IHB File N° S3/3084
CIRCULAR LETTER 78/2015
12 November 2015
OUTCOME OF THE SEVENTH MEETING OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON
THE WORLD-WIDE NAVIGATIONAL WARNINGS SERVICE (WWNWS-SC)
References:
A. IHO CL 66/2014 dated 17 September – Outcomes of the Sixth Meeting of the Sub-
Committee on the World-Wide Navigational Warnings Service (WWNWS-SC).
B. IHO CL 54/2015 dated 22 July - Revision of the Procedure for Submission of Maritime
Safety Information Documentation to IMO.
Dear Hydrographer,
1. The seventh meeting of the WWNWS Sub-Committee (WWNWS7) was held at the IHB in
Monaco from 24 to 27 August 2015 under the chairmanship of Mr Peter Doherty (USA). The
meeting was attended by 42 delegates from 18 IHO Member States, the Secretariat of the
International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Secretariat of the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO), the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC), the
Secretariat of the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), the Chairs of IMO NAVTEX
and SafetyNET Coordinating Panels, the Comité International Radio-Maritime (CIRM), Inmarsat,
Iridium, Furuno Finland Oy and the IHB. The delegates included representatives of 16 NAVAREA
Coordinators, one Sub-area Coordinator and four National Coordinators.
Summary of Discussions at WWNWS7
2. All meeting documents and the meeting report for WWNWS7 are available from the WWNWS
section of the IHO web site (www.iho.int > Committees & WG> IRCC > WWNWS > WWNWS7).
The following is a brief summary of the major issues considered at the meeting.
WWNWS Documentation
3. The work of the 13th meeting of the Document Review Working Group (DRWG) was
reviewed. In particular, the proposed editorial amendments to the IMO SafetyNET and NAVTEX
Manuals were highlighted and approved by the Sub-Committee. In accordance with the decision of
the seventh meeting of the Inter-Regional Coordination Committee (IRCC7) and, in the absence of
any adverse comment on the procedure outlined in Reference B, the final draft versions of the
SafetyNET and NAVTEX Manuals will be submitted to the 3rd session of the IMO Sub-Committee on
Navigation, Communications, and Search and Rescue (NCSR 3) for comment and endorsement prior
to the consideration and anticipated approval of Member States at the 96th session of the IMO
Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 96).
4. It was agreed that the 14th meeting of the Document Review WG (DRWG14) will undertake a
review of the IMO Resolutions A.664(16) (Performance Standards for Enhanced Group Call
Equipment), MSC.305(87) (Guideline on Operational Procedures for the Broadcast of Maritime
Safety Information concerning Acts of Piracy and Piracy Countermeasure operations) and
MSC.306(87) (Revised Performance Standards for Enhanced Group Call (EGC) equipment) and
prepare proposed amendments for consideration at WWNWS8 in 2016 and subsequent submission to
NCSR4 in 2017. Additionally it was agreed to include the Maritime Safety Information (MSI)
Capacity Building (CB) course training material in the review cycle to ensure it reflected the recent
amendments to the Joint MSI Manual and the proposed revisions to the SafetyNET and NAVTEX
Manuals. It was agreed to finalize the work on IMO Resolution A.1051(27) (IMO/WMO Worldwide
Met-Ocean Information and Warning Service – Guidance Document) in preparation for submission to
NCSR 4 in 2017.
5. All draft documents under development by the Sub-Committee are available via the WWNWS
page of the IHO web site. Member States are encouraged to review the documents and submit
comments to the Chairman (Mr Peter Doherty) and the IHB (Assistant Director David Wyatt). Any
proposed changes or amendments and further work will be undertaken at the DRWG14, which will be
held the week after the third session of the NCSR 3 at IMO Headquarters in London in mid-March
2016. The drafting work will be finalised at WWNWS8, then submitted to the IMO for approval.
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) / MSI Briefing
6. The Sub-Committee received MSI self-assessment reports from all 21 NAVAREAs. A number
of issues were highlighted, which required further investigation and input from the Chair of the
WWNWS-SC, as well as the Chairs of the IMO SafetyNET and NAVTEX Coordinating Panels. The
Chair agreed to assist NAVAREA Coordinators, through the IHB, to gain the support of National
Coordinators in ensuring that all SOLAS MSI responsibilities were being met.
7. The IMO Secretariat provided a brief on the modernization of the GMDSS and the GMDSS
Master Plan, noting the next revision would be issued in mid-September after approval by the Chair of
the IMO NAVTEX Coordination Panel and consultation with the Chair of the IMO SafetyNET
Coordinating Panel. The representative of the IMO Secretariat noted that a GMDSS Circular was
being considered announcing the inclusion of a module in the Global Integrated Shipping Information
System (GISIS) that will allow individual Member States to update relevant information in the
GMDSS Master Plan. Noting the desire for ease of updating, it was agreed that the IMO SafetyNET
and NAVTEX Coordinating Panels would conduct some quality control and quality assurance to
ensure no invalid information was published. It was also noted that a similar process would be
required when additional service providers operate in the future; it was also confirmed that a
validation check would be undertaken by the IMO Secretariat. The representative of the IMO
Secretariat urged that all Area Coordinators provide relevant input to the GMDSS modernization
Correspondence Group (CG). The contact details are:
Mr. Robert L. Markle
President of the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM)
1800 N. Kent St., Suite 1060
Arlington, VA 22209, United States
Tel (office): +1 703 527-2000
E-mail:
[email protected]
8. The contents of the relevant Annexes of the GMDSS Master Plan were reviewed. The Chair of
the NAVTEX Coordinating Panel noted that there were eight amendments waiting input to Annex 8.
