Monthly Brief Meeting Reports      p.     1      

New Hydrographers       P.  154       

 

    

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JANUARY

4th meeting of the IHO-EU Network Working Group

Saint‐Mandé,France,18‐19JanuaryTheIHO‐EUNetworkWorkingGroup(IENWG),establishedbytheInter‐RegionalCoordinationCommittee (IRCC) tomonitor anddealwith the activities andprocessesdevelopedunder theaegisoftheEuropeanUnion(EU),helditsfourthmeetinginSaint‐Mandé,France,on18and19January2016,attheinvitationoftheFrenchHydrographicOffice(SHOM).ThemeetingwaschairedbyLaurentKerléguer(France)andattendedbyrepresentativesfromthefollowingRegionalHydrographicCommissions:

- BalticSeaHydrographicCommission(Sweden),- EasternAtlanticHydrographicCommission(France),- NordicHydrographicCommission(Norway)- NorthIndianOceanHydrographicCommission(UnitedKingdom)- NorthSeaHydrographicCommission(Germany),- SouthAfricaandIslandsHydrographicCommission(France)- SouthWestPacificHydrographicCommission(France).

Apologies had been received from Denmark, representing the Arctic Regional HydrographicCommission and from Greece, representing the Mediterranean and Black Seas HydrographicCommission.DirectorGillesBesserorepresentedtheIHB.France, as the Project Coordinator, reported on the progress of the Coastal Mapping Projectfunded by the European Commission in support of the development of the EuropeanMarineObservation and Data Network (EMODnet). The project brings together 11 EuropeanHydrographicOffices.ItsobjectivesaretoassessthecurrentavailabilityofdigitalcoastalmapsintheEU,todisseminatethisinformationbyEMODnet,toshareexperienceofcoastalmappingintheEU,todevelopstandardsforbestpracticesandtoproposehowa futureJointEuropeanCoastal Mapping Programme (JECMaP) could operate. The first significant milestone wasreached successfully with the opening of a dedicated portal in December 2015 (seehttp://coastal‐mapping.eu/).

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ThemeetingnotedthatthefuturecallfortendersonphaseIIIofthebathymetrycomponentofEMODnet,whichwasexpectedinlate2015,hadnotbeenissuedyetanddiscussedfurtherthearrangements for preparing a response. The participants agreed that EMODnet‐bathymetryshould be promoted as the reference dataset in support of UN‐GGIM Europe, EuroGOOS andotherrelatedEuropeaninitiatives.ThemeetingalsoconsideredthesupportthatHydrographicOffices (HOs) could provide to phase III of the component of EMODnet related to humanactivitiesanddraftedareport inviting theMarineSpatialData InfrastructuresWorkingGroup(MSDIWG) to analyse further the role of HOs. The participants agreed on several actions tostrengthen the contribution of Hydrographic Offices to the implementation and furtherdevelopmentoftheEUSpatialDataInfrastructureframework(INSPIRE)anddevelopastrategytopromotetheuseofS‐100‐IHOUniversalHydrographicDataModel.The meeting considered the recent development and calls for proposals related to theimplementationofMarineSpatialPlanning(MSP)andagreedtoinviteparticipationtothecallson a case by case basis through the relevant Regional Hydrographic Commissions. Francereported on the request that the IENWG be recognized by the European Commission as anobserverintheMSPExpertGroup.The meeting reconfirmed its view that EU HOs should liaise with their national maritimeadministrationstoensuretheinclusionofthemaintenanceofsoftware‐basedmarineequipment(such as ECDIS) on the agenda of the EU Expert Group on the Marine Equipment Directive(MARED). The participants acknowledged the view expressed by the Comité InternationalRadio‐Maritime(CIRM)thattheissuewouldbebestaddressedattheleveloftheInternationalMaritimeOrganization(IMO),butnotedthatacommonpositionoftheEUIMOMemberStateswouldhelp.ThemeetingsupportedaproposalfromFrancetoinvestigatethefeasibilityofaprojectaimingatenhancingthearchivesheldbyEUHOs,inparticulartosupportclimatechangestudiesandtoensuretheirconservationandaccessibilityinthelongterm.Thegroupagreedtostartwithaninventoryofthesearchives.It isplannedtoholdthe5thmeetingof the IENWGon12and13October2016, inconjunctionwithanIHO‐ECmeeting.

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7th Meeting of the Marine Spatial Data Infrastructures Working Group

Tokyo,Japan,27‐29January

The Marine Spatial Data Infrastructures Working Group (MSDIWG) was created in 2008 tosupporttheIHOworkprogrammeactivitiesrelatedtoSpatialDataInfrastructures(SDI)and/orMarineSpatialDataInfrastructures(MSDI),tomonitorSDIactivitiesandtrendsandtopromotetheuseofIHOstandardsandMemberStates’marinedatainSDIactivities.TheMSDIWGisalsotasked to liaise with other relevant bodies to increase awareness of marine spatial data, toidentifywaysfortheIHOtocontributetothedevelopmentofSDI/MSDIinsupportofMemberStates,toidentifypossiblesolutionstoanysignificanttechnicalissuesrelatedtointeroperabilitybetween maritime and land based inputs to SDI and to identify any IHO capacity buildingrequirements related to MSDI. Initially established under the Hydrographic Services andStandards Committee, the Working Group was transferred under the authority of the Inter‐RegionalCoordinationCommittee(IRCC)in2015.The Working Group held its seventh meeting at the Japan Hydrographic and OceanographicDepartment(JHOD)inTokyo,Japan,from27to29January.TheChairoftheMSDIWG,MrJensPeter Hartmann (Denmark), chaired the meeting which was attended by 18 representativesfrom 13 Member States (Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan,Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Thailand and USA), and nine observers and expertcontributorsfromCaris,ESRI,IICTechnologies,OpenGeospatialConsortium(OGC),OceanWise,Seoul University, SevenCs and the Pacific Community (SPC). President Robert Ward andAssistantDirectorAlbertoCostaNevesrepresentedtheIHB.

ParticipantsatMSDIWG7MeetingThemeetingconsideredtheroleoftheWorkingGroupinupdatingIHOPublicationC‐17(SpatialData Infrastructures: “TheMarineDimension” ‐Guidance forHydrographicOffices) and how toincorporate the necessary information to assist Member States in their provision ofhydrographic‐relateddata in support of national and regional developments beyond charting.Themeetingagreedthatanupdatededitionofthepublicationshouldalsoidentifyandpromotebestpractice,indicateexistingandnewstandards,andprovideappropriatesyllabiforeducationand training in MSDI. Participants also discussed ways to assess the relevant activities inRegionalHydrographicCommissionsinordertobeabletoprovideexamplesofthebenefitsofaMSDIandthedrawbacksofnothavingsuchasysteminthenearfuture.Participantsalsoconsideredtherelevantstandards,includingthoserelatedtonewtechnologiessuchastheuseofaerialvehicles.Themeetingwasinformedofdevelopmentsforthecollection,processingandavailabilityofsignificantsizeddatasetsinanMSDIandtheuseofcloudstorage

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andprocessing. Participantsalsoconsideredexamplesofapplicationforoilspillresponseandthe development of business cases to help in the establishment of MSDIs. The meetingconsideredthenewlycreatedArcticSDI,theMSDIcomponenttothecommonoperatingpicture(COP) and the need and suitability of S‐100‐based product specifications for coastline,administrativeborders,installationsatsea,restrictedareas,shiproutes,obstructionsanddepthcontours.The meeting discussed the communication mechanisms available to raise awareness of theimportanceofMSDI,toeducatedecisionmakersontheirrolesandresponsibilitiesandtoguidehydrographicofficesontheestablishmentofMSDI.Itwasdecidedthatsuchcommunicationwillbe done through the submissions to the International Hydrographic Conference or Assembly,Inter Regional Coordination Committee, Regional Hydrographic Commissions and CapacityBuildingSub‐Committee, by improving the IHOwebpages andby creating "Ambassadors forMSDI". During the meeting a questionnaire developed by Canada to identify aspects ofestablished MSDIs and best practices was reviewed in order to be used during the revisionprocessofC‐17.Participants discussed the progressmadewith the improvedMSDI syllabus submitted to theseventh meeting of the IRCC and the use of e‐learning and availability of online learningplatforms such asOceanTeachermade available by the InternationalOceanographicData andInformationExchange(IODE)of the IntergovernmentalOceanographicCommission(IOC),andotherprogrammesprovidedbyuniversitiesandindustrymembers.TheMSDIWG7establishedfour groups for developing a revised framework for the IHO Publication C‐17 (Group 1), theidentificationofcasestudiesandbestpractices(Group2),theidentificationofkeydatasetsfornon‐navigational purposes (Group 3) and the key messages to be presented to the nextInternationalHydrographicConferenceorAssemblytobeheldinApril2017(Group4).AmongsttheimprovementstotheIHOwebsitethemeetingreviewedthecreationofaGISlayertodisplayexamplesofSDIandMSDIaroundtheworld,currentlyavailableat:www.iho.intCommittees&WGMSDIWGBodyofKnowledgeMSDIExamples(GISLayer)TheMSDIWG7meetingwas preceded by an Industry DemonstrationWorkshop (25 January)and by an MSDI Open Forum (26 January) attended by over 100 people. The Open Forumexplored the theme: "Contributing to the successful delivery ofMSDI". Both eventswere co‐hostedbytheJHODandbytheOceanPolicyResearchInstitute,theSasakawaPeaceFoundation(OPRI‐SPF)andwereheldatMiraikanHall,inTokyo,togetherwithapostersessionpresentingcasesofsuccessfromgovernment,academyandindustry.ThenextmeetingoftheMSDIWG,tobeassociatedwithanotherMSDIForum,willtakeplaceinJanuary/February2017,inCanada(exactvenueanddatestobedecided).Furtherinformationconcerning the meeting, the Industry Demonstration Workshop and the Open ForumpresentationsareavailableontheIHOwebsiteat:www.iho.int→Committees&WG→MSDIWG→MSDIWG7(and→MSDIOpenForum)

   

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FEBRUARY

6th Annual International e-Navigation Underway Conference

MS Pearl Seaways, at Sea, 2 - 4 February The6thInternationale‐NavigationUnderwayConferencewasorganizedontheBalticSeaferryPearl Seaways from 2 to 4 February by the DanishMaritime Authority and the InternationalAssociationofMarineAidstoNavigationandLighthouseAuthorities(IALA).TheprimaryfocusoftheConferencewasthecollaborationandcooperationnowtakingplacetoimplementthee‐Navigationconcept.

TheConferencewasattendedby140representativesfrommanypartsoftheworldrepresentinga cross‐section of interests from mariners, maritime administrations, significant flag States,navigationequipmentmanufacturers,academiaandinternationalmaritimeorganizations.

Mr Kitack Lim, recently appointedSecretary‐General of the InternationalMaritimeOrganization(IMO),providedtheOpening Address in which he highlightedhis wish to see the various stakeholdersworking together to fulfil the IMO’svisionfore‐Navigation.

President Robert Ward, representing theIHO, addressed the Conference after theSecretary‐General and described theunderpinningrolethattheIHOwillplayinsupporting the IHO S‐100 ‐ UniversalHydrographic Data Model, that has nowbeen designated as an underpinninge‐Navigation data exchange framework

standard for e‐Navigation. President Wardreported the impending recruitment of anofficer at the IHO secretariat who will bededicated to supporting the IHOdigitaldatastandardsandinparticularS‐100.

As a result of the various presentations anddiscussions that took place over the threedays of the Conference, the participantsconcludedthat:

Thestakeholdersarecooperatingandcoordinatingandareactivelyexploringmethodstoharmonisee‐navigationdataandcommunications.

IALAmaybeanappropriateorganization to coordinate the IMOunplannedoutput6onMaritime Service Portfolios (MSPs) and harmonise the format, structure andcommunicationschannelsfortheexchangeofinformationelectronically.

Recognising the value of the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) cybersecurity guidelines, the e‐navigation stakeholders agreed that similar cyber and datasecuritymeasuresmustunderpine‐navigation.

Secretary-General of IMO, Mr Kitack Lim addresses the Conference

Secretary-General Lim enjoying a joke with the Conference participants

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Participants recognised that e‐navigation should improve the human decision makingprocess,notreplaceit.

ParticipantsconsideredthattheconceptoftheMaritimeCloudcouldsupporte‐navigationinfrastructureandtrialsareunderway.

Thenexte‐NavigationUnderwayConferenceinEuropeistentativelyplannedfrom31Januaryto2February2017.

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Visit to King Abdulaziz University and Hydrographic Course Graduation CeremonyJeddah,SaudiArabia,7‐9February

At the invitation of the President of the King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,PresidentWardvisitedtheFacultyofMaritimeStudiesandattendedthegraduationceremonyofthe first Category A course to be recognised by the International Board on the Standards ofCompetenceforHydrographicSurveyorsandNauticalCartographers(IBSC)inSaudiArabiaandintheregion.On 8 February nine students wereawardedaBachelorofSciencedegreeinhydrographic surveying by the ActingPresident of the King AbdulazizUniversity, Prof. Abdulrahman ObaidAlyoubi. Thefour‐yearcourseincludedfieldstudies inCanada,FranceandTheNetherlands. In addition to theirdegrees, President Ward presentedeach graduate with a certificate ofrecognition.His Excellency Dr Abdul Aziz Al Saab,PresidentoftheGeneralCommissionforSurvey and principal representative ofSaudi Arabia to the IHO also attendedthegraduationceremony.

PresidentWardcongratulatedtheUniversityonitsachievement indeliveringavery impressivecoursewhichhesaidsetsafineexampleforthecountry,theregionandtheworld.Onthepreviousday,PresidentWardwasgivenanextensivebriefingand tourof theFacultyofMaritimeStudiesbyitsDean,DrSalemMarzookAlharbi and his academic staff. The Presidentobserved thewide rangeofmodernequipmentand systems being used during the teaching ofhydrography. He also paid a visit to the

dedicatedsurveymotorlaunchandthenewlyacquiredoceanographicandhydrographicsurveyshipAlAzizi,whichwasdeliveredfromthebuildersinFrancein2015andwhich,alongwiththeexisting dedicated hydrographic survey launch, will be used as part of the hydrographicsurveyingcourseinthefuture.

President Ward, the President of KAU and the Dean of theFaculty of Maritime Studies flanked by the graduatingstudents, the Vice Dean of the Faculty and the Head of theDepartment of Hydrographic Surveying

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ENC Standards Maintenance Working Group MeetingIHB, Monaco, 8 - 10 February

TheENCStandardsMaintenanceWorkingGroup(ENCWG)isasubsidiaryWorkingGroupoftheHydrographicServicesandStandardsCommittee(HSSC),andistaskedwiththemaintenanceofthestandardsthatpertaintoENCproductionandportrayal.TheENCWGChair,ThomasMellor(UKHO), convened a Sub‐Working Group comprising representatives from several ExpertContributorsthatparticipateintheENCWG,inordertoreviewimplementationissuesidentifiedwiththeIHOS‐52PresentationLibraryEdition4.0.1andinconsistencies(clarifications)thathadbeen identified in Edition 3.0.1 of IHO publication S‐64 ‐ IHO TestData Sets for ECDIS. ThemeetingtookplaceattheIHBfrom8to10Februaryandwasattendedbysevenmembersfromthe following companies involved in ECDIS equipment and associated software: Jeppesen,Transas, 7Cs, Wärtsilä SAM Electronics, Navtor and Furuno. The IHB was represented byAssistantDirectorAnthonyPharaoh.

ENCStandardsMaintenanceWorkingGroupMeeting

TheoutcomeofthemeetingwillbeconsideredatthenextENCWGmeetingthatwilltakeplaceinTokyo,Japanfrom14to18March. ThismeetingwillbeheldinconjunctionwiththeS‐100and the Data Protection SchemeWorking Groups. It is anticipated that clarifications of therelevantdocumentswillbeproducedfollowingthismeeting.

