1. MACHC ECC Working Group 1 Report
Katie Ries, NOAA

2. MACHC-Electronic Chart Committee
Goal: Demonstrate and facilitate the use of official electronic chart data for safe, efficient, and environmentally-sensitive maritime navigation.
Objectives:
Facilitate the production and use of ENCs and RNCs
Improve hydrographic capacity of coastal states
Identify sources for acquiring equipment, software, and training
Speed up ENC production for key ports & major shipping routes
Increase awareness of benefits of using EC data

3. MACHC-Electronic Chart Committee
Chair: Katie Ries, USA (NOAA)
Technical Coordinator: Rafael Ponce
Two Working Groups:
MesoAmerican Capacity Building Pilot Project
Improve capacity building of coastal state hydrographic offices in a defined area
Initial focus: The IADB-administered, GEF-funded Gulf of Honduras Project
ENC Production and Distribution
Improve ENC coverage of the entire region in the short to medium term, production of ENC data by national hydrographic offices

4. Electronic Chart Committee
Working Group 1 – MesoAmerican Capacity Building Pilot Project
Working Group
Members:
Guatemala
Honduras
Belize
Mexico UK
USA

5. Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control
Gulf of Honduras Project
Project Objective:
To reverse the degradation of the coastal and marine ecosystems within the Gulf of Honduras by enhancing the prevention and control from maritime transport-related pollution in the major ports and navigation lanes, improving navigational safety to avoid groundings and spills, and reducing land-based sources of pollution draining into the Gulf.

6. Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control
Gulf of Honduras Project
Component 1: Building regional capacity for maritime and land-based pollution control.
Component 2: Building the information
base for the Strategic Action Plan.
Component 3: Enhancing navigational
safety in shipping lanes.
Component 4: Improving environmental management and hazard reduction in network of five ports within the Gulf of Honduras

7. Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control
Gulf of Honduras Project
Component 3: Enhancing navigational safety in shipping lanes
Focuses on improving the hydrographic and oceanographic cooperation in the region to both prevent and prepare for groundings and spills in the Gulf related to marine transportation operations
(references active collaboration with MACHC)
Expansion of the marine transport sector is seen as a major regional priority for all three countries and this is directly affecting port expansion and operations within the Gulf of Honduras.
In 2001, almost 4,000 ships passed through the five ports included in the Gulf and the trends indicate that this number will continue to increase. Not only are there more ships entering the ports now, but they are also larger than before. As the volume of goods increases, shipping companies are moving towards using deeper draught ships.
This is resulting in plans to expand current port operations and dredge deeper channels in order to accommodate the larger vessels. Increasing port traffic and transhipment of cargo pose a risk to nearby coastal ecosystems, particularly in the semi-enclosed Bay of Amatique. Guatemala
In addition to activities at the ports, the threat of oil and chemical spills resulting from navigational risks is quite serious in the Gulf of Honduras.
This risk increases with the shallow depths
and narrow width of the navigation channels (on the average only 90 m wide and 11 m deep, while many ships have drafts of up to 10.5 m). Sedimentation and extreme weather events such as
Hurricane Mitch have also brought about significant changes in bathymetry that render navigational charts obsolete and increase navigational risks.

8. Gulf of Honduras Project and MACHC Involvement
Making the case for Hydrography
Regional hydrographic capacity analysis
Active involvement in the Puerto Barrio, Belize City, and Tegucigalpa project preparation meetings
Input in the project’s final design
Commitment to develop and help execute the hydrographic implementation plan

9. Components of Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan
1. Executive Summary
2. Action Plan
3. Budget

10. Gulf of Honduras / MACHC 2009 Activities
Equipment delivered to countries
December 2008 –January 2009
NOAA Hydrographic Training conducted with representatives of 3 GoH countries (Norfolk, VA)
February 2009
In-country hydrographic training for 3 GoH countries
February-March 2009

11. Progress Report Gulf of Honduras 2009 Training
LCDR Chris van Westendorp, NOAA
Elliott Arroyo, NAVOCEANO

12. Belize Lessons Learned (Phase 1 Training)
Logistics planning
Vehicle availability
BNCG detainment duties
Equipment Deployment / Control
Troubleshooting methodology

13. Belize (continued) (Phase 1 Training)
In-survey plan modification
Emergency / safety planning
Coxswain and Hydrographer duties / communication

14. Honduras: Basic needs for successful program
(Trainer assessment from Phase 1 Training) X
Vessel dedicated for hydrographic survey
Assigned survey personnel (i.e. electronics technician)
Permanently installed vessel hydrographic equipment
Increased IT proficiency (i.e. basic Microsoft operations)
Coxswain proficiency for driving survey lines
Culture: Basic survey needs and logistics (i.e. not typical office hours)

