Thematic module · eighth module developed

# Navigation Live

Watchkeeping, COLREG in practice, Bridge Resource Management, pilotage, restricted visibility, anchoring, VDR, Passage Planning in polar waters, GNSS resilience, VTS traffic management, BNWAS, icebreaker-assisted convoy navigation, datum shift and ECDIS chart reference, the STCW review on simulator training, the MASS Code for autonomous ships, VDES and NAVDAT, the Next-Generation ECDIS S-100 Framework.

Each topic below brings together, in a single place: an operational explanation, the regulatory reference, scope of application, procedure, practical example, real cases, common mistakes, PSC observations, operational tips, a checklist and FAQ — regulations verified as of July 2026.

### Watchkeeping

The STCW principles for bridge watchkeeping: when to leave the bridge, what to check at the start of a watch, and why fatigue remains the least recognised risk factor on board.

### COLREG in Practice

The rules for preventing collisions have not changed substantively since 1972: yet Rule 10, on traffic separation schemes, remains the single most misunderstood rule of all.

### Bridge Resource Management (BRM)

It is not a course to complete once and forget: it is the discipline that explains why most navigational incidents originate from a team that fails to communicate, not from an unknown rule.

### Pilotage and Under Keel Clearance in Restricted Areas

The presence of a pilot does not transfer responsibility for the ship: how to maintain effective pilot-crew cooperation during the most delicate manoeuvres.

### Navigation in Restricted Visibility

COLREG Rule 19 applies regardless of what the radar shows: why instrumental detection of another ship alone is not enough to decide the correct manoeuvre.

### Anchoring and Anchor Watch

Anchoring is not a pause from navigation: the choice of chain to pay out, monitoring for dragging, and the anchor watch itself remain safety activities in their own right.

### VDR (Voyage Data Recorder)

The ship's 'black box': what it actually records, when it must be checked, and why its proper maintenance is often neglected until it is needed — too late.

### Passage Planning in Polar Waters (Polar Code)

From 1 January 2026, amendments to the Polar Code extend mandatory voyage planning to fishing vessels, pleasure yachts and small cargo ships too: generic planning is no longer enough.

### Electronic Navigation and GNSS Resilience

Satellite positioning can no longer be taken for granted: GNSS jamming and spoofing have grown to the point of prompting an unprecedented joint warning from IMO, ICAO and ITU.

### VTS Traffic Management

The VTS provides information, assistance and sometimes traffic organisation, but never replaces the Master's authority over the conduct of their own ship.

### BNWAS and Anti-Collision Alert Systems

The Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System verifies that the officer of the watch is genuinely present and alert, with an escalating alarm sequence up to the Master: mandatory since 2011 for cargo ships ≥150 GT, yet still often poorly understood in day-to-day operational use.

### Icebreaker-Assisted Convoy Navigation

In winter 2025-2026 the Baltic surpassed its historical median ice coverage as early as the beginning of January: icebreaker-assisted convoy navigation requires operational protocols distinct from ordinary independent navigation.

### Datum Shift and Chart Reference in ECDIS

A 2026 analysis of 5,000 bridge team assessments found recurring gaps in understanding of datum: a silent error, because the GPS position still appears plausible on the ECDIS screen.

### Simulator Training: the Ongoing STCW Review

Up to three months of sea service replaced by shore-based simulator training: the proposal discussed by more than 37 flag States could change the path to the first certificate of competency.

### MASS Code: the New IMO Framework for Autonomous Ships

Adopted in May 2026, the first IMO Code for autonomous ships is still non-mandatory: but the path towards mandatory status in 2032 has already been mapped out, stage by stage.

### VDES and NAVDAT: the Next Generation of Digital Maritime Communications

The VHF channel we knew as voice-only becomes a data channel too: two new systems enter the SOLAS framework for ship-shore digital information exchange and safety broadcast transmission.

### Next-Generation ECDIS: the S-100 Framework

The electronic charts we know today (S-57) have a technical expiry date: the new S-100 standard promises more information layers and richer data, but requires a planned, not improvised, transition.

Coming in future updates to this module: publication of the consolidated SOLAS Chapter V text on VDES and finalisation of the NAVDAT manual after MSC 112 in December 2026, development of MSC circulars on the S-100 framework for the next generation of ECDIS, final outcome of the five-yearly STCW review on sea-service replacement, expected from spring 2027.

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