Jeppesen and Alliance for Safe Navigation partners announce updated 'Boat Smart' white paper emphasizing importance of updated charts for navigation.
Jeppesen and its Alliance for Safe Navigation (ASN) partners have released an updated version of the educational white paper 'Boat Smart, Update Your Charts', and are making this informative document available to the public, boating journalists, boating organizations and the marine industry through a variety of channels.
First produced in 2010, this new version ofBoat Smart, Update Your Charts incorporates the latest published boating accident statistics and contributing factors from the U.S. Coast Guard. It underscores the fact that many boaters continue to sail with outdated navigation charts (both electronic and paper) — or worse yet, none at all. It also indicates that out-of-date charts are likely contributors to a significant percentage of grounding accidents and other incidents that take place in U.S. waters.
“Our continued research into the subject proves that boaters continue to navigate with outdated charts,” said Ken Cirillo, Jeppesen senior business development executive. “Up-to-date charts are readily available and affordable, and they empower navigators with accurate data that includes the latest Coast Guard Notice to Mariner (NTM) changes and corrections. Still, for a variety of reasons, too many boaters elect to ‘roll the dice’ by navigating with old charts. One of the primary missions of the ASN is to educate boaters on the benefits of keeping their charts updated, which can include significant savings on boat insurance.”
Some eye-opening facts from Boat Smart, Update Your Charts :
• Twenty five percent of boaters surveyed by ASN reported running aground in the past five years.
• Collisions with fixed objects were the third-highest cause of boating accidents in 2011.
• Twenty nine percent of ASN survey respondents reported they never update their electronic charts.
The paper is available here.