On 12 December staff and students at the navigational training facility, ECDIS Ltd based in Fareham, will be putting on their warmest, wackiest and most wonderful festive woollies to raise money for Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day.

The team will be joining hundreds of thousands of people in schools, offices and homes up and down the country as they sport a festive sweater for the day and donate £2 or more.

The money they raise will help save children’s lives around the world, from Syria to Liberia, Brazil to Bangladesh.

Priscilla Broster, Company Director said: “We’re really pleased to be taking part in the day and supporting such a great cause. Our famous cupcake Thursday is going to become mince pie Friday for the week, to raise additional money and we’ll also be donating all our charity tuck box profits from the day, to Save the Children.”

This month the team also joined the well known Movember, to raise awareness for men’s health, as well as running the Great South Run in Southsea, raising funds for The Ellen McCarthur Cancer Trust.

Christmas Jumper Day is fun, easy to organise and everyone can be part of it.

To find out more and sign up, visit www.christmasjumperday.org.

End.

Notes to editors:

• For more information and pictures after the event, please contact Amy Shelton, Head of Marketing, on 01489 559 677 / [email protected]
• Christmas Jumper Day is a national fundraising event in aid of Save the Children. This year, hundreds of thousands of people up and down the country are expected to take part. Find out more at:  www.christmasjumperday.org
• Save the Children works in more than 120 countries to save children’s lives, fight for their rights and help them fulfil their potential. Find out more at: www.savethechildren.org.uk

Having reached the milestone of 250,000 downloads; ECDISregs has proven its worth as one of the more widely used online maritime resources.

Since its inception the website has attracted over 29,000 users from every major maritime nation, making it one of the most valuable ‘go to’ sites available. ECDISregs.com promises greater success in the future as it prepares to undergo significant investment and redevelopment over the coming months, a platform from which it can begin to fulfill its’ potential and benefit the maritime industry to an even greater extent.

ECDISregs.com is the only full, free-to-access library of publications and documentation of regulations pertaining to ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) and related subjects. It is owned and managed by the World’s largest independent provider of training and consultancy on ECDIS – ECDIS Ltd.

Visit: www.ecdisregs.com

End.

Today, ECDIS Ltd has been shortlisted for the Inflexion International Growth Business of the Year for the 2014 National Business Awards.

ECDIS Ltd, considered the world’s leading maritime training provider, based in Whiteley, Fareham, have recently developed a new branch of the company offering next generation simulator builds and 3D port creation, giving the ability to visualise and practice in any port before navigating there.

Going up against Spencer Ogden, BJSS, MPM Products limited, Tangle Teezer Ltd, Bulldog Skincare For Men, JacTravel, Vispring, LSBF and InterActive WorldWide and Scuf Gaming, they will compete for the prestigious award, with the winner being revealed at the National Business Awards gala dinner held on 11 November at Park Lane’s Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Hamdi Conger, judge for the category said: “ECDIS provides navigation systems training courses to the Maritime industry with revenues growing rapidly in previous years. Recently launching a 3D port creation system the business focus is on world-class training and becoming an industry benchmark. The firm has global contracts in place with some of the world’s largest shipping companies.”

Mark Broster, ECDIS Ltd’s Managing Director said: “It’s an incredible honour to be even considered for such a prestigious award. It’s been a very tough, bumpy 4 years, starting from no investment and support, to becoming a market leader with a healthy profit. Every day we ask ourselves was it worth it? The chance of this recognition would say yes”.

Britain’s leading businesses, business leaders and social enterprises have today been revealed as finalists for the 2014 National Business Awards. The finalists announced today represent categories including the Smith & Williamson Entrepreneur of the Year, Santander Small to Medium-Sized Business of the Year and the Inflexion International Growth Business of the Year. The Ashridge Business School Leader of the Year finalists and Decade of Excellence winner will be announced over the coming months, with the Duke of York New Entrepreneur of the Year finalists announced last month following a judging event in Liverpool.

This year’s shortlisted businesses cover activities as diverse as retail, technology, men’s grooming products, telecoms, construction, advertising, entertainment, and publishing. Of the businesses shortlisted, 24% turnover under £5m, 26% turnover between £5m and £25m, 15% over a billion and 10% not for profit organisations. The smallest business recognised has a turnover of just £23k with the largest reaching £20 billion. Finalists collectively employ over 850,000 people, the smallest has just one member of staff while the largest employs around 165,000 people globally.

Alex Evans, Programme Director of the National Business Awards said: “The diversity and quality of this year’s finalists have firmly established the National Business Awards as the talent scout for UK plc, with market leading household names recognised alongside the best emerging business brands. With a variety of industries represented, these recovery-leading businesses have demonstrated the return on investment in people, innovation, customer service and leadership.”