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Participants at CSBWG2 Meeting

2nd Meeting of the Crowd-Sourced Bathymetry Working Group

Boulder, Colorado, USA, 10-11 February

TheCrowd‐SourcedBathymetryWorkingGroup(CSBWG)hasbeentaskedbytheInter‐RegionalCoordinationCommittee(IRCC)todevelopadraftIHOpublicationonpolicyfortrustedcrowd‐sourced bathymetry (CSB). This CSB Guidance Document will provide guidelines on thecollectionandassessmentofCSBdataforinclusionintheglobalbathymetricdatasetwhichismaintainedintheIHODataCentreforDigitalBathymetry(DCDB). Thisdataisintendedtobeavailableasareferenceforthewidestpossibleuse,whichmayalsoincludenauticalchartinginsomecases.The Working Group held its secondmeeting at the offices of the NationalOceanographic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA) ‐ NationalCenters for Environmental Information(NCEI)inBoulder,Colorado,USAon10‐11 February 2016. The Chair of theCSBWG, Ms Lisa Taylor (USA), chairedthe meeting which was attended byrepresentatives from three MemberStates (Italy, Japan and USA), andobservers andexpert contributors fromOlex AS and Sea ID, which are two

companies involved in crowd‐sourcingtechnologies. Assistant Director DavidWyattrepresentedtheIHB.TheCSBWGreceivedverbalreportsfromthecoordinatorsof itsCorrespondenceGroups. Thereports covered Metadata and Data Formats, Uncertainty, and Systems and Hardware.Discussion sessionswere heldwith the systems developersworking on enhancements to theDCDBdatabaseanduserweb‐portalandNOAALegalCounselfortheUSAExtendedContinentalShelf ProjectOffice. Themeeting focused on the structure and contents of the CSBGuidanceDocumentthatwillbepresentedasaninitialdrafttotheIRCCatits8thmeetinginAbuDhabi,UAEinMay.Workonthisisproceedingwell.ItwasagreedthatafurthermeetingoftheWorkingGroupwouldbebeneficialafterIRCC8andpriortothenextInternationalHydrographicConference/AssemblyandIRRC9tobeheldinApriland May 2017 respectively. This would assist in ensuring the completion of the guidancedocumentby taking intoaccount any furtherguidance from the IRCC. A thirdmeetingof theCSBWGisthereforeplannedfor7‐8November2016attheIHBinMonaco.ThismeetingwillbefollowedbymeetingsoftheGalwayStatementTri‐PartiteImplementationCommittee and the Atlantic Seabed Mapping International Working Group on theImplementationoftheGalwayStatement,bothofwhichareactivelyengagedincrowd‐sourcedbathymetryinitiativestohelpimproveknowledgeintheAtlantic,inparticular.ThereportofthemeetingandthesupportingpaperswillbeavailablefromtheCSBWGsectionoftheIHOwebsite:www.iho.int>Committees&WG>IRCC>CSBWG

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Meeting with the Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

European Commission, Brussels, Belgium, 18 February  

  

On 18 February 2016, IHB Director Gilles Bessero and Ingénieur Général Bruno Frachon,NationalHydrographerofFrance,onbehalfoftheIHO‐EuropeanUnionNetworkWorkingGroup(IENWG), met with MrJoao Aguiar Machado, Director‐General for Maritime Affairs andFisheries, at the European Commission (EC) in Brussels, Belgium. This meeting had beenarrangedattheendof2015followingtheappointmentofMrMachado.TheDirectorate‐GeneralforMaritimeAffairsandFisheries(DGMARE)istheECpointofcontactfortheimplementationof theMemorandumofUnderstanding (MOU)onestablishing cooperationonmaritimeaffairsbetweentheECandtheIHOthatwassignedinApril2012.MrMachadowasassistedbyMr IainShepherd, actingHeadofDGMAREUnitC/1 ‐MaritimePolicy Atlantic, outermost regions and Arctic, and main point of contact at DG MARE of theIENWG.Mr Machado acknowledged the importance of the EC‐IHO MOU and welcomed the positiveoutcomes,inparticularthroughthelaunchoftheCoastalMappingProjectledbyaconsortiumofHydrographic Offices and funded by the EC within the framework of the European MarineObservationandDataNetwork(EMODnet). Heconfirmedthattherewasnoalternativetothecurrentmechanismof calls for tenders andpublic contracts for awarding financial support toHOs. Heenquiredonthe inclusionof theoutermostregionsof theEU in theCoastalMappingProject.The IHO representatives highlighted the wide scope of activities of the IHO and its MemberStates, encompassing not only the safety of navigation but the support of the whole blueeconomy, and the relevance of these activities for several EC Directorates‐General, includingcapacitybuildingissuesinrelationtodevelopmentaid.TheysuggestedthatpointsofcontactbeidentifiedintherelevantDGsandthatanannualreviewofitemsofjointinterestbeestablishedinordertofurtherdevelopthesynergiesbetweentheECandtheIHO,includingthroughbetteranticipation of the initiatives or needs of the DGs. They noted the need to ensure thesustainability of EMODnet in the long term, building on the operational role of HydrographicOffices (HOs) and the relevance of the expertise of the HOs in relation to maritime spatialplanningandclimatechangeissues.Thecurrentunsatisfactorystatusoftheknowledgeofthebathymetryoftheseasandoceansandthe specific difficulties related to surveying the coastal areas were emphasized. TheresponsibilitiesofgovernmentsintheprovisionofhydrographicservicesandthereferencestoIHOresolutionsandrecommendationsdescribedintheinternationalConventionfortheSafetyofLifeatSea(SOLAS)werealsomentioned.DirectorBesserorecalledthatthreeEUcoastalStatesarenotyetmembersoftheIHOandnotedtheimportanceoftheexamplesetbyMaltainaskingtojointheOrganization.

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The possibility to promote IHO activities at the next European Maritime Day, which will becelebrated in May 2016 in Turku, Finland, was discussed. DG MARE indicated that theprogrammewasalreadyfinalizedandsuggestedliaisingwiththeSecretariatofEMODnettosetupajointstand.ItwasagreedinprincipletoschedulethenextmeetingbetweentheECandtheIHOinOctober2016.

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3nd Meeting of the Steering Committee of the East Asia Hydrographic Commission

Surakarta, Indonesia, 24-26 February

The 3rd meeting of the SteeringCommittee of the East AsiaHydrographic Commission (EAHC)was held in Surakarta, Indonesiafrom24 to26February,hostedbyDinas Hidro‐Oseanografi TNI AL(DISHIDROS), the Navy Hydro‐Oceanographic Office of Indonesia,andchairedbyRearAdmiralZaaimBinHasan, Director‐General of the

National Hydrographic Centre, Malaysia and Chairman of the EAHC. The EAHC SteeringCommitteemeetsannuallybetweenthetriennialmeetingsoftheEAHCtomonitorprogress intheregionandprovideanannualforumfortheregion’sHydrographerstomeet.

Representatives fromall butoneEAHCMemberStateattended themeeting:China, Indonesia,Japan,RepublicofKorea(RoK),Malaysia,Philippines,SingaporeandThailand.TheDemocraticPeople’s Republic of Koreawas not represented. AssociateMembers Brunei Darussalam andVietNamattendedthemeetingtogetherwiththeChairoftheGEBCOGuidingCommittee(GC).PresidentWardattendedasaninvitedobserverfromthesecretariatoftheIHO.

OnthebasisoftheirrecentacceptanceasMemberStatesoftheIHO,BruneiDarussalamandVietNam sought full membership of the EAHC. The applications received the support of all theexistingMembers present, but a final decisionmust await notification of the approval of theDPRKbeforefullmembershipcanbeconfirmed.

The meeting received progress reports on the Training and Research Development Center(TRDC), based at the Korean Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency, in Busan, RoK,established by the Commission to deliver its regional Capacity Building Programme (see:http://trdc.eahc.asia/). The increasingly successful implementation of a sustainable andreplicating regional capacity building capability was illustrated by the growing number ofregional instructors becoming available to conduct training. The TRDC provided a strategicanalysisof thecurrentstatusof theEAHCCapacityBuildingProgramme. Thiswillbeused toguide further development of the programme. The Committee endorsed the 2017 workprogramme and funding bids to be forwarded to the IHO Capacity Building Sub‐Committee.PresidentWardprovidedareportofIHOactivitiesofrelevancetotheCommissionandtheChairof theGEBCOGCprovidedabriefingon the IHO‐IOCGEBCOprojectand its involvementwithcrowd‐sourcingfordata.

DetailsofregionalElectronicNavigationalChart(ENC)coveragewerediscussed.

During the meeting, the participants developed a procedure for selecting representatives toserveontheIHOCouncilwhenit is formedundertherevisedConventionontheIHOwhichisanticipatedtoenterintoforceinthenearfuture.

ThenextmeetingoftheEAHCSteeringCommitteewillbeheldinJapaninFebruary2017.

Prior to the 3rd meeting of the EAHC Steering Committee, President Robert Ward took theopportunity to visitDISHIDROS in Jakarta at the invitation of theHydrographer of Indonesia,CommodoreDaryanto.PresidentWarddeliveredapresentationtothestaffandinvitedguestswherehediscussedcurrent topicsbeingconsidered in the IHO. HealsocalledontheChiefofNavy, Admiral Ade Supandi, and was able to provide him with a brief on the organizational

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impacts for national Hydrographic Offices of the global transition from governmentmappingagencies moving from the sole production of maps and charts to the provision of geodataservices.

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3rd Session of the IMO Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue

London, United Kingdom, 29 February – 4 March

The Sub‐Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR) is asubordinate body of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the International MaritimeOrganization(IMO). Its functionsare toconsider technicalandoperationalmattersrelated tothe obligations of Governments and operational measures concerning safety of navigation.These include: hydrographic and meteorological services, ships’ routeing, ship reportingsystems, aids to navigation, radio‐navigation systems, vessel traffic services, and pilotage;operational requirements and guidelines regarding navigational safety and associated issues,suchasregulationsforthepreventionofcollisionsandgroundings,bridgeprocedures,voyageplanning, avoidance of dangerous situations, places of refuge (including maritime assistanceservices and relevant aspects of maritime security), carriage requirements, performancestandardsandoperationalguidelinesfortheuseofshipbornenavigationalequipmentandothernavigational requirements; Governments’ obligations andoperationalmeasures related to theGlobal Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), development and maintenance of theglobal Search and Rescue (SAR) Plan and the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT)system; operational requirements and guidelines relating to radiocommunications and searchandrescue, and, inco‐operationwith the InternationalCivilAviationOrganization (ICAO), theharmonization of aeronautical and maritime search and rescue procedures; carriagerequirements, performance standards and operational guidelines for the use of shipborneradiocommunications and search and rescue equipment; and liaison with the InternationalTelecommunicationUnion(ITU)onmaritimeradiocommunicationmatters.

The3rdSessionoftheSub‐Committee(NCSR3)washeld at the IMOHeadquarters in London,UK from 29 February to 4 March 2016. TheIHO was represented by Director GillesBessero and Assistant Director David Wyatt,Mr Peter Doherty, Chair of the IHO World‐Wide Navigational Warning Service Sub‐Committee(WWNWS‐SC),andMrChristopherJanus, Branch Chief, NGA Maritime Watch ‐NAVAREA IV/XII. Several representatives ofHydrographic Offices also attended themeetingaspartoftheirnationaldelegation.

NCSR3 approved three routeingmeasures, four traffic separation schemes, one inshore routeandoneareatobeavoided,whichwillbeforwardedtotheMSCforadoptionatits96thsessioninMay2016. TheSub‐Committeealsoapprovedamendments to theGeneralprovisiononships’routeing(IMOResolutionA.572(14))regardingtheestablishmentofmultiplestructuresatsea.

TheSub‐CommitteereceivedreportsfromtheChairoftheIMONAVTEXPanel,includingdetailson proposed newNAVTEX stations, stationswhich had recently become operationalwith theissueof theirB1character,andstationswhichhadbecomeorremainednon‐operational. TheChairoftheIHOWWNWS‐SCreportedontheactivitiesoftheSub‐Committee,highlightingtheprogresson theS‐100‐basedProductSpecification forNavigationalWarnings ‐S‐124, and thecapacity building training provided to the East Asia Hydrographic Commission andMediterranean and Black Seas Hydrographic Commission. The Sub‐Committee endorsed theproposed amendments to the International SafetyNET Manual and the IMO NAVTEX Manualprepared by theWWNWS‐SC and instructed the IMO Secretariat to draft the necessary MSCCircularsforconsiderationandapprovalbytheMSCatits96thsessioninMay2016. TheSub‐Committee noted that amendments to the GMDSS Master Plan had been distributed inGMDSS/Circ.18andAdministrationswereencouragedtochecktheirnationaldataforaccuracy.

IMO NCSR 3 in plenary meeting 

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Director Bessero in the plenary at NSCR 3

The NCSR agreed to advise theMSC that the Galileo system could be recognised as a futurecomponentoftheWorld‐WideRadioNavigationSystem(WWRNS).

In support of the work item on thedevelopment of Guidelines for theharmonized display of navigationinformation received via communicationsequipment and guidelines and criteria forshipreportingsystems,theIHOsubmittedadocumentonthecontributionoftheS‐100framework to the harmonized display ofnavigation information. The need forcoordination between related activitiesconducted by the IHO and the IMO washighlighted, including the opportunity ofactivating the IMO/IHO Harmonization

Group on Data Modelling, which had been previously authorized by MSC at its 90th session.Expectations that the output would provide a simplified and more user‐friendly display ofMarineSafetyInformationwereexpressed.TheSub‐CommitteeinvitedNorwaytocoordinateajointproposal frominterestedMemberStatesand internationalorganizationscontainingdraftGuidelines for theharmonizeddisplayofnavigation information receivedvia communicationsequipment,forconsiderationbytheNCSRatitsfourthsessionin2017. RelatedIMOactivitiesinclude the development of Additional modules to the Revised Performance standards forIntegratedNavigationSystems(INS),forwhichtheSub‐CommitteeestablishedaCorrespondenceGroupunderthecoordinationofChina,theInterconnectionofNAVTEXandInmarsatSafetyNETreceivers and their display on Integrated Navigation Display Systems, for which the Sub‐Committee invited further contribution from the USA and other interested Member Statesand/ororganizations,andthedevelopmentofGuidelinesonstandardizedmodesofoperation(S‐mode),tobeaddressedinthepost‐biennialagenda.

TheNCSRendorsedacomprehensivelistofconditionswhichwouldneedtobefulfilledbeforetheIridiumsystemcouldberecommendedforrecognitionasamobilesatellitesystemserviceprovideroftheGMDSS.TheSub‐Committeerecognisedthattheprocesshadidentifiedaneedtoreview the IMO Resolution A.1001(25), which details the criteria to be met by a providerseekingrecognitionasaserviceprovideroftheGMDSS.TheSub‐Committeeendorsedthedraftoutcomeof thedetailed reviewof theGMDSSand invited theMSC toapprove the reviewandcontinuetheprojectindevelopingtheGMDSSModernizationPlan,forwhichaCorrespondenceGroup was formed, under the coordination of the USA, in anticipation of the Committee’sapproval.

TheIHOsubmittedadocumentonthemonitoringofECDISissuesandchartcoverage.TheIHOreportedthat industryhadrecentlymadearequesttoextendbyoneyear,to31August2017,the transition period for upgrading existing ECDIS systems to meet the revised set of IHOstandards which came into force on 31 August 2015 for new ECDIS systems. The Sub‐Committee agreed to the one‐year extension. Noting the indication in the IHO report of theapparentandinappropriateuseoftheECDISDataPresentationandPerformanceCheckbyportState control and vetting inspectors, the Sub‐Committee agreed to invite theMSC to note theissue and refer it to the Sub‐Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III). Thediscussion of ECDIS issues was also informed by an off‐session presentation coordinated byINTERTANKO,theInternationalAssociationof IndependentTankerOwners. Thepresentationreported the wide variations in the skills of “certified ECDIS users”, a prevalent lack ofawarenessofsoftwaremaintenancerequirementsandalackofappropriateproceduresaboardships. The presentation questioned the relevance of some provisions of the IMO ECDISPerformance Standards related to display options. The presentation highlighted the lack offlexibility insettingthesafetydepthandthedifficulty tooptimize theanti‐grounding functionduetotheinsufficientdensityofcontourlinesinmostElectronicNavigationalCharts.

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Mr Ringo Lakeman, The Netherlands, andMr Nigel Clifford, New Zealand,were re‐elected asChairandVice‐Chair,respectively,of theSub‐Committee for its fourthsessionscheduledtobeheldattheIMOHeadquartersfrom6to10March2017.

   

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MARCH  

Marine Insurance and Risk Management Report Highlights Poor State of Surveying

and Charting Worldwide March

Marsh, a global leader in marineinsurance broking and riskmanagement,hasissuedanindustryinformationreportthathighlightstheinherentrisksinvolvedin operating ever larger ships in poorlysurveyedwaters‐HydrographicConcernsforModern‐DayLargeVessels. TheMarshReportquotesPresidentRobertWard,UKNationalHydrographerRearAdmiralTimLowe,amongothers.

Thereportnotesthatmanyoftheworld’scharts continue to rely on older orinadequate data that may not beappropriate for the operation of ever‐larger, modern vessels. The report alsonotes that the navigation of largestvessels in inadequately surveyed areasintroduces potentially serious additionalconsequences for shipoperatorsbecausethe marine salvage industry may havedifficulty in recovering the largest ofstrandedorgroundedvessels.Thereportalso draws attention to the operationalrisksinvolvedinthepolarregions,wherethe status of surveying is particularlylimited.

The report goes on to encourage governments,mariners and ship operators to contribute toimproving theworld’s charting coverage by investing in surveys and submitting reports anddatatoHydrographicOfficesandtheIHOwhereverpossible.

TheMarshReport,whichisavailableat:

https://www.marsh.com/uk/insights/research/hydrographic‐concerns‐plumbing‐the‐depths.html,refers to IHO publication C‐55 ‐ Status of Surveying and ChartingWorldwide as one of itsreferences.

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6th Meeting of the IHO/ROK Programme Management Board

IHB,Monaco,3‐4March The6thMeetingoftheIHO/RepublicofKorea(ROK)ProgrammeManagementBoard(PMB)washeld at the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB), Monaco from 3 to 4 March. The ROKdelegationcomprisedMr.An‐hoLee,DirectoroftheMarineTerritoryDivisionoftheMinistryofOceansandFisheriesandMr.WoongkyoSongfromtheInternationalCooperationTeamattheKorea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency. The IHO was represented by Mr. ThomasDehling (Chair of the IHOCapacityBuilding (CB) Sub‐Committee),DirectorMustafa Iptes andAssistant Director Alberto Costa Neves (Secretary). Mr. Maxim Van Norden, ProgrammeManagerattheUniversityofSouthernMississippi(USA)andrelevantIHBStaffalsoattendedthemeetingasinvitedcontributors.ThemeetingwaschairedbyMr.Dehling.

ParticipantsatPMB6

ThePMBwasestablishedundertheIHO/ROKMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)toidentifydirectionsforimprovinghydrographyandnauticalcartographyworldwidethroughthecapacitybuilding activities funded by the ROK and to manage the IHO/ROK programme of technicalcooperation.ThemeetingagreedontheneedtorevisethecurrentMoUinordertoupdateandadjustsomeoftheclauses.

The meeting reviewed the achievements and the various training and education activitiessponsoredbytheROK. TheannualfinancialcontributionfromROKformsasignificantpartoftheCapacityBuilding(CB)FundusedtosupporttheannualIHOCBWorkProgramme(CBWP).SinceitsinceptiontheROKcontributionhassupportededucationprogrammesinhydrographyand cartography, training for trainers' courses, seminars and short courses on hydrographicsurveys,ENCqualityassurance,marinespatialdatainfrastructures,lawofthesea,andtidesandwaterlevels,amongstothers.

The PMB considered the management aspects of supporting trainees on the Category "A"HydrographyProgrammeattheUniversityofSouthernMississippi(USM)/USAandtheCategory"B" Nautical Cartography Programme at KHOA in order to effectively deliver high leveleducationtoparticipantsfromdevelopingcountries.Duringthemeetingtheselectionboardforthe 2016‐2017 edition of the Category "A" Programme was established and selected twocandidatesfromMalaysiaandPhilippinesrespectively,subjecttofinalacceptancebytheUSM.

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ThemeetingacknowledgedthelimitednumberofqualifiedcandidatesthatwerenominatedfortheCategory"A"Programmethisyearandagreedonanumberofactionstofacilitateandguideprospectivecandidatesforfutureopportunities, includingadedicatedpageoftheIHOwebsiteand improved communication with the Member States and Regional HydrographicCommissions.

