Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Wen-yen (邱文彥) yesterday urged the government to complete an electronic navigational chart (ENC) detailing the depths and positions of reefs in the nation’s waters to prevent further maritime disasters in the wake of the sinking of the Ocean Researcher V.
National Taiwan Ocean University electronic chart research center director Chang Shwu-jing (張淑淨) said that by using an ENC and an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS), ships could be aware when approaching shallow waters, reefs and nearby ships, thus reducing the risk of accidents.
Chang said that although the Ocean Researcher V was equipped with an ECDIS, it is unclear what type of navigational chart was installed on the system or why the research vessel was not aware of the reefs that caused the accident. The crew used the chart in question in combination with a paper-based nautical chart, she said.
She added that a project undertaken by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to compile an electronic navigational chart utilizing Taiwan’s maritime information system was completed in 2008 and the information displayed in the existing chart has not been updated since.
In addition, no land-based personnel were monitoring the route of the research vessel because no agency had been assigned the task of tracking the progress of missions undertaken in the open sea, in contrast with the practice of most other nations, she said.
Pending government approval, she said that the nation has not yet had an official ENC that conforms to the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. As a result, vessels can only rely on traditional nautical charts, which have a limited positioning capacity, increasing the risk of accidents.
Chiu Yung-fang (邱永芳), division director of the Institute of Transportation’s harbor and marine technology center, said an official ENC has not yet been approved because the Ministry of the Interior has not provided the bureau with updated data regarding the depths of the ocean off Taiwan.
The nation is has the technical abilities to compile an ENC that conforms to the international standard, and the 2008 version provides a good foundation for future work on charts, he added.
Chiu Wen-yen said that he would lobby for funds to help the bureau complete an updated version of the nation’s official electronic navigational chart.
Meanwhile, Maritime and Port Bureau Secretary-General Hsu Kuo-ching (許國慶) highlighted problems with the nation’s laws and regulations concerning maritime safety, saying that the current version of the Sea Way Signaling Regulations (航路標誌條例) was promulgated in May 1934, before the KMT retreated to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War.
Furthermore, due to a restructuring of the organization, a proposed amendment to the act governing the safety of maritime traffic has not yet been passed because there is no agency mandated with reviewing the bill in the current administration.
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