ETC, the ECDIS Training Consortium, Extends Its Training Program to SAM Electronics

Contract signing:  Carsten Zippel, Managing director of SAM Electronics, and Prof. Capt. Ralph Becker-Heins, founder of ETC

ETC is pleased to announce that it has now partnered with SAM Electronics to provide ECDIS training for the CHARTPILOT and ECDISPILOT, complementing SAM’s successful cooperation with Safebridge for online training, and thereby expanding SAM’s ECDIS training capabilities.

ETC, the ECDIS Training Consortium, is a joint venture of training partners working under the patronage and control of MSG MarineServe GmbH, a  sister company of  Safebridge, to deliver courses that implement the identical ECDIS training program, adhere to consistent quality standards and are audited externally on a regular basis.  ETC will use its established worldwide network to provide conventional, face-to-face, ECDIS training to meet local needs and improve the service to its global customer base.

As a result of these agreements, all possible methods of delivering training are available to the shipping community for the SAM ECDIS equipment:  the highly interactive, web-based training (WBT) at any location with a good internet connection and the fully qualified, off-line, PC solution for on-board usage, both from Safebridge;  alternatively, classroom or on-board training, both of which can be delivered by one of the current number of globally located ETC partners.  

“With a view to the already started ECDIS implementation scheme, SAM Electronics has best positioned itself strategically for the upcoming ECDIS training demand by bundling its training activities with Safebridge and ETC”, commented Arne Melzer, Vice President Operations - Automation, Navigation and Communication.  

What does it mean, in practice, to fit ECDIS in a ship?  Given that the SOLAS carriage implementation requirements are already in force, there are a number of aspects to be considered.  Equipping a vessel with ECDIS is far more than just having the hardware installed on the bridge by the manufacturer’s service engineers:  it also requires that the ship operator, apart from adapting the company and ship ISM procedures or contracting with a suitable chart supplier, makes the necessary arrangements for the proper and timely training of the crew on the installed ECDIS, as one of the most important requirements to comply with legislation. 

“Our experience fully supports the guideline of the British Admiralty, which states that a six month advance period should be calculated as a minimum before ECDIS is de facto ‘fitted’, which means that ship and crew are fully ready for ECDIS operation” says Prof. Becker-Heins, the instigator of the ETC training initiative. “In addition to SAM Electronics, other reputed ECDIS manufacturers, such as Danelec  Marine, Imtech Marine, JRC, Martek Marine, Navico Simrad, Raytheon Anschütz, Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine and Chartworld, have also placed their trust in the ETC training network”, he added.

ETC is a consortium of leading training institutes located in 18 main centres of shipping activity offering ECDIS courses based on the MSG-courseware, standardized instructor training and the MSG certification and database facility.

SAM Electronics GmbH, an L-3 communications company, is a leading systems partner to the shipbuilding industry, realizing complete turnkey solutions for all kind of seagoing ship types. SAM Electronics provides a complete range of automation, electrical propulsion, power generation and distribution, entertainment, safety and security as well as navigation and communication.