DuringthemeetingtheROKconfirmedthatthesupportforCBactivitiesin2016willbeatthesame level as the 2015 contribution. The ROK also expressed its interest in supporting thefurtherdevelopmentoftheCapacityBuildingManagementSystem(CBMS)byworkingwiththeIHB. The meeting was also briefed on CB activities being conducted by the East AsiaHydrographic Commission Technical, Research and Development Center (TRDC) and itsdevelopmentsone‐learningtobetterassisttheinternationalhydrographiccommunity.

TheseventhmeetingofthePMBwilltakeplaceintheRepublicofKoreainFebruaryorMarch2017(exactvenueanddatestobedecided).

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6th Meeting of the Worldwide ENC Database (WEND) Working Group (WENDWG)

Stavanger,Norway,8‐10March

ThesixthmeetingoftheWorldwideENCDatabaseWorkingGroup(WENDWG)washeldfrom8to10March inStavanger,Norway,hostedbytheNorwegianHydrographicService(NHS).Themeetingwas chaired byMr JamieMcMichael‐Phillips, UKHO. Twenty‐four delegates from16MemberStates(Argentina,Brazil,Canada,Finland,France,Germany,Italy,Japan,Norway,Oman,Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA), representing 11 RegionalHydrographicCommissions (ARHC,BSHC,EAtHC,MACHC,MBSHC,NHC,NSHC,RSAHC,SAIHC,SWAtHC,USCHC), twoRegionalENCCoordinatingCentres (IC‐ENCandPRIMAR),and the IHBattended themeeting. Additionally, four expert contributors from industry and academia hadbeen invited by the WENDG Chair to participate as observers. Director Mustafa Iptes andAssistantDirectorYvesGuillam(Secretary)representedtheIHB.

Most of the decisions and actions arising from the 5th meeting of the WENDWG wereimplementedorcomplete.Asaresult,themeetingconcentratedonthemainworkitemsoftheWENDWG 2015‐16 Work Programme, as approved at the 7th meeting of the Inter‐RegionalCoordinationCommittee(IRCC‐7).

OneofthemainobjectivesoftheWENDWGistomonitortheapplicationoftheWENDPrinciplesbyHydrographicOffices and theRegionalHydrographicCommissions (RHCs). As reported tothe IMO, global ENC coverage has reached the point where further progress is primarilydependentuponnewsurveysor re‐surveysbeing carriedout in the areasnot yet coveredbyENCs. Yet, for various reasons, there remain numerous cases of overlapping ENCs, which iscontrary to the ENC production principles established by the IHO. It was agreed that thesituationisnotimproving:oneofthereasonsidentifiedisthatmostoftheRHCsdonotsetup“Approved”ENCSchemesas theydo for INTpapercharts. IC‐ENCprovidedacomprehensivereport on the unpredictable behaviour of ECDIS in situationswhere overlapping data occurs.Thiswasfollowedbyveryfruitfuldiscussions.

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ItwasagreedbytheWorkingGroupandsupportedbytheindustrystakeholderparticipantsthatCIRM be invited to distribute the IC‐ENC Report on overlapping ENC data to ECDISmanufacturers in order to provide a better understanding of the consequences in ECDISoperatingsoftwarewhenuploadingordisplayingENCs.Asetofassociatedactionstoimprovethesituationwasalsodecided.Inparticular,itwasdecidedthattheIHOENCCatalogueshoulddisplayApprovedENCSchemesasadditionallayers,andthattheIRCCandtheWENDWGshouldprepareaConference/AssemblyProposal,focusedonthenavigationally‐significantoverlappingissues,tobeconsideredatthenextInternationalHydrographicConferenceorAssemblyinApril2017.

The meeting was informed that progress had been made by several regional InternationalCharting CoordinationWorking Groups (ICCWG) that are now using ENC coverage as part oftheirsystematicriskassessmentanalysisprotocols.ItisconsideredthattheRHCsthatarenowdoingthiswillbenefit furtherassoonastheycanmaintainandkeepsuchstudiesupdatedforthevariouscategoriesofSOLASvessels.Adatabase,thatwillfacilitatetheidentificationoftheportsand locationswhere largescaleENCcoverage ismissing,willbedeveloped by the IHB,startingin2016,withinitialsupportprovidedbytheUSA(NationalGeospatialAgency’sWorldPortIndex(Publication150)willbeused).

The RENCs reported on theirharmonizationactivitiesandprovidedanup todateENCdata flowdiagramto illustrate the few remainingdistributionissuesstilltoberesolved.Discussions on ENCs that arecurrently only available through“exclusive” distributor arrangements,ratherthanviatheWENDsystem,ledto a couple of actions agreed byJeppesen and the UKHO in order toimprove the accessibility of theseENCsinthefuture.

A final proposal on Temporary &PreliminaryNoticestoMariners(T&PNtMs) and the related AdmiraltyInformationOverlay,deliveredby theUKHO as part of their AVCS service,wasagreed. ItwillbeincludedintheWENDWG Chair’s report to the IRCC,

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themain recommendation relating to safety of navigationbeing that “AIOmustbewithdrawnwheretheprimarychartingauthorityproducesT&PNtMsforitsENC”.

FollowingtheretirementofMrSeanHinds(Canada),MrJohnNybergwaselectedasVice‐ChairoftheWENDWG.ThenextmeetingoftheWENDWGwilltakeplaceconsecutivelywhentheJointRENCmeetingtakesplaceinearlyFebruary2017intheUSA.

Further informationconcerning themeeting isavailableon the IHOwebsiteatwww.iho.int>Committees&WG>WENDWG>WENDWG‐6. Referencedocumentsarealsonowavailableatwww.iho.int>Committees&WG>WENDWG>WENDWGRepository.

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14th Meeting of the IHO Document Review Working Group of the Sub-Committee on the World-Wide Navigation

Warning Service (DRWG14) London,UK,8‐10March

The Document Review WorkingGroup (DRWG) of the IHO Sub‐Committee on the World‐WideNavigation Warning Service(WWNWS‐SC),whichiscontinuingitsreview of the WWNWSdocumentation, met at theHeadquarters of the InternationalMaritime Organization (IMO) inLondon,UKfrom8to10MarchunderthechairmanshipofMrPeterDoherty(USA). The meeting was held in theweek following the third session ofthe IMO Sub‐Committee onNavigation, Communications and

Search and Rescue (NCSR3), to take advantage of the presence of WG Members who hadpreviouslyattendedNCSR3(France,UK,USA,IMO,WorldMeteorologicalOrganization[WMO],InternationalMobile Satellite Organization [IMSO], Inmarsat, Iridium and IHB). The IHBwasrepresentedbyAssistantDirectorDavidWyatt.

The WG undertook editorial reviews of the IMO Resolutions A.705(17), as amended ‐PromulgationofMaritimeSafetyInformation,A.706(17),asamended‐World‐WideNavigationalWarning Service, and A.1051(27) ‐World‐WideMet‐Ocean InformationWarning Service. Theoutcomeswillbeconsideredbythenext(eighth)meetingoftheWWNWS‐SC(WWNWS8),whichwillbeheld12‐16September2016inÅlesund,Norway.

TheoutcomesofNCSR3relevanttotheWWNWS‐SCwerereviewed,whichincludedanumberofCorrespondence Groups and groups developing equipment guidelines in which WWNWS‐SCmembersshouldbeinvolved.TheChairprovidedabriefonhisrecentpresentationtotheIOCWorkingGrouponTsunamis andOtherHazardsRelated to Sea‐LevelWarning andMitigationSystems(TOWS‐WG)thatresultedinagreementbytheTOWS‐WGforgreaterengagementwiththeWWNWS‐SC.

TherewaswidespreadsupportforacombinedWWNWS‐SCandRegionalCapacityBuilding(CB)Coordinators’ workshop, proposed to be held duringWWNWS8, to discuss all aspects of theplanning,coordinationanddeliveryoftheIHOCBMaritimeSafetyInformationtrainingcourse.TheWGalso reviewed thedraft agenda forWWNWS8, including thedraftprogramme for theproposed jointCBWorkshop. Thesedocumentswillbeavailableon theWWNWSpageof theIHOwebsite.

DRWGparticipantsatIMOHeadquarterswiththelensexhibitfromOrfordnessLighthouseinthebackground

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16th Meeting of the North Indian Ocean Hydrographic Commission

Chittagong,Bangladesh,14‐16March

The 16th meeting of the North Indian Ocean Hydrographic Commission (NIOHC) was held inChittagong,Bangladesh,from14to16March,underthechairmanshipofRearAdmiralMakbulHossain,Chairmanof theNationalHydrographicCommitteeofBangladesh. Participantswerewelcomedat theopeningceremonybyViceAdmiralMohammadNizamuddinAhmed,ChiefofNavalStaffoftheBangladeshNavy.NIOHC Member State representativesfrom Bangladesh, Egypt, India,Myanmar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, SriLanka, Thailand and the UnitedKingdomattendedthemeetingtogetherwith representatives of AssociateMembers fromAustralia,France,Oman,the Seychelles and the United States.TheRussianFederationandSudanwererepresented as Observer States.Representatives of the IHO‐IOC GEBCOProject and several commercialcompanies also attended as invited observers. Director Iptes and Assistant Director WyattrepresentedtheIHB.TheNIOHCreceivednationalreportsfromMemberStatesandAssociateMemberStates,areportfromtheIHBaswellassummaryreportsonthe7thmeetingsoftheIHOHydrographicServicesand Standards Committee and the Inter Regional Coordination Committee held during theprevious year and presentations about progress of the IHO‐IOCGEBCO Project. Themeetingalso received reports on progress and issues related to the IHO Worldwide ENC Databaseconcept and the associated Regional ENC Coordinating Centres, the report on the INT chartscheme of Region J, an update on the work of the IHO Marine Spatial Data InfrastructuresWorking Group, relevant activities that had taken place in the International MaritimeOrganization, an update from the NAVAREA VIII Coordinator and the outcomes of the 7thmeetingoftheWorld‐WideNavigationalWarningServiceSub‐Committee.DirectorIptesreportedontheIHOWorkProgrammeandtheOrganization’sactivitiesduringthepreviousyear. Asatpreviousmeetings,timewasdevotedtodiscussingregionalrequirementsforcapacitybuilding(CB). AcomprehensiveCBplanwasdevelopedforsubmissiontothe14thmeeting of the IHO Capacity Building Sub‐Committee (CBSC14) later in the year. AssistantDirectorWyattprovidedaprogressreportontheIHOcrowd‐sourcedbathymetryprogramme,whichgeneratednumerouscommentsandquestions.

The meeting included a number ofpresentations from industry representatives.These highlighted technologies and trainingopportunities available to the region.Industry representatives were keen toemphasise their willingness to engage withthe NIOHC and its members to assist in thedevelopment of hydrographic andcartographiccapabilitywithintheregion.TheMember States reviewed the Statutes oftheNIOHCand,inpreparationfortheapproval

ParticipantsatNIOHC16

DirectorIptesaddressingtheNIOHC16plenary

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of the amendments to the IHO Convention, spent time drafting a new annex detailing theprocesses and procedures for selecting theNIOHC’s representatives for the new IHO Council.DirectorIptesalsoprovidedtheCommissionwithgeneralinformationonthenextInternationalHydrographicConference/Assemblyandtherevisedstructureof the IHO, inparticularabouttheIHOCouncil.ThecurrentVice‐ChairoftheNIOHC,Egypt,willassumetheChairoftheNIOHCwithinthenextfourmonths in accordancewith the Statutes of theCommission. TheNIOHC elected India toassumetheVice‐Chairpositionforthenextperiod.Egyptvolunteeredtohostthe17thmeetingof the Commission in Alexandria, Egypt, tentatively scheduled during the week of 13 to 17February; it was agreed to hold an INT Chart CoordinationWorking Groupmeeting prior toNIOHC17.

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17th Meeting of the Asia-Pacific

Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies Queenstown,NewZealand,14‐16March

The Asia‐Pacific Heads of MaritimeSafety Agencies (APHoMSA) servesa similar function for the regionalcoordinationandimplementationofIMO rules and instruments and for

knowledgesharingandcapacitybuildingthattheRegionalHydrographicCommissionsprovidefor the IHO. The IHO, represented by the secretariat of the IHO, is a permanent observerorganizationatthemeetingsofAPHoMSA.

The 17th annual Meeting of APHoMSAwas held in Queenstown, New Zealand from 14 to 16March. TheMaritimeSafetyAgenciesofAustralia,Chile,China,CookIslands,Fiji,HongKong‐China, Japan, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue,Philippines,Singapore,SolomonIslands,Tuvalu,UnitedStatesandVietNamwererepresented.The IHO, International Maritime Organization (IMO), Pacific Community, InternationalAssociationofAids toNavigationandLighthouseAuthoritiesand theSecretariatof thePacificRegionalEnvironmentProgrammewerealsorepresented.PresidentRobertWardattendedonbehalfoftheIHO.

President Ward provided a report on the status of provision of hydrographic and nauticalcharting services in all countries in the APHoMSA region. He provided a country by countryassessment and, in particular, emphasized the currently unsatisfactory provision of MaritimeSafety Information (MSI) despite a significant number of the participant organizations havingreceived IHO‐sponsoredMSI training in recent times. Hewent on to point out that, inmostcases, the trainees were employed in national Maritime Administrations represented inAPHoMSA.

PresidentWardstressedtherolethatnationalMaritimeAdministrationsshouldplayinensuringthatappropriatehydrographicandnauticalchartingservicesareinplaceintheirjurisdictionsinconformance with the obligations placed on States through the relevant articles of theConvention for the Safety of Life at Sea, for which Maritime Administrations are normallyanswerableintheIMO.HewentontoremindtherepresentativesoftheAdministrationsatthemeetingthattheeffectiveprovisionofhydrographicservicesisspecificallyexaminedintheIMOmandatoryAuditSchemeandthattheIHOstoodreadytoassist thoseStatesthatmayrequiresupport.

ThenextmeetingofAPHoMSAwilltakeplacefrom21to24March2017inLangkawi,Malaysia.

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Concurrent Meetings of the S-100 Working Group (S-100WG)

the ENC Standards Maintenance Working Group (ENCWG)

and the Data Protection Scheme Working Group (DPSWG)

Tokyo,Japan,14–18March

TheJapanHydrographicandOceanographicDepartment(JHOD)hostedconcurrentmeetingsofthe S‐100, ENCStandardsMaintenance andDataProtection SchemeWorkingGroups (WG) inTokyo, Japan from 14 to 18March. Themeeting schedule included joint sessions to discussitemsofmutualinterest,aswellasseparatesessionsforitemspertainingtoeachgroup. Sixtyparticipantsfrom18MemberStates,15stakeholderorganizations,andoneacademicinstitutionattendedthemeetings.

MeetingparticipantsonthefirstdayThe S‐100WG reviewed proposals for corrections, clarifications and extensions to the nextedition of S‐100 ‐ Universal Hydrographic DataModel. Proposals to add Tagged Image FileFormat(TIFF)andHierarchicalDataFormat(HDF5),asencodingformatstoS‐100wereagreed.The addition of a Scaled Vector Graphics (SVG) profile for the creation of symbols was alsoagreed. Themeetingalsoagreed tomakeprovision for the introductionofSupertype/Subtyperelationships, and discussedwhether PDF should be included as a support file format. Otherproposals thatwere discussed included the use ofunique identifier and the development of amodelforsystemalertsandindications.The S‐100WG reviewed the Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure of the newly formedProject Teams that will work on product specifications for S‐121 (Maritime Limits andBoundaries) and Under Keel Clearance Management Information and agreed thecommencementoftheiractivities.ReportswerealsoprovidedonthestatusoftheS‐101(nextgeneration Electronic Navigational Chart), S‐111 (Surface Current) and S‐102 (BathymetricSurface)ProductSpecifications.TheS‐102ProjectTeam(PT)sub‐groupworkedonthedevelopmentofaportrayalmodelforthenexteditionoftheS‐102productspecification.TheS‐101PTsub‐groupworkedoncompletingtheproductspecificationdocument,theDataCaptureandEncodingGuide(DCEG)documentandthedraftversionsoftheS‐101featureandportrayalcatalogues.ReportswerealsoprovidedontheS‐101ENCdataeditor,theS‐101ENCviewers,andtheS‐57toS‐101dataconvertersthatare

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currentlybeingdevelopedbystakeholderorganizations.AnupdateonthecurrentstatusoftheactivitiesrelatedtothedevelopmentoftheS‐100Registrywasalsoprovided.TheENCStandardsMaintenanceWorkingGroup(ENCWG)reviewedproposalsforclarificationsand corrections to the current editions of S‐52 ‐ Specifications for Chart Content andDisplayAspects of ECDIS) and S‐64 ‐ IHO Test Data Sets for ECDIS. A sub‐group was convened tocomplete a revised edition of S‐58 ‐ ENC Validation Checks. The meeting discussed issuesrelating to the portrayal of boundary lines for non‐official data, the use of isolated dangersymbols in unsurveyed areas, guidance on the offset of the magnetic variation (MAGVAR)symbol on line features, and the portrayal of omnidirectional lights. Proposals were alsoconsidered for the encoding and portrayal of Virtual Automatic Identification System (V‐AIS)featuresandabovewaterbuildingfeatures.TheDataProtectionSchemeWorkingGroup(DPSWG)reviewedthedraftedition(2.0)ofS‐63‐IHODataProtectionScheme, whichaimstobe lessENC‐centricandwillsupportS‐100andS‐10xrequirements. TheWGdiscussedhowtodealwithdata integritywithinS‐100andS‐10xproduct specifications, and what extensions will be needed to the currentS‐100metadata section to support this requirement. Themeeting also reviewed the currentstatus of the S‐63 Security Scheme, and discussed issues relating to cyber security on boardships,andwhatimpactthismayhaveontheprovisionofS‐100basedproductsandservices.ThenextS‐100WGmeeting is scheduled from15 to17March2017and thenextENCWGandDPSWGmeetingsfrom20to22March2017.

