The Navigator – a magazine for every ship – July 2014

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