15. Guatemala: Basic needs for successful program
(Trainer assessment from Phase 1 Training)
Vessel dedicated for hydrographic survey
Assigned survey personnel (i.e. electronics technician)
Permanently installed vessel hydrographic equipment
Increased IT proficiency (i.e. basic Microsoft operations)
Coxswain proficiency for driving survey lines
Culture: Basic survey needs and logistics (i.e. not typical office hours) X X X

16. Plans for Phase 2 Training (All Countries)
Conduct Quality Assurance Checks
Reference from 2009 training
Conduct a Field Hydrographic Survey to IHO Standards
Collect data
Process data
Conduct quality assurance
Be ready/able to transmit survey deliverables to UKHO for chart updates

17. Customized Phase 2 Training (Belize)
Practice basic surveying principles
Side scan / single beam echosounder acquisition / analysis
Data post-processing
Tides
Calculate tidal datums from time series data & compare with existing vertical control network information
Practice benchmark network establishment / leveling

18. Customized Phase 2 Training (Honduras)
Practice & Theory: Sidescan Sonar
Operation / data collection / analysis
Target detection & interpretation
Tides
Bottom to top review
Geodesy
Using dual-frequency receiver
Establishing geodetic control point
Linking horizontal / vertical control networks

19. Customized Phase 2 Training: (Guatemala)
Survey Planning
100% versus 200% coverage
Harbor versus Approaches
Boat operations & safety
Steering survey lines (coxswain training)
Single beam / side scan sonar acquisition and processing operations
Hypack / Imagenex
Bathymetry & Target analysis / investigation

20. Action Items…
Travel arrangements communicated to IHO Bureau for Phase 2 training: 30 November 2009
GoH country representatives participating in NOAA February 2010 Hydrotraining (Belize / Guatemala / Honduras)
2010 In-country trainers (NOAA/Navy hydrographers)
Honduras: April 2010
Guatemala: 25 April – 9 May 2010
Belize: 28 February – 14 March 2010

21. Action items (cont)…
GoH countries identify one (1) English-speaking participant for NOAA February 2010 Hydrotraining: 23 November 2009
Introductory hydrography course (not for experienced or prior-trained personnel)
NOAA / GoH Project send letter to GoH countries: 11 November 2009
Invitation to NOAA February 2010 Hydrotraining
Announcement of intent for in-country Phase 2 training

22. Action items (cont)…
NOAA / Navy explore possibility of focused tide station installation and water level analysis training and/or support: 31 January 2010
GoH countries ensure preparations made for in-country training: Prior to NOAA/Navy trainer arrival
Vessel & personnel
Equipment installation

23. Action items (cont)…
GoH countries to document hydrographic activity in-kind contributions using format provided by GoH Project Director: 31 December 2009
GoH countries produce progress report and results of Phase 1 Training for MACHC Chair to submit to IHO CBC: 31 January 2010

24. Action items (cont)…
GoH countries and ECC WG1 Chair generate & submit request throuch MACHC Chair for 2011 hydrographic training & support from IHO CBC: 15 March 2010

25. Questions…

26. Electronic Chart Committee
Report on ECC Working Group 2: ENC Production

27. Drivers to Regional ENC Coverage
30 % of world’s oil cargo transits the region.
Substantial proportion (0ver 50%) of the world’s cruise ships operate within the region.
Panama Canal expansion in 2014 expected to substantially increase its capacity from 6.6 million in 2010 to 8.4 million TEUs in 2015.
…IMO has passed mandatory carriage requirements for ECDIS for new tankers and cruise ships, …by 2012.
…IHO Member States should provide adequate coverage, availability, consistency and quality of ENCs by 2010.

28. Recommendations Achieve adequate regional ENC coverage by Dec-2010
Utilize the medium scale INT Scheme as baseline for adequate medium scale ENC coverage (usage bands 2/3).
Identify production status/gaps
Consider producing medium scale ENCs before medium scale INT charts.
Got updates on gaps from Colombia, Venezuela and were told Mexico also has ENCs almost ready for distribution….
Bullet 4: for those countries that have the ability to produce both INT and ENCs,, consider……

29. REQUIRED BY 2010

30. Recommendations (cont)
Establish a plan with POCs for completing coverage and developing a regional ENC scheme including formalized progress updates.
Coordinate closely with the ICC to harmonize efforts
Encourage neighboring MS establish bilateral agreement on production responsibilities
Synchronize reporting with MACHC Chair, IHB and MACHC INT CC

31. MACHC ENC Data POCs Brazil (Wesley Cavaleiro)
Colombia (Dagoberto David)
France (Yves Guillam)
Netherlands (Erwin Woomgoor)
UK (Phil Parker)
USA (Craig Winn)
Cuba (TBD)
Mexico (Hugo Cardenas)
Venezuela (Cap. de Corb. Degoveia)
Add RENC Representatives to this group—IC/ENC