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2nd Meeting of the Nautical Information Provision

Working Group (NIPWG) Monaco,21–24March

The2ndmeetingoftheNauticalInformationProvisionWorkingGroup(NIPWG)tookplaceattheInternationalHydrographicBureau(IHB),Monaco,from21to24March.TheNIPWG is the IHOWorkingGroup reporting to theHydrographic Services and StandardsCommittee (HSSC) that is responsible for the development of specifications in support of thee‐navigation services that are intended to provide mariners with harmonized up‐to‐dateinformationonintegrateddisplaysinthefuture.ThemeetingwaschairedbyMrJensSchröder‐Fürstenberg,Germany.Nineteendelegatesfrom14MemberStates(Brazil,Finland,France,Germany,Italy,Japan,Netherlands,Norway,Republicof Korea, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, USA) and eight stakeholderorganizations attended the meeting. The IHB was represented by Assistant Director YvesGuillam. DirectorGillesBesserowelcomedtheparticipantsandhighlighted the importanceofthe working group in preparing tomorrow’s services in support of mariners. He also drewattentiontotheneedtofocusnotonlyonthebuildingblocksfordigitalinformationservices,butalsoontheoverallarchitectureoftheservices,confirmingtheIHO’srequestfortangibleoutputsfromNIPWGtoaddresse‐navigationandMaritimeServicePortfolios(MSP)issues.

ParticipantsattheNIPWG‐2Meeting

The meeting considered the continuing active development of S‐100‐based productspecificationsthatrelatetothetasksassignedtotheNIPWG.Themeetingnotedthechallengesalreadyexperiencedaspartoftheparadigmshiftfrompaperandtext‐basedSailingDirectionsto providing this information as digital data under the e‐navigation concept, in particular thechallengesofmodellingnautical information associatedwith imprecisegeographicalpositionsand/orextent(forexample,radioranges,applicabilityofrulesandregulations,andsoon.).

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Following a presentation by the representative of the International Harbour Masters’Association (IHMA) on the development ofweb‐based Port Information Guides,whichwouldbenefit from further standardization, theNIPWGagreed to investigate thepossiblegaps in itsexisting data modelling to better meet the additional users’ requirements identified by theIHMA.

PresentationbyIHMAFromPortInformationGuidetoAVANTI(AccesstoValidatedNauticalInformation)Themeetingmadesomeprogressonlongpendingportrayal issuesrelatedtotheIHOProductSpecification S‐122 ‐ Marine Protected Areas, building on the guidance provided by the 7thmeetingofHSSCin2015.Followingdiscussionsontheportrayalof“rulesandregulations”,suchasMARPOL1, some Expert Contributors volunteered to undertake investigations and to sharethelessonslearnedataNIPWGVisualizationWorkshoptentativelyscheduledforMay2017.Athorough review of progress in the active development of four other S‐100‐based productspecificationsundertheNIPWGworkprogrammewascarriedout.AsinstructedbytheHSSC,awork plan to develop IHO S‐128, the product specification related to catalogues of nauticalproducts,wasconsidered.Actionswere agreed to further improve coordination between the IHO and the InternationalAssociationofMarineAidstoNavigationandLighthouseAuthorities(IALA)forthedevelopmentofS‐100‐basedproductspecifications,inparticularthroughcontributingtotheIALAWorkshoponShore‐basedmaritimeservices:fromtheorytopracticaluse,plannedinMay2016inPortugal.TheparticipantsinthemeetingconsideredthatmanyIHOMemberStateshaveyettorealizetheimplications of the move towards the digital delivery of nautical information under the e‐navigationframework,andtheneedtoparticipatepro‐activelyinthedevelopmentoftheMSPsandassociatedstandards.The next meeting of the NIPWG will take place in Busan (Republic of Korea) from 5 to 9December2016.AllthedocumentsconsideredatthemeetingareavailableontheIHOwebsiteatwww.iho.int>Committees&WG>NIPWG>NIPWG‐2.

                                                            1 The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. 

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APRIL

10th Conference of the South-West Atlantic

Hydrographic Commission (SWAtHC) BuenosAires,Argentina,7‐8April

The 10th Conference of the South‐West Atlantic Hydrographic Commission (SWAtHC) washostedbytheHydrographicOfficeofArgentina(ServiciodeHidrografíaNaval‐SHN)on7and8April2016.Fifteendelegatesattendedthemeeting,chairedbyCaptainRubénAlbertoFrattini,actingDirectorof theSHN. All three IHOMemberStatesof theCommission,Argentina,BrazilandUruguay,wererepresentedtogetherwith theAssociateMember,Paraguay. Two industrystakeholders(CarisandKongsbergMaritime)participatedinthemeetingasObservers.TheIHBDirectingCommitteewasrepresentedbyDirectorGillesBessero.DrAntonioMarceloSerangeli,Undersecretary of State for Defence Research, Development and Production delivered theopeningaddressonbehalfoftheMinisterofDefenceofArgentina,highlightingtheimportanceofhydrographythroughitsunderpinningroleinthesubmissionofArgentinafortheextensionofitscontinentalshelfwhichhadbeenrecentlyapprovedbytheUnitedNationsCommissionontheLimitsoftheContinentalShelf.

DrSerangeli,UndersecretaryofStateforDefenceResearch,

DevelopmentandProductionofArgentina,attheright,addressingtheConferenceThe approval of the report of the 9th Conference was confirmed and the status of the list ofactionswasreviewed.

Argentina,BrazilandUruguayreportedontheirnationalactivitiessincethe9thConference.TheCommission noted the progress reported by Brazil in developing an IC‐ENC branch coveringSouth America. The first validations of ENC are expected during the first semester of 2016.Brazil,asChairoftheSWAtHCPlanningCommittee(ComitédePlaneamiento),thenreportedontheintersessionalworkconductedthroughtheCommittee,addressingnotablythemaintenanceandimplementationoftheregionalINTandENCschemesandtheestablishmentofa

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pluriannual capacity building programme. The Commission noted the progress in the co‐productionbyArgentinaandUruguayofINTChart2010(DeArroyodelChuyaMardePlata).TheCommissionconsideredtheworkplanoftheCommitteeforthenextintersessionalperiodand agreed to add an item on the analysis of the use of risk assessment methodologies toprioritize survey requirements. The chairmanship of the Committee was handed over toUruguayforthenextthree‐yearperiod.

In addition to providing a briefing on current IHO issues and the work of the IHB, DirectorBesseroprovidedadviceontheregionalselectionofthemembersofthefutureIHOCouncil.TheCommissionagreedthattheseatontheCouncilallocatedtotheSWAtHCwouldbetakenbytheChairanddecidedtorevisetheStatutesoftheCommissionaccordingly.

Participantsinthe10thSWAtHCConference

Noting the lack of progress in implementing the recommendations of the IHO Technical Visitconducted in Paraguay in 2014, the Commission reiterated its request that a representativeparticipatesinthePlanningCommitteeandinvitedParaguaytosubmitanationalreportatthenextSWAtHCmeetingandidentifyanyfurtherrequirementsforassistance.

Argentina,asChairoftheCommission,reportedontheworkoftheInter‐RegionalCoordinationCommittee,WorldwideENCDatabaseWorkingGroupandHydrographicServicesandStandardsCommittee. TheCommissionagreedconsequentialactions. BrazilreportedontheactivitiesoftheInlandENCHarmonizationGroup.Argentina and Brazil reported on testing successfully contingency arrangements between theCoordinators of NAVAREAs V and VI and signed an agreement formalizing their jointcontingencyplan.

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ThenationalHydrographersofArgentinaandBrazilaftersigningtheagreementonthecontingencyplanforNAVAREAsVandVI

The industry representatives briefed the Commission on their latest developments related todataacquisitionandprocessing.ItwasproposedthatthenextConferencetakeplaceinMarch2017inBrazil,theexactdateandvenue to be decided before 1 September 2016. In accordance with the statutes of theCommission,thechairmanshipwillbetransferredtoBrazilwithin45daysfromtheclosureoftheConference.AllthedocumentsofthemeetingarepostedattheSWAtHCsectionoftheIHOwebsite.

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60TH MEETING OF THE NORDIC HYDROGRAPHIC COMMISSION (NHC)

Stavanger,Norway,11‐13April 

The60thmeetingoftheNordicHydrographicCommission(NHC)washostedbyNorwayfrom11to 13 April 2016, in Stavanger. Sixteen delegates attended themeeting, chaired byMr EvertFlier,DirectoroftheNorwegianHydrographicService(NHS).ThefiveNordicStates(Denmark,Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden)were represented. The IHBDirecting CommitteewasrepresentedbyDirectorGillesBessero.

Participantsinthe60thNHCMeeting

Following the opening of themeeting by the Chair and the review of the status of the list ofactions from thepreviousmeetings,DirectorBesserobriefed theCommissionon current IHOissuesand IHBactivities. Themeetingconsideredreportsonnationalactivitiessince the59thmeetingandreviewedon‐goinginitiativesandprojectsofcommoninterestrelatedtosurveys,nautical charting,nauticalpublications, theprovisionofofficial services to the leisuremarket,the development of marine spatial data infrastructures (MSDI) and the provision of capacitybuilding.IcelandreportedthattheGovernmentofIcelandhadconcludedthatthecurrentrateofprogress of surveying Icelandic waters was unacceptable and therefore decided to launch aprogrammeaimingat a complete surveyof theExclusiveEconomicZonewithin ten to fifteenyears.Norwayreportedthatasocio‐economicstudyhadbeeninitiatedtojustifythebudgetaryrequirementsofNHS.TheresultswereexpectedbySeptemberandwouldbesharedwithintheCommission. Norway reported also on the progress of a bilateral cooperation project withAlbania aiming at developing an ENC production capability: the first ENC is expected to bereleasedfordistributionlaterinApril.The work of the IHO Inter‐Regional Coordination Committee (IRCC), MSDI Working Group,WorldwideENCDatabaseWorkingGroupandIHO‐EuropeanCommissionWorkingGroupwasconsidered.ThetwoRegionalENCCoordinatingCentres,PrimarandIC‐ENC,reportedontheiractivities.TheCommissionexpresseditsexpectationthattheoutstandingissuesrelatedtotheAdmiraltyInformationOverlay(AIO)serviceprovidedbytheUKHOberesolvedbythe8thIRCCmeetinginMay2016.NotingthatthenumberofmembersoftheNHCwouldresultinonlyoneseatbeingallocatedtotheCommissioninthefutureIHOCouncilandthatallfiveNHCmembersweremembersofmorethan one Regional Hydrographic Commission (RHC), the meeting considered a procedure toallocate the NHC seat. The Commission agreed that under these circumstances, only one

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Member State would declare its preference to be counted in the NHC and occupy the seatallocated to the NHC, thereby leaving the otherMembers of the NHC to be counted in otherCommissions.ItwasagreedthatSwedenwoulddeclareitsinterestinbeingcountedintheNHCandoccupytheCouncilseatallocatedtotheNHCforthefirstmandate.Ontheoccasionofthemeeting,FinlandandSwedensignedabilateralcooperationagreement.

SignatureofabilateralcooperationagreementbytheHydrographersofFinlandandSweden

Inaccordancewith theorderdefinedby thestatutes,Denmark tookover thechairmanshipattheendofthemeeting.ThenextmeetingwillbehostedbyDenmarkinMarch2017,exactdateandvenuetobedecided.AllthedocumentsofthemeetingarepostedintheNHCsectionoftheIHOwebsite.

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President Visits Italian Hydrographic Office Genoa,Italy,14April

After the annual meeting of the Comité International Radio‐Maritime (CIRM), the PresidentvisitedtheItalianHydrographicInstitute(IstitutoIdrograficodellaMarina(IIM))inGenoaon14April,wherehewasgreetedbyCommodoreLuigiSinapi,theHydrographerofItaly.

ThePresidentwasbriefedontherecentachievementsoftheIIMandplansforthefuture.Thisincludesan increasedrole in internationalactivities includingmoreactiveparticipation in theworkoftheIHO.

PresidentWardwas able tomeet the staffworking on the IIM’s extensive chart and nauticalpublicationsportfolio aswell as visiting several historical exhibits andviewing the increasingrangeofproductsandservicesaimedatrecreationalboaters.

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Annual Meeting of the Comité International Radio-Maritime (CIRM)

Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, 12 to 14 April

The Comité International Radio‐Maritime (CIRM) held its AnnualMeetinginSantaMargheritaLigure,Italyfrom12to14April.CIRMis the international organization representing the maritimeelectronics industry in the development of relevant internationalregulationsandstandardsandenjoysobserverstatuswiththeIHO

asaNon‐GovernmentalInternationalOrganization. CIRMmaintainsanactiveroleintheIHOHydrographic Services and Standards Committee (HSSC),with a number of itsmembers alsoparticipatingasExpertContributorsinvariousHSSCWorkingGroups.

The Conference featured three days of presentations, seminars and a workshop on topicsincluding cyber security, developments in navigation and communication, and voyage datarecorders and included a dedicated session on ECDIS, and another on the use of non‐TypeApprovedelectronicequipmentonthebridgesofships.

Themeetingfeaturedanumberofguestspeakersfromacrosstheshippingindustry, includingrepresentativesof the InternationalAssociationofClassificationSocieties(IACS), InternationalAssociationofIndependentTankerOwners(INTERTANKO),InternationalChamberofShipping(ICS),FlagStateAdministrationsandinsuranceorganizations.

PresidentWardrepresentedtheIHOattheAnnualMeeting.InthesessiononECDIS,MrThomasMellor, Chair of the IHO ENC StandardsMaintenanceWorking Group, provided an update ofprogress on the relevant IHO standards governing ECDIS and Commodore Luigi Sinapi, theHydrographerofItalyspokeaboutprogressintheprovisionofENCsandtheunderlyingissuesoflimitedavailabilityofgoodhydrographicdataandhowqualityandreliabilityaredepictedonchartsandENCs.

ThenextAnnualMeetingofCIRMwilltakeplaceinSingaporein2017.

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39th meeting of the FIG/IHO/ICA International Board on Standards of Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors

and Nautical Cartographers (IBSC) Brest,France,4‐15April

TheFIG/IHO/ICAInternationalBoardonStandardsofCompetenceforHydrographicSurveyorsandNauticalCartographers(IBSC)isajointboardoftheInternationalFederationofSurveyors(FIG), the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), and the International CartographicAssociation (ICA). The IBSC is responsible to promote, develop and maintain internationalstandards of competence for hydrographic surveyors and nautical cartographers, to reviewtraining and education programmes seeking recognition, to provide support and guidance toinstitutions seeking advice and to conduct onsite visits to institutions holding recognizedprogrammes. The 39th meeting of the IBSC was held in Brest (France) at the ServiceHydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine (SHOM), from 4 to 15 April under thechairmanshipofNicolasSeube(France,IHOrepresentative).ThemeetingwasattendedbythetenMembersoftheBoard.TheBoardwelcomedCommodoreRodNairnfromAustraliaasanewIBSCMember representing the IHO. Assistant Director Alberto CostaNeves (IBSC Secretary)representedtheIHB.

TheIBSCwithDirector‐GeneralofSHOM,IGABrunoFrachon(center)andIPETARonanLeRoy(firstleft).

The Board reviewed a record number of 18 programmes for hydrographic surveyors andnauticalcartographersatitsannualmeeting:16programmesforhydrographicsurveyors(8atCategory"A"and8atCategory"B",includingthreenewprogrammes),onenewprogrammefornauticalcartographersatCategory"B" levelandonenewschemefor individualrecognitionatnationallevel.The resultwas significant and theBoardwasable to grant recognition to11programmes forHydrographicSurveyors(fouratCategory"A" levelandsevenatCategory"B" level), includingonenewprogramme.TheBoardwasalsopleasedtograntrecognitiontoanewprogrammeforNauticalCartographers (theninthof its kind) and to anewscheme for individual recognition(the second to be recognized). Seven of these thirteen submissions were recognized withconditionsthattheBoardexpectswillbefulfilledinashorttime.Worthnotingistheincreasingnumberofinstitutionssuccessfullyusinge‐learningandblended‐learningtoolstodeliverpartsofprogrammecontent.

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TheBoardalsoreviewedprogressmadeduringtheintersessionalperiodintherevisionoftheStandardsofCompetence forHydrographicSurveyorsandNauticalCartographers. TheBoardwas able to complete thework on the Standards of Competence for Hydrographic SurveyorsCategory "A" (IHO Publication S‐5A), incorporating a significant number of suggestions andrecommendations received from the broad hydrographic community. The draft S‐5Awill besubmitted to the next meeting of the Inter‐Regional Coordination Committee (IRCC8) forendorsement. Subject to that endorsement and subsequent approval by the three parentorganizations,thenewPublicationS‐5AwillbeinforcebySeptember2016andwillsupersedetheexistingPublicationS‐5Edition11.1.0.Progress was also achieved in the revision of the Standards of Competence for NauticalCartographersand theBoardwasable tocomplete the firstdraftof IHOpublicationS‐8B thatwill be introduced to IRCC8 for information and feedback, before distribution to the widecommunity for comments. The Board established ad‐hoc working groups to continue thedevelopmentofS‐8BandtoissuethefirstdraftofS‐8Ainordertoseekstakeholderfeedback.Both S‐8B and S‐8A will be submitted to the 9th session of the IRCC in 2017. Subject toendorsement by IRCC and to the subsequent approval process, the new publications willeventuallyreplacethecurrentS‐8Edition3.1.0.The IBSC considered the ever increasing workload brought about by the large number ofsubmissionsforrecognition,themaintenanceoftheStandardsofCompetence,thesupportandguidance to institutions seekingadviceand theonsitevisits to institutionsholdingrecognizedprogrammes.Thisworkloadisleadingtotheneedforlongermeetingsandforcontinuousworkduringtheintersessionalperiod.ThisheavyworkloadisalsoimpactingonthedemandsplacedontheIHOSecretariatthatsupportstheworkoftheBoard.The need to further support the institutions that submit programmes and schemes forrecognition also occupied the Board during the meeting. The Board agreed to establishtemplates and checklists that will facilitate the preparation and improve the quality of thedocumentation submitted to the IBSC, thereby helping the institutions to ensure that theirprogrammescomplywiththeStandardsofCompetence.The Board electedMr. AdamGreenland (FIG) as the Chair for the next three years. Mr. RonFurness(ICA)andCaptainNickolásRoscher(IHO)wereelectedasVice‐Chair1andVice‐Chair2,respectively.ThenewChairandVice‐Chairswilltakeofficeon30September2016.The nextmeeting of the IBSCwill take place from 20 to 31March 2017 inWellington, NewZealand.Itisexpectedthatmorethan20programmesandschemeswillbereviewedduringthatmeeting,togetherwiththecontinuationofthemaintenanceoftheStandardsofCompetence.

