Advanced Navigation Course

  • Length12 Days
  • Pre-requisiteThis course is directed at the attendee with knowledge, understanding, and proficiency in Mercator and Great Circle sailings

Course Description

The goal of this 75-hour training course (MITPMI-179 & 545) is to provide the attendee with knowledge, understanding and proficiency in appraising and planning an ocean and coastal voyage, and using bridge electronics such as ECDIS, GPS, GYRO and Autopilot in executing the plan. Included in the appraising and planning of voyages are Mercator and Great Circle sailings as well as Tide and Currents calculations. In order to successfully complete the course, it is strongly recommend that you review these areas of marine navigation and become proficient in them prior to attending the course. Prior to taking this course, mariners must be certified in coastal navigation and basic piloting and be skilled in intermediate computer operations. Mariners will benefit from prior experience in collision avoidance on ARPA and Radar (strongly recommended), Ship Handling, Bridge Resource Management, and Chart Portfolio Management. This USCG approved course, combines the MITAGS Voyage Planning Electronic Navigation (VPEN) Course & ECDIS Course and satisfies all of the assessments required for ECDIS. Course attendees must be licensed officers. The course incorporates live marine ECDIS equipment, networked with interactive blind bridge simulators. Class size is limited so that there will be one mariner per workstation, and no more than two mariners working in rotation on the ECDIS bridge simulation. The ECDIS used is the Transas Marine NaviSailor software and meets IMO performance standards. NaviSailor includes additional functions such as integration of AIS targets, display of tide, current and wind data, weather information options, and military information layers. MITAGS ECDIS simulators receive position, heading, speed, ARPA, and AIS data input. Mariners become proficient in operating ECDIS equipment in navigational contexts of increasing challenges. Guided by task performance measures and standards through lessons, exercises, and formal simulation evaluations mariners develop and demonstrate their skills in validity of sensor data (including radar overlay), potential errors of interpretation, selecting operational settings and alarms for route monitoring, use, installation and correction of electronic charts, route planning and scheduling, navigational calculations, accessing ship’s log and data playback functions, and ARPA, AIS and trial maneuver functions.

Prerequisites- Radar, ECDIS, ARPA, and Basic Meteorology.

Suggested Courses/Skills- This navigation course is directed at the attendee with knowledge, understanding, and proficiency in Mercator and Great Circle sailings, see NVIC 10-14 (CH 3).

What You Will Learn

  • Use, Installation and Correction of Electronic Charts
  • Validity of Sensor Data (including radar overlay)
  • GPS
  • DGPS
  • Magnetic Compass
  • Gyro Compass
  • Potential Errors of Interpretation
  • Adaptive Auto Pilots
  • Integrated Bridge Systems
  • Selecting Operation Settings and Alarms for Route Monitoring
  • Navigational Calculations
  • Great Circle and Mercator Sailing
  • Tidal Calculations
  • Route Planning and Scheduling
  • Ocean Routing
  • Voyage Planning
  • Accessing Ship’s Log and Data Playback Functions
  • ARPA, AIS and Trial Maneuver Functions

What You Should Bring

  • Scientific Calculator
  • Triangles
  • Dividers
  • All practical navigation equipment.

Related Courses

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Available Dates - BALTIMORE

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Available Dates - SEATTLE

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Questions? Contact a School Advisor.