Review by the Sub-Committee highlighted and identified a number of incorrect inputs during the
meeting.
9. The WMO Secretariat provided a brief on the activities of the Organization over the past year,
including outcome from its Congress. Details of the work programmes of the six regional
associations and working groups and their activities, increased cooperation between NAVAREA and
METAREA Coordinators, the continuous emergency response capability were all highlighted, as well
as the activities of the regional and global training centres. An update on the multi-hazard early
warning system was provided; the IHO and IMO were invited to participate in the network to develop
appropriate world-wide policy and standards.
10. The Secretariat of IMSO provided a presentation on the IMSO activities and the process for
conducting the technical assessment of potential new GMDSS mobile satellite service providers as
directed by the NCSR and the MSC.
11. The Secretariat of the IOC gave a presentation on the Tsunami Early Warning System and
raised a number of issues for comment by the WWNWS-SC. The relationships between NAVAREA
and METAREA Coordinators, National Tsunami Warning Centre (NTWCs), national authorities and
mariners were highlighted and the process for warnings on tidal surges and storm generated waves,
particularly in low lying coastal regions, was explained.
12. The Sub-Committee also received several other briefings. Inmarsat reported on progress on the
Inmarsat-C EGC SafetyNET system developments. The Chair of the S-124 Correspondence Group
updated the Sub-Committee on the progress in the development of the S-124 Navigation Warning
S-100 based Product Specification. Denmark provided a briefing on the European Union ACCSEAS
(Accessibility for Shipping, Efficiency Advantages and Sustainability) project, and on a new web
based system for displaying MSI and other maritime data on a Maritime Message Information web
site. The process for creating warnings in the system was also demonstrated. Iridium provided an
update on developments of the Iridium Satellite system, as the process towards approval recognition
as a mobile satellite GMDSS service provider progresses. Director Gilles Bessero gave a background
brief and presentation on the impact of e-navigation on the provision of hydrographic services. The
presentation covered the likely future developments in the e-navigation project, and highlighted in
particular the impacts on MSI provision and the work of the NAVAREA Coordinators.
MSI Capacity Building Training Course
13. The meeting received updated information on the delivery of MSI training courses and the need
for the NAVAREA Coordinators to work closely with the Regional CB Coordinators to help
developing nations to reach the Phase 1 level (collection and circulation of nautical information,
required to maintain existing charts and publications up to date) of the IHO CB Strategy. As part of
this cooperation, the proposed text of an MSI assessment to be included in national reports to RHC
meetings was discussed. The meeting was informed that one MSI course had been conducted in
Tokyo, Japan for participants from the East Asia Hydrographic Commission from 3 to 5 March and a
further course was programmed to be held in Istanbul for participants from the Mediterranean and
Black Seas Hydrographic Commission from 20 to 23 October. It was also noted that a further two
courses have been funded for the Meso American and Caribbean Hydrographic Commission and the
South West Pacific Hydrographic Commission in 2016.
14. The Chair noted there were only one French and one Spanish instructor qualified and available
to deliver the MSI course, which restricted the opportunities for delivering courses in these two
languages. The meeting recorded its thanks to Australia, France, New Zealand, UK, and USA for
their significant support in conducting the training courses and in the work undertaken in addressing
the continuing requirement to review the training material to ensure consistency with the amended
supporting documentation.
WWNWS7 Report to IMO NCSR 3
15. The IHB and the Chair of the WWNWS-SC will prepare a brief report on the outcome of
WWNWS7, based on this Circular Letter, for submission to NCSR 3.
Next Meeting
16. The eighth meeting of the WWNWS-SC (WWNWS8) will take place in Ålesund, Norway,
from 12 to 16 September 2016. All NAVAREA Coordinators and National MSI Coordinators are
encouraged to attend the meetings of the WWNWS-SC to broaden their experience and interact with
each other.
Conclusion
17. The Directing Committee takes this opportunity to remind Member States with responsibilities
for the NAVAREA system that they should:
Encourage regular attendance at WWNWS-SC meetings;
Seek or maintain close engagement with National MSI Coordinators within their
NAVAREA;
In cooperation with their respective Regional Capacity Building Coordinator, seek to
identify coastal States within their NAVAREA in need of support and MSI training;
Encourage engagement with the GMDSS Modernization CG and, through national
delegations to the IMO, raise awareness of progress and impact of e-navigation on the
provision of MSI; and
Monitor progress of the establishment of contingency plans with adjacent NAVAREAs
and encourage regular exercising of plans already established.
On behalf of the Directing Committee
Yours sincerely,
Mustafa Iptes
Director