
waypoint data. The procedures should contain at least the following
information:
speed and track limits;
- control mode (e.g.
heading, course, track and speed);
compulsory radio
communication; and
- reference to the
checklists.
The route should be programmed with a safe practice taking into
account traffic separations, fairway lines, channel marks, shallow waters and
oncoming traffic.
The track limits should be sufficiently large to avoid
operationally unnecessary alarms. Passage planning should conform to the
relevant IMO resolutions.
Passage planning should conform to the relevant IMO resolutions.