Finalists were chosen from the hundreds of businesses that entered or were nominated across 17 award categories. They will now prepare for live presentations to expert juries who will decide the overall winners that will be revealed at the awards ceremony on 11 November.

Visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all finalists and to attend the event.

The National Business Awards supports The Prince’s Trust, a charity that offers practical and financial support to young people who need it

Ends.

The Nautical Institute appealed to the maritime industry to help it get a copy of its free publication The Navigator onboard every SOLAS vessel to encourage the professionalism of watchkeepers.

The international professional membership organisation is reacting to concerns from the industry that casualties and near misses from navigational errors are increasing, and that navigational competence needs to be continually updated.

“Finding ways to increase the competence and professionalism of officers of the watch is one of the main concerns of our members,” Chief Executive Mr Philip Wake told a gathering of senior industry figures. “One of the ways we are working towards this goal is through our free publication The Navigator, which appears three times a year, highlighting some of the most important issues for them.”

He added: “In the year and a half since we began production, the publication has become a real success, with students, cadets and young officers telling us how much they appreciate it. But the challenge, as always, is getting the message to those people – and onboard those vessels – that will benefit the most.

“Now, thanks to the generosity of IFAN, the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation, we are in a position to put a copy on the bridge of every SOLAS vessel – potentially up to 100,000 magazines. In that way, we hope that watchkeepers will sign up to the digital version.”

Support for the project has also come from the insurance world, which is eager to promote safety. Steamship Mutual P&I sponsored a one-off translation into Greek of the first edition. Other languages may follow.

Chris Adams, Head of Loss Prevention from manager Steamship Insurance Management Services Limited (SIMSL), commented: “It is self-evident that improved navigational competence will aid loss prevention in relation to the incidence of grounding and collision that is currently of concern, and consequently the Club is very pleased to assist with this campaign. Copies of issues are available to download from the SIMSL website, and Members are encouraged to forward copies of The Navigator to their vessels.”

As well as distributing copies of The Navigator, The Nautical Institute is asking for feedback about the vessels the paper copies have been delivered to. “We need this information in order to secure future funding to continue distributing the publication on this scale. Any information helps!” concluded Mr Wake.

Signing up to be a distributor is easy. Just go to www.nautinst.org/thenavigator, click on the ‘Distributor’ button and fill out the short form, indicating name, address, and how many copies are required.

All issues are available to read as free digital magazines online at www.nautinst.org/thenavigator, and can be downloaded as PDFs. In addition, they will soon be available as free apps for Android, Mac and Kindle.

ends

For more information please contact Bridget Hogan, Director of Publishing and Marketing, The Nautical Institute + 44 (0)20 7928 1351, [email protected]

Editor’s notes:

The Navigator is a free publication produced by The Nautical Institute in association with the Royal Institute of Navigation. Each issue focuses upon one particular aspect of navigation. Subjects up to now have included passage planning, position-fixing, and collision avoidance. All of the issues covered are vitally important to the control of risk and loss prevention. This publication is directed towards improving the knowledge and skills of professional marine navigators and reflects the need for that role to be recognised, valued and supported.

The Nautical Institute is the international professional body for qualified seafarers and others with an interest in nautical matters. It provides a wide range of services to enhance the professional standing and knowledge of members who are drawn from all sectors of the maritime world. Founded in 1972, it has over 40 branches world-wide and some 7,000 members in over 110 countries.

Please note: The Nautical Institute takes a capital T on The

The Navigator is available to download on ECDIS Ltd’s website at www.ecdis.org/press/downloads

With attendees from over forty varying companies within the industry, as well as the Mayor of Fareham, ECDIS Ltd successfully ran their third open day on the 16th May this year, raising awareness of issues surrounding Maritime Training in a Digital Age.

The event was a huge success. “Very interesting presentations – intend to make increasing use of ECDIS Ltd for our marine staff.” – Matt Winter, ABP Southampton. “Good facilities, highly qualified staff, well balanced presentations.” – Adrian Cociug, Euroship Services Ltd.

During the free event external speakers included MAIB, RNLI and Edson Tiger. Presentations from the day promoted in-depth lively debates on a range of important subjects. David Rydiard, Ministry of Defence, commented that the event was “an extremely well organised and informative day, which covered the various aspects of digital navigation well.” With presentations, debates and networking opportunities, David continued to comment that the event was “a very well balanced day.”

