Jeppesen Marine has launched a new updating service that can transmit "Notices to Mariners", new charts and new chart editions to ships at sea, all via a high-speed Internet connection.

By Jeppesen Marine
Published: 06 Oct 2008

EGERSUND, NORWAY, | 23 Sep 2008

Jeppesen Marine has launched a new updating service that can transmit "Notices to Mariners", new charts and new chart editions to ships at sea, all via a high-speed Internet connection. The service, called C-MAP Updating Service Online+, applies to Jeppesen Marine's C-MAP Professional+ and C-MAP ENC chart database subscribers.

"The significance of this new service is that ships can update their chart data with the same reliability as the DVD updates, without the trouble of arranging delivery of the DVD to the ship. With this new service, Jeppesen Marine can deliver "‘what you need, when you need it' more effectively than any other supplier of ENC chart data and updates," says Willy Zeiler, marketing and communication manager, Jeppesen Marine.

The key to this new updating service is Jeppesen's unique distribution format, called C-MAP CM-93/3 and type approved by DNV. This format can compress large amounts of navigational data to a size that makes online transmission rapid and reliable. Ships will need to download only 6 MB to 9 MB of data per week for the C-MAP ENC database, and substantially less for C-MAP Professional+.

"We believe that this will give us a great competitive advantage, as the online updating service is the only one of its kind on the market," says Zeiler. "Any subscribers to either of our chart services with a high-speed connection to the Internet, such as Fleet Broadband, VSAT or wireless, will be able to begin using this free of charge. With easier updating, crews are more likely to navigate by up-to-date charts, which contribute to improved navigation and safer operations."

The C-MAP Updating Service Online+ has been fully tested, and offers the same reliability as the conventional DVD updates.