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Workshop for INT Chart / ENC Coordinators IHB,Monaco,25April

The firstworkshop for INTChart / ENCCoordinators took place at the IHB inMonaco on25April, the day before the 2nd meeting of the Nautical Cartography Working Group (NCWG).Twentydelegatesfrom12MemberStates(Australia,Brazil,Canada,Finland,France,Germany,Japan, Korea (Rep. of), Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, USA), and the IHB DirectingCommitteeattendedtheworkshop.TheINTChart/ENCCoordinatorsof14outof15chartingregionswerepresentorrepresented.TheworkshopwasmoderatedbyAssistantDirectorYvesGuillam,supportedbyMrDanielMeniniandMrYongBaekfromtheIHB.

ParticipantsintheWorkshopforINTChart/ENCCoordinatorsPresident Robert Ward welcomed the participants to the workshop. He highlighted theimportance for them tomake the best of the information session on the use of the newwebbased services for the maintenance of S‐11 Part B – Catalogue of INT charts, for efficiencypurposesintheirregionononehand,andforimprovingthequalityofthedatabaseingeneralontheother.After a short overview of the relevant standards and publications, and a review of thefundamentalprinciplesthatdrivetheconceptofINTChartsandENCsschemes,theCoordinatorsdelivered their self‐assessment reports. Mostof theCoordinators consider that the INT chartschemesarenowmature.Asaconsequence,theworkloadformaintainingthecatalogueofINTchartsforeachregionismanageable,notwithstandingthefactthatreachingagreementbetweenStatesissometimescomplex.OneconcernisthepotentialforinconsistenciesbetweenINTchartschemes and ENC coverage schemes, when they are established. It was also noted that themonitoringofINTchartproductionandENCcoveragevariessignificantlyfromregiontoregion.AprincipalobjectiveoftheworkshopwastoinformtheCoordinatorsoftheavailabletutorialsandtoolsthatcanfacilitatetheirday‐to‐daytasks.AcomprehensivedemonstrationofthenewINToGISweb‐basedINTchartschememanagementtoolwasprovided.

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PresidentRobertWard closed theworkshopby leading a discussion on the future of the INTchart concept. He invited the workshop participants to consider the fact that the ECDISmandatorycarriagerequirementsmay lead toareduction in theneed for INTchartsbysomeships,however,asignificantnumberofvesselsarenotobligedtocarryECDIS.Healsopointedoutthatonlyabout80%ofthechartsplannedintheINTschemehavebeenproducedsofarandthenumberofnewINTchartshasfallenfromabout40to15chartsperyearsince2011.Takingallthesefactsintoaccount,theworkshopparticipantsconfirmedtheneedtomaintaintheINTchartconceptfortheforeseeablefuture,atleastforsmallscalecharts.FurtherinformationconcerningtheworkshopisavailableontheIHOwebsiteatwww.iho.int>Committees&WG>NCWG>NCWG‐2andWorkshop>Documents.

ThewebmanagementinterfaceoftheINToGISchartdatabase

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TWCWG1 plenary in session

TWCWG1 participants visit Ilha Fiscal tide station

1st Meeting of the IHO Tides, Water Level and Currents Working Group

Niterói,Brazil,25‐29AprilThenewly‐formedTides,WaterLevelandCurrentsWorkingGroup(TWCWG)hasinheritedthework previously undertaken by the Tides andWater LevelsWorking Group and the SurfaceCurrentWorkingGroup. It hasbeen taskedby the IHOHydrographic Services andStandardsCommittee(HSSC)tomonitoranddeveloptheuseoftidal,waterlevelandcurrentinformationaswellastoadviseontidal,waterlevelandcurrentobservation,analysisandprediction. TheWorkingGroupheldits1stmeetingattheDirectorateoftheCentrodeHidrografiadaMarinha‐Marinha do Brasil (CHM), Niterói, Brazil from 25 to 29 April under the chairmanship of MsGwenaëleJanofFrance.Themeetingwasattendedby25delegatesfrom13IHOMemberStates(Australia,Brazil,Canada,Finland,France,Germany,Japan,Netherlands,Norway,Peru,RussianFederation,UKandUSA),theCentreforCoastalandOceanMapping(CCOM)/UniversityofNewHampshire ‐USA, SPAWARAtlantic ‐USA, Jeppesen and the IHB. DavidWyatt, IHBAssistantDirector,representedtheIHB.

Significant time was set asideto progress the three S‐100based Product Specifications,for which the TWCWG isresponsible.Oneandhalfdaysof breakout sessions enabledparticipants to focus on thedraft Product Specificationdocuments as well as makingsignificant progress on thefeature attributes andmetadata. Theresultsofusingthe test datasets for S‐111 –Surface Currents – weredemonstrated.Itwasagreedtoseek amendments to the titles

ofS‐104andS‐112,tomakethembetterdescribetheirintendeduse;theproposednewnamesweresuggestedasS‐104–WaterLevelInformationforSurfaceNavigation–andS‐112–DynamicWater Level Data Transfer. These proposals will be submitted for consideration by the 8thmeetingofHSSCinNovember.Itwasnotedthatatleastonenationalverticaldatuminusewasnot included in theS‐100 listofverticaldatums,whichhighlightedtheneedtoensurethatallcurrentlyinuseverticaldatumsareincluded.

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FurtherprogresswasmadeonastandardfordigitaltidetableswiththerefinementofalistoffundamentalattributesbeinggeneratedbytheUSA.Althoughsomeinputshadbeenreceived,itwasagreedtohighlight the inventoryof tidegaugesandcurrentmeters,andthe listofActualTidesOn‐line Links throughRegionalHydrographic Commissionswith the purpose of raisingawareness and encouraging additional inputs. Due to the increaseduseofVerticalReferenceFrame datums based on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for the reduction ofsoundings,itwasagreedtocreatearepositoryintheTWCWGsectionoftheIHOwebsitewheredetailsofthesedatumscouldbeposted.As instructedbyHSSC,proposedrevisedwordingof IHOResolution3/1919,asamended,wasagreed.TheproposedrevisionwillbesubmittedforadoptionbyIHOMemberStates.The experiences gained in delivering two Tides,Water Level and Currents Capacity Buildingcourseswerediscussed.Methodsforfurtherdevelopmentofthesecourseswereagreedaswellas identifying the need for closer liaisonwith the Regional Capacity Building Coordinators toassistinselectingappropriatecandidatesforfuturecourses.CanadaofferedtohostthenextmeetingoftheTWCWGinVictoria,VancouverIslandbetween8to12May2017.ThereportofthemeetingandalldocumentswillbeavailablefromtheTWCWGsectionoftheIHOwebsite.

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2nd Meeting of the Nautical Cartography

Working Group (NCWG) IHB,Monaco,26–29April2016

ThesecondmeetingoftheIHONauticalCartographyWorkingGroup(NCWG)tookplaceattheIHB inMonaco from26 to29April. ThemeetingwaschairedbyMr JeffWootton(Australia),supportedbyAndrewHeath‐Coleman,Secretary(UK).Twenty‐threedelegatesfrom19MemberStates (Australia,Brazil, Canada,Egypt, Finland, France,Germany, Iran (IslamicRep. of), Italy,Japan, Korea (Rep. of), Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom,andUSA), twoExpertContributors (Esri, Jeppesen).) AssistantDirectorYvesGuillamandMrYongBaek,ProjectOfficersecondedbytheRepublicofKorea,representedtheIHB.

NCWG‐2gatherontherooftopoftheIHOHeadquarters

DirectorGillesBesserowelcomedthemembersandopenedthemeetinginvitingparticipantstothink“outsidethebox”whenaddressingsomeoftheimportantworkitemsontheagendasuchas the future of the paper chart. Director Bessero and President RobertWard participated inseveralofthediscussions,providingusefulviewsandguidancetothemeetingparticipants.

TheNauticalCartographyWorkingGroupisnowwellestablishedandworkingunderitsTermsofReferencethatwereapprovedatthe7thmeetingoftheHydrographicServicesandStandardsCommittee (HSSC‐7) in November 2015. The Working Group, which combines elements ofdisbandedworkinggroupsthatseparatelycovereddataportrayalonpaperchartsandelectroniccharts,ismuchmorefocusedonthechartcontentitselfandtheportrayalrequirementsthanonthesolemaintenanceofIHOPublicationS‐4‐RegulationsfortheInternational(INT)ChartsandChartsSpecificationsoftheIHO–eventhoughtheconsiderationofclarificationsorrevisionstoS‐4remainsrelevantforassistingcartographersintheirday‐to‐daywork.Arecentexamplewastheneed to clarifyhow to chart an important sub‐surface floatingpipeline. In relation to thethree (English, French, Spanish) new editions of the IHO Publication INT 1 – Symbols,AbbreviationsandTermsusedonCharts, thathavebeen issuedbyGermany,FranceandSpain

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respectivelysincethelastmeeting,severalproposalswerediscussedtoestablisharepositoryofhigh resolution symbols in order to avoid furtherduplicationof effort byotherHydrographicOfficesthatissuetheirownversionofINT1andimplementersofthestandards.

Themeeting noted that new technologies and very high resolution screensmay offer, in thefuture, the possibility of redesigning symbols used inECDIS for an improvedportrayal of themainlayerofinformation(theelectronicnavigationalchart‐ENC)incombinationwithotherS‐100‐basedproducts.

The Working Group considered the first tranche of portrayal requirements for S‐100‐basedproduct specifications (weather overlays, S‐101 ENC, marine protected areas, quality ofbathymetricdata/categoryofzonesofconfidence[CATZOC]…)received fromotherworkinggroups, following a proposal agreed at the HSSC‐7 to trial an all‐encompassing process thatinvolvesallrelevantIHOworkinggroupsandotherstakeholders(industry,academia). Inthatcontext, itwasagreedtosetupasmallportrayalsub‐workinggrouptoestablishaprotocoltoassistdevelopersofS‐100‐basedproductspecificationsindraftingportrayalsubmissions. TheestablishmentofanintegratedprojectteamdrawingonthedifferentworkinggroupstoaddressportrayalissuesinthedevelopmentofS‐101wasalsodiscussed.

TheWorkingGroupcontinuedworkon itsproposal forthepreparationofadraftnewedition3.0.0 of IHO Publication S‐11, tentatively entitled “Guidance for the Preparation andMaintenanceofInternationalChartandENCSchemes‐CataloguesofINTChartsandENCs”.

TheChairoftheNCWGinformedtheparticipantsthathewillstepdownfromhispositionattheend of September 2016 when he retires from service in Australia. In the absence of anycandidate to replace the recently retiredVice‐Chair,NCWGmemberswere invited to considernominating for the position of Vice‐Chair as soon as possible in view of an election bycorrespondence.

Theplenarymeetingwas followedbyameetingof thecorrespondencegrouponthe futureofthepaperchartthathadbeenidentifiedbyHSSC‐7asahighpriorityworkitem.

FurtherinformationconcerningthemeetingisavailableontheIHOwebsiteatwww.iho.int>Committees&WG>NCWG>NCWG‐2.

Anexampleofapotentialportrayalofunambiguousandself‐explanatorysymbolizationfortheCATZOCbathymetricdataqualityindicator

presentedatthemeeting

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MAY

Awareness Seminar on Aids to Navigation

for Lusophone Countries Lisbon,Portugal,2‐3May

Atwo‐dayAwarenessSeminaronAidstoNavigationforLusophoneCountrieswasorganizedbythe International Association ofMarineAids toNavigation andLighthouseAuthorities (IALA)andthePortugueseLighthouseAuthorityinLisbon,Portugal,from2to3May.TheInternationalHydrographic Organization (IHO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO)contributedtotheseminar,organizedundertheUNconceptof"DeliveringasOne".

Theseminarwasattendedby37participantsfromBrazil,CapeVerde,EquatorialGuinea,GuineaBissau,Mozambique,Portugal,SaoTomeandPrincipe,Timor‐LesteandIndustryStakeholders.Angolawas theonlyMemberof theCommunityofPortugueseLanguageCountries(CPLP)notparticipating.AssistantDirectorAlbertoCostaNevesrepresentedtheIHO.

AdmiralFragoso,ChiefofNavalStaffandNationalMaritimeAuthorityofPortugal,addressingtheseminar

ThewelcomeaddressesweredeliveredbyAdmiralLuisManuelForneauxMacieiraFragoso,theChiefofNavalStaffandNationalMaritimeAuthorityofPortugal,byViceAdmiralAntonioSilvaRibeiro,Director‐General of theNationalMaritimeAuthority ofPortugal andbyRearAdmiralJean‐CharlesLeclair,DeanoftheIALAWorldWideAcademy.

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The objective of the seminar was to raise awareness on the international obligations ofauthoritiesresponsibleforthesafetyofnavigationworld‐wide,andinparticularinAfrica,wheresixMembers of the CPLP are located. From these onlyMozambique is an IHOMember State,althoughallofthemareMembersoftheIMO.

The international obligations arising from the IMO International Convention for the Safety ofLifeatSea(SOLAS)anditsrelationshipwiththethreesponsoringorganizations(IMO,IHOandIALA) were presented. One of the key messages delivered was the willingness of theseorganizations tohelp coastal Statesprepare for the IMOMemberStateAuditScheme (IMSAS)andtorespondtotherecommendationsraisedbytheauditingteams.

CapacityBuildingandthe"Deliveringasone"conceptwerealsoaddressedbytheseminarwithaviewtopromotetheexistingpossibilitieswithintheIMO,IHOandIALAtohelpcoastalStatesfurther develop their capabilities for the benefit of the maritime community and for thecontinuous support to their national economic infrastructures. The concept of NationalCoordinatingCommittees as ahigh level forum formaritime stakeholderswasalsodiscussed,consideringthebenefitsof integratingthenationaleffortstoaddressthekeypriorities forthenationalinfrastructure.

Theseminarparticipants

Participants were briefed on the services required to be provided by coastal States inaccordancewith SOLAS and theneed to establish the infrastructure for the provision of suchservices.Otherassociated topics includede‐Navigation,VesselTrafficServices, ship'srouteingandreporting,ECDISandENCs,AidstoNavigation,theIHOUniversalHydrographicDataModel(S‐100)andriskassessmentandmanagement,

Attheendoftheseminartheparticipantsagreedtoworkcloselytogether,takingadvantageoftheircommonlanguagetoshareexperiences,addresscommonissues, identifypotentialdonorsupport,workinriskreductionandcooperateincapacitybuilding.Themeetingagreedtobuildan internet portal to address maritime‐related issues. IHO Publications C‐55 – Status ofHydrographicSurveyingandChartingWorldwideandP‐5– IHOYearBookwerepresentedandtheparticipantsprovidedinputsandupdates.

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Inthecontinuationofthetwo‐dayseminar,theparticipantsremainedforthreeadditionaldaysattheinvitationofthePortugueseMaritimeAuthoritytoreceivein‐depthinformationonaidstonavigation,visitthePortugueseLighthouseAuthority,identifyexistinggapsinserviceprovision,discussfurthercooperationandvisitindustrypartners.

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13th meeting of the Black and Azov Seas Working Group

(BASWG) Istanbul,Turkey,3‐4May

The13thmeetingof theBlackandAzovSeasWorkingGroup (BASWG13),which is aWorkingGroup of theMediterranean and Black SeasHydrographic Commission (MBSHC),was held inİstanbul,Turkey,on3and4May2016underthechairmanshipofCaptain(PhD)ErhanGezgin,Hydrographer of Turkey. Fifteen delegates attended the meeting. Five Black Sea States wererepresented:Bulgaria,Georgia,Romania,TurkeyandUkraine.TheCoordinatoroftheRegionalInternationalChartingCoordinationWorkingGroup(ICCWG‐RegionF)(France)attendedthemeeting also. The IHB was represented by Director Mustafa Iptes. Director Iptes provided abriefingoncurrentIHOissuesandtheworkoftheIHB.

Theparticipantsofthe13thmeetingoftheBlackandAzovSeasWorkingGroup.

TheMemberStatesreportedontheirnationalactivitiessincethelastmeetingoftheMBSHC.TheWorking Group reviewed the Capacity Building (CB) activities in the region, presented byTurkey,astheCBCoordinatorforMBSHC,andthestatusoftheINTchartandENCschemesoftheBlackSeaandAzovSea,presentedbytheICCWGCoordinator.ThestatusofMaritimeSafetyInformationcoverageintheBlackSeawasalsodiscussedatthemeeting.Georgiaannouncedtheestablishment of a new NAVTEX station promulgating coastal warnings in the Georgianlanguage.

Thepreparations for theXIXth InternationalHydrographicConference/1st Sessionof the IHOAssemblywhichwillbeheldinApril2017werealsodiscussedatthemeetingandDirectorIptesprovidedtheWorkingGroupwithdetailedinformation.

TheactivitiesandthenewdevelopmentsoftheBASWGwillbereportedtothenextmeetingoftheMBSHCinMontenegro,inJuly2017.

CaptainGezginwasre‐electedasChairoftheBASWG.ThenextBASWGmeetingwillbeheldin2017inConstanţa,Romania.

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11th Meeting of the Data Quality Working Group Arlington,Virginia,USA,10‐12May

The11thmeetingoftheIHODataQualityWorkingGroup(DQWG)washostedfrom10to12May2016 in Arlington, Virginia, USA, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) at a venuemade available by the Radio Technical Commission forMaritime Services(RTCM). Themeetingwas chairedbyMrAnttiCástren (Finland). Ninedelegates fromsevenMember States (Australia, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and USA) andone expert contributor from industry (Jeppesen Marine) attended the meeting. AdditionalNOAA representatives, including the Chair of the S‐100Working Group, participated in somesessions.AssistantDirectorYvesGuillamrepresentedtheIHB.