Guest speaker Richard North, discussed the risks of ‘inadequate training and an over reliance on electronic aids to navigation’ with a reminding title of ‘Don’t forget to look outthe window!’ Andrew Deacon of DSTL said that he found the event “a useful day with insights into the industry view on ECDIS. I really enjoyed the presentation by Richard on the MAIB view.”

Subsequent to the discussion points raised on the day, regarding the future of where maritime simulation may take the marine industry, ECDIS Ltd will be launching their newly developed Port Creation service, at this year’s Seawork exhibition on the 11th June in Southampton. Bridget Hogan from The Nautical Institute said that it was “interesting to learn how simulation is developing to help all sorts of areas,” an innovative point raised during the presentation.

Guest speakers Dougie Wright and David Curran of Edson Tiger (maritime security) discussed ‘technology and human factors in training’ and the need to get the balance right, a huge debate in the area of maritime training in a digital age. Dominic Cosgrove of Inserve Yachts thought it was “a very thorough, in-depth insight to what ECDIS Ltd and their partners do.”

During the open day event, the Mayor of Fareham, Councillor Susan Bayford raised a toast to ECDIS Ltd’s charity success having presented Paul White, from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), with a donation raised purely from the profits of their charity tuck box. During training at ECDIS Ltd, seafarers from across the globe have tucked into several snacks all in aid of raising money for the RNLI. Money for seafarers, raised by seafarers – we would definitely call that sweet success! Paul also presented on the day, sharing the RNLI’s six tips on safety advice for water users.

End.

Marine training firm ECDIS Ltd, who will be at this year’s Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) Singapore, aspire to open a new office in Singapore, some three months after visiting the country on a UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) trade mission.

The Fareham-based company hopes to announce that the new office will open later this year, creating an estimated 12 new local jobs. The new centre will house some of the latest training technology, similar to that used daily and displayed in the ECDIS Ltd UK Headquarters in Whiteley near Fareham.

Since opening in 2008, ECDIS Ltd has doubled in size every year and is now established as one of the world’s most respected, endorsed independent ECDIS training companies, offering generic and type specific courses for most of the 34 leading manufacturers of ECDIS. The reason for the new centre is to create a centre of excellence in Asia.

This entrepreneurial business was visited by Regional Director of UKTI South East, Lewis Scott, who heard more about how the firm is planning this exciting overseas venture.

Nick Lambert, Non-Executive Director of ECDIS, said:

“The transition to digital navigation is a complex and challenging technological and HR issue for shipping companies, so the training we provide is in demand. The Far East is widely regarded as the fastest growing region of the shipping industry and Singapore is an excellent regional hub.

“UKTI have been very supportive throughout the planning process in Singapore and the UK; we’ve gained great benefit from their advice, funding regimes and international network – the tools we need to progress our aspirations”.

Although a relatively new company, ECDIS Ltd produced the world’s first independent ECDIS manual for operators and the world’s first comprehensive ECDIS procedures guide for digital ships. ECDIS Ltd provide trusted advice to approximately 100 shipping companies for ECDIS purchasing, training and charting support, owns one of the world’s largest independent websites on ECDIS regulations and have liaised with just under 4000
people and organisations, ranging from individuals and small yachts, to major shipping companies and governments. Lewis Scott, Regional Director of UKTI South East, said:

“ECDIS Ltd exhibits an admirable entrepreneurial spirit with expansion plans that will benefit the company and help their continued growth.

“They are a great example of an already successful company who have the ambition to grow their international operations. It was good to hear from the ECDIS Ltd team and learn what support they will continue to need from UKTI to push their operations further and we look forward to working with them to provide all the help and assistance necessary.

“We want to help other firms to follow their lead so interested companies are recommended to contact UKTI South East on 08452 789 600 or visit ukti.gov.uk”

Mark Broster, Managing Director of ECDIS Ltd and Nick Lambert, Non-Executive Director of ECDIS Ltd have several meetings planned during their visit to Singapore this March, to meet with successful companies and businesses to discuss the plans to open a new Centre of Excellence in Asia.

Ends

The Enav Centre

The Enav Centre supports the provision of maritime training courses. In the pursuit of maritime excellence they offer a diverse portfolio of bridge related courses, such as BPC, BRM and BTM courses, and additional courses such as Human Element Leadership and Management as well as Anti-Piracy. Courses combine high quality instruction with state of the art technology in the form of a brand new Full Mission Simulator (FMS) to achieve a
new standard of realism for bridge teams. They also specialise in tailoring courses to meet the demands of the customer. The Enav Centre is the home of ECDIS Ltd (the world’s trusted ECDIS training provider), WECDIS and ECDIS Regs.