ParticipantsintheDQWG‐11meeting,Arlington,USA

ThemeetingbeganwithacomprehensivereviewoftheworkitemsandprioritiesoftheDQWGwork programme, focusing on the milestones and the ways and means to deliver expectedoutputsinarelativelyshorttimeframe.Thisreviewwasintendedtoassistinreconsideringtherole of theDQWGand the continuationof its activities. Itwas agreed that theDQWGshouldfocusondeliveringthedataqualityelementsoftheIHOS‐101–ENCProductSpecification,andoncethishadbeenachieved,anevaluationofitsremainingtaskscouldbecompletedatitsnextsession,priortotheHSSC‐9meetingin2017.Following these agreed priorities, themeetingworked on the finalization of the data qualitymodel and the decision tree for designating the quality of bathymetric data in S‐101.Considering the effort that would be required of Hydrographic Offices to implement a newscheme, the group decided to recommend retaining the current CATZOC threshold values fordata quality. As a consequence, the transition from S‐57 to S‐101, as far as the quality ofbathymetricdataisconcerned,shouldbemoreeasilyimplementedandautomated.Fruitful discussions were sparked by two papers that covered guidance on assessingrespectively temporal variations of the seafloor and overlapping depth‐related features, inparticular forareasofmobileseafloor. Itwassuggestedto forwardthesepaperstotheNorthSeaHydrographicCommission(NSHC)ResurveyWorkingGrouppriortothe32ndConferenceoftheNSHC.OtheractionsthatwereagreedincludedinvitingtheS‐101ProjectTeamtoconsiderthe definition of new attributes regarding swept areas and deep water routes. It was also

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decided to review the data quality criteria contained in the European INSPIRE Directive toderiveenhancementstotherelevantsectionsofS‐100ifneeded.Interesting presentations in relation to data quality were delivered on crowd‐sourcedbathymetryandonthenexteditionoftheBowditch’sAmericanPracticalNavigatorwhichis inpreparation.ContributionscanbeemaileddirectlytoBowditch2017@nga.mil.ThenextmeetingoftheDQWGisscheduledtotakeplacefrom13to15June2017inTheHague,Netherlands.

FurtherinformationconcerningthemeetingisavailableontheIHOwebsiteatwww.iho.int>Committees&WG>DQWG>DQWG‐11.

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96th Session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee London,UnitedKingdom,11‐20May

The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) is the highest technical body of the InternationalMaritimeOrganization(IMO).ThefunctionsoftheMSCaretoconsidermattersrelatedtoaidsto navigation, construction and equipment of vessels, rules for the prevention of collisions,handling of dangerous cargoes,maritime safety procedures,hydrographic information, salvageand rescue and any other issuesdirectly affecting maritime safety.The96thsessionoftheMSC(MSC96)washeldattheIMOHeadquartersinLondon, UK, from 11 to 20 May.DirectorGillesBesseroandAssistantDirector David Wyatt represented

theIHO.Inaddressingtheagendaofthesessioninhisopeningstatement,theSecretary‐GeneralofIMO,MrKitackLim,highlightedtheimportanceofmaritimesecurityinrelation to world trade, referring to the comments of the United Nations Secretary‐General,MrBanKi‐moon,onmaritimetradeandtheimportanceofshippingduringhisrecentvisittotheIMO. Mr Limparticularly noted that anti‐piracy and cybersecurity aswell as on going issueswithdomesticpassengershipsafetyandunsafemixedmigrationbyseawerealltopicsofmajorconcerntotheMSC.UnsafeMixedMigrationbySeaTheCommitteeapproved thedraftofaMSCCircularonUnsafeMixedMigrationbySea,whichsetsoutguidanceonactionsandastandardreportingformatformarinerstoprovidetimelyandaccurateinformationonmigrantincidentsandonsuspectedsmugglersandvesselstotheIMOviatheFacilitationmoduleinGISIS.ThedraftwillbefurtherreviewedatMSC97togetherwithanyadditionalinformationreceivedfromMemberStatesoncasesincludingreportsofincidentsatsea.e‐NavigationTheCommitteeagreedtoincludeinthepost‐biennialagenda(2018‐2019)anoutputonDevelopguidance on definition and harmonization of the format and structure of Maritime ServicePortfolios (MSPs), for which two sessions were agreed and assigned the Sub‐Committee onNavigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR) as the coordinating body. TheInternational Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA)offeredtocontributetothecoordinationoftheworkrelatedtothedevelopmentofMSPs.TheIHOrecommendedtheactivationoftheIMO‐IHOHarmonizationGrouponDataModelling(HGDM) established atMSC90 to progress this output. TheMSC agreed to invite the IHO tosubmitaproposaltoMSCorNCSRtoactivatetheHGDM.HydrographyandCharting

The MSC addressed various matters related tohydrography and nautical charting resulting fromthe3rdsessionoftheNCSRheldinMarchthisyear.Themainitemsincludedadoptingandamendinganumber of routeing measures, traffic separationschemes and mandatory ship reporting systems.TheCommitteeapprovedtherecognitionofGalileo

IMO MSC 96 in plenary session

Celebrating European Maritime Day hosted by Romania

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as part of theWorldwideRadioNavigation Systemand endorsed the view that Iridium couldbecome amobile satellite service provider of theGlobalMaritimeDistress and Safety System(GMDSS)subjecttocompliancewithoutstandingissuesreportedtoNCSR3.TheMSCagreedthatthedevelopmentofnewperformancestandardsforship‐borneGMDSSequipmentshouldapplytoallprovidersofnewequipmentandtocurrentserviceproviderswhenequipmentisup‐datedandup‐graded.TheMSCagreedtoanewunplannedoutputtobecompletedatthenextsessionofNCSRondraftingamendmentstoSOLASChapterIVbyremovingreferencestoInmarsatandmaking the wording generic to accommodate future service providers. The CommitteeapprovedtheoutcomeoftheDetailedReviewoftheGMDSSandthecontinuationoftheprojectin developing theModernization Plan. TheMSC noted the information provided byMemberStates on incidents involving non‐SOLAS vessels in the Polar Regions and requested furthersubmissionsandadditionaldataonincidentsinpreparationforapost‐biennialplannedoutput.Panamadrewattention to the inaugurationof theexpandedPanamaCanaland theassociatedtrainingfacility.MaritimeCybersecurityTheCommitteedevelopedadraftversionofanMSCCircularonGuidanceonmaritimecyberriskmanagement.Itwaswidelyagreedthatindustrywasawaitingsuchguidancetoenableittostartimplementing appropriate cyber risk management processes. The MSC approved the draftguidanceforuseasinterimMSCGuidelinesthatwouldbeforwardedtothe41stmeetingoftheFacilitation Committee for further consideration and finalization with a view to issuing aFAL/MSCCircular.NextSessionsThenextsessionsoftheMSCarescheduledfrom21to25November2016(MSC97)and7to16June2017(MSC98).

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39th Meeting of the United States of America Canada Hydrographic Commission (USCHC)

16May,Halifax,Canada

The39thmeetingoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica–CanadaHydrographicCommission(USCHC)washeldon16MayinHalifax,NovaScotia,Canada.USCHC39tookplaceinconjunctionwiththeCanadian Hydrographic Conference 2016. The meeting was co‐chaired by the HydrographerGeneralofCanadaandtheDirector,OfficeofCoastSurveyoftheUSA,MrDenisHainsandRearAdmiral Gerd Glang respectively. Twenty eight participants attended the meeting includingrepresentativesfromtheCanadianHydrographicService(CHS)andtheDepartmentsofNationalDefence (DND) and Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), from the National Oceanographic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Geospatial‐Intelligence Agency (NGA), US Navyand US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and also from the United Kingdom HydrographicOffice(UKHO).DirectorMustafaIptesrepresentedtheIHB.

TheparticipantsoftheUSCHC39meeting.

TheUSCHC39agendacoveredawiderangeoftopicsofmutualinterestwiththeMemberStates’reports and the additional briefs on the activities of the International HydrographicOrganization(IHO),WENDWorkingGroup,MaritimeSpatialDataInfrastructureWorkingGroup,Crowd‐Sourced Bathymetry Working Group, IHO/IOC GEBCO Project and FIG/IHO/ICAInternational Board on Standards of Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors and NauticalCartographers (IBSC). Director Iptes reported on the IHO Work Programme and theOrganization’s activities during the previous year. He also provided the Commission withgeneralinformationontheXIXthInternationalHydrographicConference/1stSessionoftheIHOAssemblytobeheldinApril2017andtherevisedstructureoftheIHO.Someofthetopicsprovokingin‐depthdiscussionsincluded:‐TheINTChartProgrammereview(fromtheUSCHCperspective);‐MarineSpatialDataInfrastructures(MSDI);‐Crowd‐sourcedbathymetry;and,‐Thefutureofthepaperchart.

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Several technical presentationswere alsomade thatwere complementary to the discussions,including:“BuildingadecisiontreetoobtainacompleteandcoherentcoastalchartcoverageforENCs”(USA);“Sensor‐Derived[Bathymetry]PolicyandLocalizedChartUpdates”(USA);“ADataAccessCentreofExpertise”(Canada);and,“ASatellite‐DerivedBathymetryPilotStudy”(USA).The40thUSCHCmeetingwillbeheld inconjunctionwith theUSHydrographicConference‐2017whichwilltakeplaceinGalveston,Texas,USA,from20to23March2017.

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Workshop on Shore-based Maritime Services - From Theory to Practical Use

Lisbon,Portugal,24‐26MayIn support of the E‐navigation Strategy Implementation Plan adopted by the InternationalMaritime Organization (IMO), the International Association ofMarine Aids to Navigation andLighthouse Authorities (IALA) convened a workshop on shore‐basedmaritime services. Theworkshop was co‐hosted by the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the PortugueseLighthouseAuthorityinLisbon,Portugal,from24to26May.Theworkshopwas attended by 61 participants representing a cross‐section of stakeholders,includingnationalmaritimeauthorities,lighthouseauthorities,pilotageandvesseltrafficserviceoperators,industry,academiaandfiveinternationalorganizations.TheIHOwasrepresentedbyDirectorGillesBesseroandDrEdwardHosken,fromtheUKHydrographicOffice,asVice‐Chairof the IHONautical Information ProvisionWorking Group (NIPWG). In addition to the IALASecretariatandtheIHO,thefollowinginternationalorganizationswererepresented:theComitéInternationalRadio‐Maritime(CIRM),theInternationalMaritimePilots’Association(IMPA)andtheWorldMeteorologicalOrganization(WMO).

Theworkshopparticipants

Following the welcome addresses delivered by the Secretary General of IALA, Mr FrancisZachariae, and the Director of the Lighthouse Authority of Portugal, Captain Carlos Soares,Director Bessero provided the keynote address in which he described how the concept ofMaritime Service Portfolios (MSP) had been introduced during the development of thee‐navigation strategy implementationplan and reviewed the different aspects and issues thatmayneedtobeconsideredtofurtherdevelopandimplementtheconceptofMSP.

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DirectorBesseroandDrHoskenaddressingtheworkshop

The remainder of the first day was devoted to topical presentations addressing MSPrequirements and current developments. In particular, DrHosken described thework of theNIPWG in relation to the transition from paper‐based nautical publications to S‐100 basedproductswhileDr JürgenHolfort,Headof theGerman IceServiceandrepresenting theWMO,reviewedthedevelopmentofS‐100basedproductspecificationsrelatedtometeorologicalandoceanographicinformation.The second day of the workshop was organized in three parallel working group sessionsaddressingrespectively thedevelopmentofa roadmap fordeliveringMSPwithin thescopeofIALA, a methodology for producing MSP for IALA members and the structure of an IALAguidelineonMSP.The workshopmet again in plenary during the third and last day to review and discuss thereportsoftheworkinggroupsanddrawasetofconclusions.Theconclusionsoftheworkshopwere:

1. Thedraft IALAGuidelineonMSPs shouldbecoordinatedwithotherrelevantinternational organisations and be proposed as a starting point to develop IMOguidelinessupportingtheoutputonMSPsagreedatMSC96(the96thsessionoftheIMOMaritimeSafetyCommittee).2. IALA should participate in the IMO‐IHO Harmonization Group on DataModelling (HGDM),usingasabaseline IHOsS‐100 standard framework toharmonizeandstandardiseformatsforthecollection,exchangeanddistributionofdata,processesandproceduresforthecollectionanddevelopmentofopenstandardinterfaces.3. IALAshoulddefinetheformatandstructureforthoseMSPswithintheremitofIALA,engagingwithotherorganisationsasrequired.DevelopmentofsomeotherMSPswillrequireIALAtoengagewiththeresponsibleauthorities/servicedefinitionowners.

4. Thecurrentlistof16MSPsrequiresfurtherrefinementandshouldnotbeseenasthedefinitive/finalisedlistofMSPs.

5. Phased implementation should be used to further develop and implementMSPs, with the first phase being based on existing technology and systems and thesecondphasebeing introductionofadditionalequipmentbasedonbenefitratherthanmandate.

6. Security, including ship‐borne, cyber and shore‐side, should be taken intoaccountinthedevelopmentanddeploymentofMSPs.

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7. Product specificationdevelopersacrossalldomains shouldpromulgatedraftand completed S‐100 product specifications to make them available from a singlelocationontheS‐100GIRegistryontheIHOwebsite.

TheconclusionshighlighttheunderpinningroleoftheIHOS‐100standardinthedevelopmentoftheformatandstructureofMSPsandalsosupporttherecentproposalsdiscussedintheIMOtousetheHGDMasacoordinatingorgan.

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14th Meeting of the IHO Capacity Building Sub-Committee AbuDhabi,UAE,24to26May

The 14th meeting of the Capacity Building Sub‐Committee (CBSC14) was held in Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 24 to 26May, hosted by the General Headquarters (GHQ)ArmedForces,MilitarySurveyDepartmentoftheUAE.ThemeetingwaschairedbyMrThomasDehling(Germany)andattendedby26participantsrepresentingthe15RegionalHydrographicCommissions(RHC),10MemberStatesand2observerorganizations.TheIHBwasrepresentedbyDirectorMustafaIptesandAssistantDirectorAlbertoCostaNeves(CBSCSecretary).

Participantsofthe14thmeetingoftheIHOCapacityBuildingSub‐Committee(CBSC14)

The Sub‐Committee considered the revision of the IHO Strategic Plan (2009) and theneed tobetter reflect the strategic aspects of the IHO CB Strategy. They also assessed the status ofcapacitybuilding in theRHC, includingthosewhoprovidesupport to theregions inneed.TheSub‐Committee received information on regional projects for hydrographic risk assessment,surveyprioritiesandrequirements,e‐learning,anddevelopmentsrelatedtotherevisionofthesyllabusesforCategoryAandCategoryBhydrographicandnauticalcartographytraining.Methodstoevaluatesuccesswereconsideredbytheparticipantsintermsofsubjectiveaspectsof improving hydrographic awareness, provision of Marine Safety Information, coverage ofadequatehydrographic surveysandENCandprotectionof themarineenvironment.TheSub‐Committee also discussed objective aspects of successful capacity building such as attractingfunding for the Capacity BuildingWork Programme (CBWP) and the number of courses andtraining provided, visits executed and students trained. The evolution of the status of eachcoastalStateinrelationtothethreephasesoftheCBStrategywasconsideredbythemeetingasastrategicperformanceindicatorforexcellence.Themeetingmade progress on further improvements to the administration of the CBWP byadopting amendments to two CB Procedures and three new draft CB Procedures thatwill betrialled until the next meeting to gather feedback. One of these new CB Procedures aims atimproving the assessment of the phases of Capacity Building as the basis for monitoringperformance at the strategic level. The requirement for strong support from theWorld‐WideNavigationalWarningServiceSub‐Committee(WWNWS‐SC)andtheNAVAREACoordinatorstoimplement phase 1 (Collection and circulation of nautical information, necessary tomaintainexistingchartsandpublicationsuptodate)isexpected.

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RHCCBCoordinatorswerebriefedonthepreparationofthethree‐yearworkplanthatwillbesubmitted to the 1st Session of the IHO Assembly for the period 2018‐2020. The 2017 CBManagementPlan(CBMP)wasreviewedandapprovedbythemeetingasthebasisforthe2017CBWP.Themeetingendorsedtheclosed2015CBWPandupdatedthe2016CBWP.TheCBSCexpressed continued concern on the limited financial resources available to execute the full2017CBWP.ThereportofCBSC14willbepostedontheCBsectionoftheIHOwebsite.ThenextmeetingoftheCBSCisplannedtobeheldinParamaribo,Suriname,from7to9June2017.

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39TH SESSION OF THE ANTARCTIC TREATY CONSULTATIVE MEETING Santiago,Chile,23‐27May

The 39th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) took place in Santiago, Chilefrom23to27May2016.TheIHOisaninvitedexpertorganizationandwasrepresentedat themeetingbyCaptainHugoGORZIGLIA, formerHydrographerofChileandformerIHBDirectorwithspecificresponsibilityfortheAntarcticregion.ThemeetingwasopenedbytheMinisterofForeignAffairsofChile,Mr.HeraldoMuñozaccompaniedbyseniorofficersfromtheChileanMinistryofDefence. Thesessionwasattended by over 400 people representing 53 countries and eight internationalorganizationsincludingtheIHO.

HeadsofDelegationsandObserverOrganizationsattheOpeningCeremony.

IntheopeningsessiontheMinisterofForeignAffairsofChilehighlightedthatATCMwasthemost importantinternationalmeetingrelatedtotheAntarcticcontinent. Henotedthat the meeting provided the opportunity to celebrate the 25th anniversary of theMadridProtocolthatdealswithAntarcticenvironmentalprotectionaswellas100yearssince the Chilean expedition by Pardo Pilot to rescue the 22 members of Sir ErnestShackleton’sBritish expeditionwhowere strandedbut survived inAntarctica for twoyears.

Atthefirstplenarysession,CaptainGorzigliapresentedtheIHOreportonthestatusofhydrographicsurveysandnauticalcartographyintheAntarcticregion. HehighlightedtherolebeingplayedbytheIHOHydrographicCommissiononAntarctica(HCA)anditsmembers, as well as the contribution being made by different internationalorganizationsinordertosupportactivitiesinAntarctica.Hedrewattentiontothe limitedavailabilityofreliablechartsof theseaareasandtheunderlyingfactthatverylittledepthdataexistedfortheAntarcticregion.HesuggestedthatallvesselsenteringAntarcticwatersshouldbe invited togatherdepthdatausingtheir existing equipment. This collected data should then be forwarded to theHydrographic Offices responsible for producing the nautical charts and supportingbathymetricmapsoftheregion.Aftertheplenarysession,themeetingwassplitintotwoWorkingGroups.TherewereseveralmattersofinteresttotheIHOdiscussedinthesecondWorkingGroupthatdealt

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with science, operations and tourism. Five Information Papers (IP) providedinformationdirectlyrelevanttotheIHOandtheHCA:

IP37 SearchandRescue(SAR)InitiativesAffectingAntarctica(USA)

IP50 ColombiacontributiontoMaritimeSafetyinAntarctica(Colombia)

IP68 RussianhydrographicstudiesintheSouthernOceanintheseason2015‐2016(RussianFederation)

IP97 CHILE SHOA Cooperation in the production on NauticalChartsinAntarcticaArea(2010‐2020Program)(Chile)

IP109 XVIII Combined Antarctic Naval Patrol 2015‐2016(Argentina‐Chile)

DuringthediscussionsintheWorkingGroupCaptainGorzigliasuggestedthatitwouldbe useful to examine in much more detail the impact of the unacceptable state ofhydrographic surveys and nautical charting covering Antarctic waters, particularly inrelationtosafety,operationsandresearchintheregion.

Captain Gorziglia proposed that the IHO could be invited to deliver a seminar on thestatusofhydrography in theAntarctic, similar to theoneorganizedby the IHOat the31stmeetingof theATCMheld inUkraine in2008. Chile andEcuador supported thisproposal.ThisresultedintheWorkingGroupagreeingtoincludeanewpriorityiteminitsworkprogrammerelating tohydrographicsurveying inAntarctica,and toconsidertheissuein2018.

To implement this initiative, aWorking Paper should be submitted by one or severalAntarcticTreatyMemberStatesforconsiderationbythe40thATCMin2017,introducingthe theme and inviting the IHO to deliver such a seminar at the 41st ATCM in 2018.MembersoftheIHOHCA,allofwhomareStatesPartiestotheAntarcticTreaty,aretheobvious candidates to take the lead in supporting this important opportunity.Accordingly, this will be discussed during the forthcoming meeting of the HCA inTromsø,NorwayinlateJune.

The documents of the meeting are available through the ATCM website athttp://www.ats.aq/devAS/ats_meetings.aspx?lang=e.

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8th Meeting of the IHO Inter-Regional Coordination Committee

AbuDhabi,UAE,29‐31May

The eighth meeting of the Inter‐Regional Coordination Committee (IRCC8) was held in AbuDhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 29 to 31May, hosted by the General Headquarters(GHQ)ArmedForces,MilitarySurveyDepartmentoftheUAE.ThemeetingwasattendedbytheChairs,ortheirrepresentatives,ofthe15RegionalHydrographicCommissions(RHCs)andtheIRCC subordinate bodies (except the FIG‐IHO‐ICA International Board on Standards ofCompetence (IBSC)) and20observers. A total of 41participantswerepresent. ThemeetingwaschairedbyDrParryOei(Singapore).TheIHBwasrepresentedbyPresidentRobertWard,whoalsoattendedasChairoftheIHOHydrographicCommissiononAntarctica,DirectorMustafaIptes(IRCCSecretary)andAssistantDirectorAlbertoCostaNeves.

TheParticipantsoftheIRCC8Meeting

TheIRCCreviewedthereportsandactivitiesoftheRHCsanditssubordinatebodies,proposedamendedTermsofReferenceforMemberStates’considerationandapprovalandconsideredtheneedtohaveabettercommunicationstrategyinordertopromotethesuccessstoriesoftheIHO.ThemeetingwasinformedofthedevelopmentsinElectronicNavigationalCharts(ENC)fortheleisure market and the requirement for authoritative and standardised chart products forElectronicChartSystems(ECS)onshipsthatarenotsubjecttotheECDIScarriagerequirementsofSOLAS2soastosupportnationalmaritimeadministrations.ThemeetingnotedtheincreasinglevelofcapacitybuildingactivitiesinWestAfricaundertheeffectiveleadershipofMoroccoandwithkeycontributionfromFrance.TheCommitteealsonotedthehighlevelofengagementandcapacitybuildingintheSouth‐WestPacific;agoodexamplebeingthesupportprovidedtoFijibySouthWestPacificHydrographiccommission(SWPHC)MembersandregionalbodiesfollowingTropicalCycloneWinston.

With respect to the Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission, the meeting noted thedevelopmentoftheArcticVoyagePlanningGuides,theeffortstoresolveENCoverlapsandtheproject to develop an Arctic Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure (MSDI) in coordination withother organizations, and the engagement with stakeholders in relation to crowd‐sourcedbathymetry,satellite‐derivedbathymetryandhydrographicriskassessment.

TheCommitteewasinformedabouttheapprovaloftheSafetyNETandNAVTEXManualsbytheInternationalMaritimeOrganization following thenewreviewprocessendorsedat IRCC7andsubsequentlyapprovedbytheIHOMemberStates. NotingtheincreasedcooperationbetweenNAVAREA and METAREA Coordinators, the Committee acknowledged the need for more

                                                            2 SOLAS: International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. 

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engagementofMemberStates,NationalMSICoordinatorsandObservers inmattersrelatedtotheWorld‐WideNavigationalWarningService.

Themeetingwelcomed thedevelopment of newCapacityBuilding (CB)Procedures, includingonetoassessandmonitortheCBphasesincoastalStates,andthecontinuedsupportfromtheRepublicofKoreaandfromtheNipponFoundationofJapantotheCBFund.

Themeeting notedwith concern several issues related to ENC coverage. Little progress hasbeenmadetoresolveexistingENCoverlaps,someofthetop2000portsstilllackadequateENCcoverageandsomeENCsarenotavailablethroughordistributedthroughtheRENCdistributionsystem. Difficulties in providing ENC updates at the same frequency as the equivalent paperchartupdateswasalsodiscussed.Themeetingobservedthatprogressinimprovingcoverageisnow largely dependent upon new surveys being conducted in those areaswhere the existingdatais insufficienttosupporttheproductionofENCs. TheCommitteeagreedguidanceontheconditionsunderwhichMarineInformationOverlays(MIO)couldbeissuedtoassistindrawingattention to any differences between a published paper chart and a corresponding ENC or toassistindisplayingTemporary&PreliminaryNoticestoMarinersonECDIS.

The Committee was informed about progress in updating IHO Publication C‐17 SpatialDataInfrastructures:“TheMarineDimension”‐GuidanceforHydrographicOffices.TheCommitteealsonoted the progress of the work of the Crowd‐Sourced Bathymetry Working Group and itspreparationofaGuidancedocumentonCrowd‐SourcedBathymetry.

The Committee endorsed the draft new edition 1.0.0 of IHO Publication S‐5A Standards ofCompetence for Category "A" Hydrographic Surveyors to be circulated for Member Statesconsiderationandapproval,andapprovedtheworkplanforthedevelopmentandadoptionofthedraftneweditions1.0.0oftheIHOPublicationsS‐8BStandardsofCompetenceforCategory"B" Nautical Cartographers and S‐8A Standards of Competence for Category "A" NauticalCartographers.ThemeetingcommendedtheworkdonebytheIBSCwithrespecttothereviewofanincreasingnumberofcoursesubmissionsandtherevisionoftheStandardsofCompetenceforHydrographicSurveyorsandNauticalCartographers.

ThemeetingnotedtheworkdonebytheGEBCOGuidingCommitteeanditssubordinatebodies,especially theevolutionof theGEBCOgrids, the incorporationofshallowwaterbathymetry intheGEBCOdataset, thecurrentstatusofdigitizingtheGEBCOchartserieswith thesupportofItaly and Japan and the organizationof theForum for theFutureofOceanFloorMapping (F‐FOFM).

The meeting discussed the revision of the IHO Strategic Plan and agreed on the need toimplementamorepragmaticperformancemonitoringsystem.Themeetingacknowledgedalsothe need to raise awareness of the role of hydrography and the importance of improvingknowledge of the seas and oceans in support of the Agenda 2030 Sustainable DevelopmentGoals,disasterriskreductionandtheintegrityoftheoceans.

Thenextmeetingof the IRCCwillbeheld inParamaribo, Suriname from12 to14 June2017,precededbythe15thmeetingoftheCapacityBuildingSub‐Committee(CBSC15)from7to9June.

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Retirement of Mrs Barbara Williams 31May

On31May,after37years’service,MrsBarbaraWilliamsretired fromherpositionasHeadofRegistry at the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB) in Monaco. During her long anddevotedcareerservingtheInternationalHydrographicOrganization(IHO)shehasseentheIHBofficesmovefromtheiroriginalsiteonthenorthsideofPortHerculetotheircurrentlocation.SheservedundersevenPresidentsfromRearAdmiralG.SRitchietoRobertWardandsaw12Directorsservetheirterms.

Starting in January 1979 as theDirectors’ Secretary, under aDirecting Committee led by RearAdmiral Steve Ritchie, she thentookuptheroleofSuperintendent,which evolved into the position ofHeadofRegistrythatshehelduntilher retirement. As DirectingCommittees served their terms,Mrs Williams became recognizedbyallwithintheIHBandthewiderIHO Member States as animpressive source oforganizational and proceduralhistory, to whom successiveDirecting Committees have beenable to turn to obtain valuablebackground concerning previousdecisionsandwhycertainmethodshavebeenfollowed.

MrsWilliamswas a familiar and friendly face known tomanyof the longer servingdelegatesattendingConferencesandthemanyWorkingGroupsmeetingsheld inMonaco. NotonlywillshebegreatlymissedbyhercolleaguesandfriendsintheIHBstaff,herinfluenceandworkwillbemuchmissedbytheentire IHOcommunity,allofwhomwishheravery long,relaxingandhappyretirement.

MrsBarbaraWilliamswiththecurrentDirectingCommitteeoftheInternationalHydrographicBureau

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JUNE

Workshop of the Chair Group of the IHO Hydrographic Services and Standards Committee (HSSC)

Paris/Saint‐Mandé,France,1‐2June

Atits7thmeetinginNovember2015,theIHOHydrographicServicesandStandardsCommittee(HSSC)agreedtodelegatethepreparationoftheCommittee’scontributiontothepreparationofthe19thInternationalHydrographicConference/1stSessionoftheIHOAssemblytobeheldinApril2017to itsChairGroup. TheChairGroupcomprisestheChairsof theHSSCsubordinatebodies,theChair,Vice‐Chair,SecretaryandAssistantSecretaryoftheHSSC.

The Chair Groupmet as a dedicated workshop hosted by the French Hydrographic Office ofFrance(SHOM)inParis/Saint‐Mandé,France,on1and2June2016.Itwasattendedby9ofthe13membersoftheChairGroup. Thememberswhowerenotabletoparticipatehadprovidedwritteninputspriortothemeeting. DrMathiasJonas,NationalHydrographerofGermanyandChairoftheHSSC,chairedtheworkshop.

ParticipantsintheHSSCChairGroupWorkshop

TheworkshopreviewedthecurrentversionoftheIHOStrategicPlanandconcludedthatafull‐scalerevisionwasnotrequired.SeveralproposedamendmentsrelatedtothescopeoftheHSSCweredeveloped. ThemainitemsforthenextcycleoftheCommittee’sworkprogrammewereidentifiedandtheassociatedperformanceindicatorswereagreed.Thedevelopmentofthedraftworkprogrammewillbeprogressedsubsequentlyforfurtherconsiderationatthe8thmeetingoftheHSSCinNovember2016.

At the request of the Chairs of the HSSC Working Groups, the adequacy of IHO Resolution2/2007 ‐ Principles and procedures for making changes to IHO technical standards andspecifications was also considered. The members of the workshop did not identify anycompelling evidence that a revision of the Resolution would improve the efficiency of theexistingproceduresandagreedtotakenofurtheractiononthisissue.

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IHOResolution2/2007:Tobeornottobe‐[revised]…thatisthequestion

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49th Session of the Executive Council of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)

Paris,France,7–10June

The49thSessionoftheExecutiveCounciloftheIntergovernmentalOceanographicCommission(IOC)ofUNESCOmet inParis,France from7 to10 Juneunder theChairmanshipofProfessorPeter M. Haugan (Norway). 39 of the 40 Member States of the IOC Executive Council wererepresented (except Côte d’Ivoire), plus 16 other Member States and several internationalorganizations attending as Observers. Among the delegations, the Hydrographers from thefollowing IHOMember Stateswere present: Brazil, Germany, Russian Federation and Turkey.TheIHOwasrepresentedbyDirectorMustafaIptes.DrVladimirRyabinin,theExecutiveSecretaryoftheIOC,reportedontheimplementationoftheIOCprogrammesincetheprevioussessionaswellasonthebudgetsituation. HeemphasizedtheimportantworkcarriedoutbytheCommissioninrelationtotheIOCCapacityDevelopmentStrategy,theSecretariat’snewinitiativeondevelopingtheIOCcommunicationstrategyandthepreparationoftheIOCGlobalOceanScienceReport.The Sub‐Groups and Working Groups of the IOC reported their annual activities to theExecutive Council. The Executive Council reviewed the strategic developments of theCommissionand its contribution toandrole in recent international frameworks inparticulartheimplementationoftheAgenda2030SustainableDevelopmentGoals.TheExecutiveCouncilconsideredthereport‐“IOCRoleinSupportoftheGeneralBathymetricChartoftheOceans(GEBCO)Project,StateofProgressintheAssociatedReview”submittedbytheReviewGroupestablishedbytheIOCAssembly.TheGroupcomprisedrepresentativesofIOCMemberStatesandoneexperteachfromtheGEBCOGuidingCommitteeandrelevantIOCtechnical and regional subsidiary bodies and chaired by DrAlexander Postnov (RussianFederation),Vice‐ChairoftheIOC.The Review Group reported that the majority of the IOC technical and regional subsidiarybodies had an interest in the GEBCO products and found them useful for their activities.Taking this into account, the Review Group recommended that IOC should continue itsinvolvement in the GEBCO project and collect and integrate the IOC user requirements forGEBCOproductsonaregularbasis.TheExecutiveCouncilexpressedconcernthatthelevelofactiveinvolvementbytheIOCintheGEBCOprojecthasdiminishedandnotedthattheprojectreliesmainlyonsupportfromtheIHO. DirectorIptesintervenedduringthediscussionsandstatedtheIHOpositiononGEBCOgovernance.TheExecutiveCouncilthendecided:

‐ toenhanceIOCinvolvementintheGEBCOproject,‐ toestablisharegularworkinggroupofrepresentativesofIOCtechnicaland

regionalsubsidiarybodies to identify IOCuserrequirementsandpotentialcontributions toGEBCOproducts tasking it to collect, integrateandassesstheuserneedsandrequirementsandpotentialcontributionstoGEBCOdataand products; and to identify potential contributions to GEBCO data andproducts.

On the occasion of this session of the Executive Council, the IOC also celebrated “UNWorldOceansDay”on8Junewithspeciallecturesessionsandposterexhibitions.The Executive Council decided to hold the 29th session of theAssembly for a duration of sixworkingdaysatUNESCOHeadquartersinParis,atdatestobedecidedbetween19and30June2017,precededbyaone‐daysessionoftheExecutiveCouncil(50thsession).

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The49thSessionoftheExecutiveCounciloftheIOC

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42nd Meeting of ISO/TC 211 Tromsø,Norway,13‐17June

The Technical Committee (TC) 211 ‐ Geographic information/Geomatics of the InternationalOrganization for Standardization (ISO) held its 42nd Plenary Meeting and Working GroupMeetingWeekinTromsø,Norwayfrom13to17June.

The ISO/TC211 dealswith the development of standards and specifications in the geospatialdomain and is currently responsible for maintaining 72 ISO standards. The InternationalHydrographicOrganization(IHO)isaClassAliaisonmemberofISO/TC211andparticipatesinits standards development and maintenance activities. The ISO/TC211 19100 series ofstandardsandspecificationsunderpinstheIHOS‐100UniversalHydrographicDataModel.

ThemeetingwashostedbyStandardsNorway,oneofthefourStandardisationOrganisationsinNorway and co‐organized by the Norwegian Mapping Authority and the Ministry of LocalGovernmentandModernisation. IHBAssistantDirectorAnthonyPharaohrepresentedthe IHOatthemeeting.

Participantstothe42ndISO/TC211Meeting

Mexico and Mongolia were accepted as participating and observing members of the TCrespectively. ISO/TC211 has now37 participating and 30 observingmembers. An applicationfromSmallBusinessStandards,aEuropeannon‐profitassociationrepresentingEuropeansmalland medium‐size enterprises, to become a class “A” liaison member was accepted. Mr OlafØstensen(Norway),MrChrisBody(Australia)andMs JeanneFoust (USA)werenominatedasISO/TC211 representatives to the 6th session of the UN Committee of Experts on GlobalGeospatialInformationManagement(UN‐GGIM),whichisscheduledtotakeplaceinNewYork,USAfrom1to5August.

ThefollowingWorkingGroups(WG)metduringthecourseoftheweek:WG1(Frameworkandreferencemodel),WG4(Geospatialservices),WG6(Imagery),WG7(Informationcommunities)andWG10(Ubiquitouspublicaccess).TherewerealsomeetingsofthefollowingMaintenanceGroups(MG):ProgrammeMaintenanceGroup(PMG),TerminologyMaintenanceGroup(TMG),XMLMaintenanceGroup(XMG),HarmonizedModelMaintenanceGroup(HMMG)andOntologyMaintenanceGroup(GOM).

The plenary meeting approved working draft studies for new work items dealing with “TheInternationalTerrestrialReference System (ITRS),” “Spatial referencing by coordinates” (part 1fundamentals),“Positioningservices”,“Goodpracticesforaddressassignmentschemes”and“Dataproductspecifications”tobeaddedtotheprogrammeofwork.Italsoapprovedcommitteedraftrevisionsforthefollowingdocuments;“Schemaforcoveragegeometryandfunctions”(19123‐2Part2)and“Filterencoding”(19143).

The outcome of the meeting week which is relevant to the IHO will be reported to the 8thmeetingoftheHydrographicServicesandStandardsCommittee(HSSC)inNovember.

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Since the establishment of TC211 in 1994, Mr Olaf Østensen and Ms Bjørnhild Sæterøy(StandardsNorway)haveprovidedthesecretariatfunctionfortheTechnicalCommittee. After22 years of excellent leadership and service, they have stepped down from this position. AnotableachievementduringtheirtenurewasISO/TC211beingawardedtheLawrenceD.EicherLeadershipAwardbythe33rd ISOGeneralAssembly(in2010)asanacknowledgementof“theimportanceof theTechnicalCommittees (TC)activitiesand thededicationandhardworkof itsmembers”.

MrOlafØstensenandMsBjørnhildSæterøyacceptingthe

LawrenceD.EicherLeadershipAwardonbehalfofISO/TC211

Following offers from China, Sweden and Turkey, Sweden (represented by the SwedishStandardsInstitute)waschosentotakeoverthesecretariatoftheTCfromJanuary2017.

The43rdISO/TC211meetingwilltakeplaceinRedlands,California,USAfrom28Novemberto2December2016.The44thmeetingisexpectedtotakeplaceinStockholm,SwedeninMayorJune2017.

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2016

Monaco,PrincipautédeMonaco,13‐17June

MonacologyisanannualeventforschoolchildrenheldinMonacothataimstoraiseawarenessabout the environment and sustainable development. Monacology 2016 took place on QuaiAntoine 1er, from 13 to 17 June, directly below the offices of the InternationalHydrographicBureau(IHB),thesecretariatoftheIHO.HydrographywaspresentedinMonacology2016forthefourthyearrunning,withaninteractivedisplayandstand.Morethan400pupilsfromlocalschoolsinMonacoandneighbouringFrancevisitedtheIHOdisplayandtookpartinactivitiesguidedbytheIHBstaff.DirectorMustafa Iptes represented the IHBat the inaugurationofMonocologybyHSHPrinceAlbertIIofMonaco.

DirectorIptesattheinaugurationofMonacology2016

honouredbyHSHPrinceAlbertIIofMonaco

The underlying themeofMonacology2016was “Pollution causedbyplastic bags and refuse”.Thethemewas illustratedonthe IHOstandusingdynamicpresentations illustrating themainocean gyres in which significant amounts of the world’s ocean plastic pollution is nowaccumulating. The presentations were kindly provided to the IHO by Mercator Ocean(http://www.mercator‐ocean.fr/en/), a French non‐profit organization operating theCopernicusoperationaloceanographicservicesonbehalfoftheEuropeanCommission. AllthechildrenenjoyedcompletingamagneticpuzzlechartoftheMediterraneanSeaandreproducingthe limits of coastlines andoceanic gyreson their own tracings that they could takehomeordisplay at school. All aspiring hydrographers received an IHO badge indicating they were a“JuniorHydrographer”inrecognitionoftheirefforts,whilethemost“active”schoolsreceivedaGEBCOglobeasrecognitionoftheirefforts.

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OneoftheactiveschoolswinsaGEBCOglobeOneofthe“JuniorHydrographers”

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Arctic‐AntarcticMappingWorkshopparticipants

IHO-IOC GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans) ForumforFutureOceanFloorMapping,Monaco,15–17June

A series of meetings and workshopswereheldinMonacofrom15to17Juneas part of the Forum for Future OceanFloorMappingorganizedbytheGEBCOGuiding Committee (GGC), under thejoint auspices of the InternationalHydrographic Organization (IHO) andthe Intergovernmental OceanographicOrganization (IOC) of UNESCO andsupportedbytheNipponFoundationofJapan.

The Forum was preceeded by a PolarMapping Workshop held in theHeadquarters of the IHO on 12 and 13June, at which around 40 oceanmap

pers, scientists, cartographers and hydrographic surveyorsgathered to dicuss ways to progress new editions of theInternational Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean(IBCSO) and the International Bathymetric Chart of theArctic (IBCA),what aditional datahasbeen gatheredbut isnot reflected in themapsandhowtoobtain thisadditionaland very useful data. The chairs of the Arctic RegionalHydographic Commission (ARHC), Mr Denis Hains,Hydrographer‐General of Canada, and the HydrographicCommissiononAntarctica(HCA),MrRobertWard,Presidentof the IHB Directing Committee, gave presentations on thecurrent state of charting and the problems that the lack ofbathymetricdatafortheregionsiscausing.

The polar mapping workshop was followed by a day ofbriefings for graduates of the Nippon Foundation OceanMapping course at the University of New Hampshire, USA.Approximately 45 alumni students were welcomed to theIHObyPresidentRobertWard,beforereceivingbriefingsontheForumandtheirroleinit. MrYoheiSasakawa,Chairmanof theNipponFoundation, joined thealumni forpartof theirmeeting.

TheForumopenedattheMuséeocéanographiqueinMonacowithapproximately200delegatesfrom a wide community of participants, including hydrographers, oceanographers,cartographers, and representative from industry, science and academia. The Forum washonouredbythepresenceofHisSereneHighnessPrinceAlbert IIofMonaco,whoopenedtheForumandinauguratedtheassociatedGEBCOandNipponFoundationpostersdisplay. DuringhisaddressMrYoheiSasakawachallengedthedelegatestocompletemappingtheoceanfloorby2030.SevenIHOMemberStateswererepresentedbytheirnationalHydrographersandseniorrepresentatives from a number of other IHOMember States’ Hydrographic Offices were alsopresent. Opening addresses were delivered by President Ward and Dr Thorkild Aarup,repesenting the Executive Secretary of the IOC. These addresses were followed by thought‐provokingpresentationsbyDrRobertBallard,DrLarryMayer,MrDavidHeydon,MrsKristinaGjerde,Ms Jyotike Virmani andMr Bjorn Valving. Mr SimonWinchester, notable author and

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco opening the Forum 

 at the Musée océanographique  in Monaco 

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raconteur,closedthefirstdaywithhisobservationsonthehistoryandsignificanceoftheoceanstomankind.

TheseconddayoftheForumconsistedoffourpanelsessionswhichaddressed:

‐TheUseofbathymetry:thedeepoceanperspective,‐TheUseofbathymetry:thecoastalperspective,‐Newtoolsandtechniquesinoceanmapping,and‐Mappingtheworldoceanfloor.

These panel sessions generated active participationwith all aspects of the four themes beingexplored throughwide‐ranging comments and iscussion. These sessions led into a third day,thatconsistedoffourfocusgroupsessions,whichexploredtheissuesraisedontheseconddayanddiscussionsonhowtotakethekeyitemsforwardtodeveloparoadmapforthenext10‐15yearsofGEBCOactivityandtoprovideinputtotheForumcommuniqué.

ThedocumentationrelatedtotheForumisavailableontheGEBCOpageoftheIHOwebsiteat:

www.iho.int/mtg_docs/com_wg/GEBCO/FOFF/index.htm

Panel sessions during Day Two of the Forum 

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32nd Conference of the North Sea Hydrographic Commission

Dublin,Ireland,21‐23June

The32ndConferenceoftheNorthSeaHydrographicCommission(NSHC)washostedbytheIrishMaritimeAdministration, inDublin, from21 to 23 June. Thiswas the firstNSHC ConferencehostedbyIreland.TheConferencetookplaceinDublinCastleandwaschairedbyCaptainMarcvanderDonck,theHydrographeroftheNetherlands.26delegates,theManageroftheGEBCODigitalAtlasandsevenObserversfromindustryattendedtheConference.ThetenIHOMemberStates of the Region (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands,Norway,SwedenandUnitedKingdom)wererepresentedtogetherwiththeUSA. TheIHBwasrepresentedbyDirectorGillesBessero.

ParticipantsoftheNSHC‐32

The first half‐day was devoted to a closed session attended only by the Members of theCommissionandtheIHBrepresentative.Inhisopeningremarks,theChairnotedtherelevanceof the theme of theWorldHydrographyDay to the activities of the Commission. The closedsessionconsideredgovernanceissuesrelatedtotheestablishmentoftheIHOCouncilandtothemanagement of the Commission. The Conference agreed on the procedures to select theMember State(s) which will occupy the Council seat(s) allocated to the Commission and topreparetheinputoftheCommissiontotheCouncil. DirectorBesserobriefedthedelegatesoncurrentIHOissuesandIHBactivities. TheCommissionconsideredtheactivitiesofIHObodiesaffectingitswork,includingtheInter‐RegionalCoordinationCommittee,theWorkingGroupontheWorld‐wideENCDatabaseandtheIHO‐EuropeanUnion(EU)NetworkWorkingGroup.Thefinal item of the closed session was devoted to the consideration of the preliminary resultsobtainedby theNSHCTidalWorkingGroup in relationwith therealizationofNorthSeawidevertical referencesurfaces. TheCommissionprovidedguidance to theWorkingGroup for thecontinuationofthisworkitem.

Thesubsequentopensessionsaddressedabroadscopeofissuesrelatedtosurveypoliciesandtechnologies, including satellite derived bathymetry, charting and marine spatial datainfrastructures(MSDI). BoththeMemberStatesandthe industryrepresentativesreportedonrelevant developments and on‐going national and regional programmes. The Commissionagreed to suspend further development of the North Sea Bathymetric Database pending the

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outcomeoftheEUCallfortendersonhighresolutionseabedmappingandtheresultsoftheEUCoastalMappingProject.

The activities and work plans of the North Sea International Charting CoordinationWorkingGroup(NICCWG),ResurveyWorkingGroupandBalticSea‐NorthSeaMSDIWorkingGroupwereconsideredandendorsed.NotingthattheNorthSeaENCHarmonizationGrouphadnofurtherissuetoconsiderat theregional level, theConferenceagreedtodisbandthegroupandtaskedtheNICCWGtomonitorandaddressanyfutureENCschemeissues.

Germany informed theCommissionof a rulingof theCourt of Justice of theEuropeanUnion3which concludes that “geographical informationextracted froma topographicmap (…) retains,followingitsextraction,sufficientinformativevaluetobeclassifiedas‘independentmaterials’ofa‘database’(…)”.Throughthisruling,theCourtindicatesthattheconceptof“database”mustbeinterpretedwidely,ascollectionsofworksand/orotherdata,inanyform,withouttechnicalormaterial restrictions ‐therefore applying also to analogue databases‐ and stresses thefunctionalnatureofdatabaseprotection4.

AttheendoftheConference,CaptainDeclanBlack,Ireland,tookoverthechairmanshipandMsVirginie Debuck, Belgium, became Vice‐Chair. The next Conference is expected to take placetowardtheendofMarch2018inBelgium,exactdateandvenuetobedecidedlater.

                                                            3 See http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=170741&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1

4 Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases. 

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ThePresidentandtheDirectoroftheSecretariatoftheArcticCouncil

Visit to the Secretariat of the Arctic CouncilTromsø,Norway,27June

Inthelead‐uptothe14thConferenceoftheIHOHydrographicCommissiononAntarctica (HCA), President RobertWard took theopportunity to callonthe Director of the PermanentSecretariatoftheArticCouncil,whichislocatedinTromsø,Norway.

ThePresidentintroducedtheIHOandthe Arctic Regional HydrographicCommission (ARHC) to Mr MagnúsJóhannesson, Director. Mr.Jóhannesson confirmed that theapplication of the IHO to berecognised as an ObserverorganizationintheArcticCouncilwillbe consideredwhen theCouncilnextmeets in2017. Thiswill thenenablethe Arctic Regional HydrographicCommission to present its viewsdirectlytotheCouncil.

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Participantsatthe5th meetingofASMIWG

5th Meeting of the Atlantic Seabed Mapping International Working Group (ASMIWG)

Galway,Ireland,29JuneTheAtlanticSeabedMappingInternationalWorkingGroup(ASMIWG)wasestablishedin2015to address seabedmapping issues related to the implementation of the Galway Statement of2013throughwhichtheEuropeanUnion(EU),theUnitedStatesofAmerica(USA)andCanadaagreedtojoinforcesonAtlanticOceanResearch.

The5thmeetingoftheASMIWGwasheldattheMarineInstituteinRinville,Galway,Ireland,on29 June. The meeting was chaired by Mr Alan Stevenson, British Geological Survey (BGS)/EuroGeoSurveyMarineGeologyExpertGroup (EGSMGEG)with representatives from theEU,Canada and USA as well as representatives from the European Commission (EC) and Non‐GovernmentalOrganizations.AssistantDirectorDavidWyattrepresentedtheIHOandtheIHO‐IOCGeneralBathymetricChartoftheOceans(GEBCO)Project.The ASMIWG reviewed progress since its previous meeting and the direction and guidanceprovided from the Canada‐EU‐US Tripartite Implementation Committee meeting held on 13June. The meeting received information on recent North Atlantic transects undertaken inL’Atalante,aresearchvesseloperatedbyInstitutfrançaisderecherchepourl'exploitationdelamer (IFREMER) (French Research Institute for Exploration of the Sea)and Celtic Explorer, aresearchvesseloperatedbytheMarineInstituteofIreland(INFOMAR),aswellastheplannedtransectbytheCanadianCoastGuardvesselCCGLouisS.St‐LaurentenroutetotheArctic.The Chair provided a brief update from the NOAA/National Centers for EnvironmentalInformation (NCEI) on progress with the developments to the IHO Data Centre for DigitalBathymetry(DCDB)andtheNorthAtlanticDataViewer,wheredatagatheredduringtransectswillbemadepublicallyavailable. Additionallyupdatebriefswereprovidedontheactivitiesofthe Ocean Literacy WG, the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet),International Research Ship Operators (IRSO), IHO Crowd‐sourced Bathymetry WG, GEBCOForumforFutureOceanFloorMapping,EuropeanGlobalOceanObservingSystem(EGOOS)andAtlantic Ocean Research Alliance Coordination and Support Action (AORA CSA). The Chairprovided information on kick‐off meetings for “A Trans‐Atlantic assessment and deep‐waterecosystem‐basedspatialmanagementplanforEurope”(ATLAS)and“Deep‐seaSpongeGroundsEcosystemsoftheNorthAtlantic”(SponGES).

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Mr Craig McLean (USA) and Ms Sigi Gruber (EC) provided details of the recent TripartiteImplementation Committee meeting; the outcomes included that Canada would assume thepositionofChairoftheASMIWGfrom1January2017andthatthepositionofResearchVesselCoordinator(RVC)wouldbefundedbytheCanadianHydrographicService(CHS)initiallyforaperiod of two years. The RVC would be responsible for identifying transect opportunities,liaisingwith appropriate authorities and organizations to obtain vessel berths and time, andfillingtheberthswithsuitablyqualifiedpersonneltogatherandprocessthedataobtainedforinclusionintheAORAdatabase.TakingintoaccounttheoutcomesoftheTripartiteImplementationCommitteemeetinganditsdirectivetotheASMIWG,adraft‘Nextsteps’documentandrecommendationswerecreated;thiswillalsoidentifyanoutlineplanforapilotprojectareaandsubsequentup‐scalingoftheworktowardsacampaignmappingapproach.Itwasnotedthatthedocumentshouldbecompletedbytheendof2016andpresentedtotheImplementationCommitteebyFebruary2017.Participants were briefed on the new website (http://www.atlanticresource.org) created tosupporttheASMIWGactivitiesandintowhichallmeetingdocumentsandpresentationswouldbe placed. The Implementation Committee confirmed the next, and sixth, meeting of theASMIWGwouldtakeplaceinRostock,Germany,immediatelyaftertheHydro2016conference,whichwillbeheldfrom8to10November2016,withafurthermeetingintheUSAinApril/May2017.Themeetingwasfollowedbyapublicarts,musicandmarinesciencefusiontitled‘TheLongestRiver’.TheLongestRiverwasanattempttoexpresswhydeepoceanresearchissocaptivating,yetsocomplicated.Itwasnotedthatitisonlyinrecenttimesthattheimportanceandrelevanceof this research to our daily lives has become apparent. The event,whichwas hosted byDrPeter Heffernan, Chief Executive of the Marine Institute, included participation by Mr KevinVickers, Ambassador of Canada to Ireland, Ms Máire Geoghegan‐Quinn, former EuropeanCommissionerresponsibleforresearch,innovationandscience,MrJohnBell,DirectoroftheECBioeconomy Directorate, Mr Craig McLean, Assistant Administrator for Oceanic andAtmosphericResearchatNOAA,USA,andProfessorAndrewWheeler,ChairofGeologyandHeadof Geology at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the UniversityCollegeCork,Ireland.Theeventwasattendedbyover100membersofthepublicaswellastheASMIWGparticipants.

‘TheLongestRiver’arts,musicandmarinesciencefusion

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IHO Hydrographic Commission on Antarctica

14th Conference Tromsø,Norway,28‐30June

TheIHOHydrographicCommissiononAntarctica(HCA)operatesinasimilarwaytotheother15 Regional Hydrographic Commissions that encompass the world. It seeks to coordinatehydrographic activities so as to improve the quality, coverage and availability of nauticalchartingandotherhydrographicdata, informationandservices covering theAntarctic region.The 14th Conference of the HCA could not be held in Ecuador as planned because of theearthquake that struck that country in April. Instead the Conference was held at the FramCentre in Tromsø, Norway from 28 to 30 June, thanks to an offer from the NorwegianHydrographicService(NHS)toarrangeanalternativevenueatshortnotice.The Conferencewas chaired by IHB President RobertWard, supported by Assistant DirectorYvesGuillam,Secretary(IHB).21delegatesfrom14MemberStates(Argentina,Australia,Brazil,Chile, China, Colombia, France, India, Italy, Korea (Rep. of), Norway, United Kingdom, USA,Venezuela), four stakeholder organizations (COMNAP5, GEBCO/IBCSO6, IAATO7, IALA8), threeexpert contributors (Kongsberg Marine, Norwegian Polar Institute, Teledyne‐Caris), attendedthemeeting. ApologieswerereceivedfromJapan,NewZealand,Peru, theRussianFederation,SouthAfricaandSpain,whowereunabletoattend.

ParticipantsgatherednearbytheFramCentre,Tromsø,Norwayatthe14thConferenceoftheIHOHydrographicCommissiononAntarctica

                                                            5 COMNAP: The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs. 6 GEBCO/IBCSO: The General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans / The International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean. 7 IAATO: The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators. 8 IALA: The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities. 

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Following the signature of the statutes of the HCA by the representative of Colombia at theopeningof theConference, theHCAnowcomprises24Member States that are also signatorynationstotheAntarcticTreaty.

TheConferenceagreedtoamendtheStatutesoftheHCAinordertoprovidegreaterflexibilityinthetimingofitsconferencesandtoconformwiththeplanningcycleoftheIHOthatwillenterintoforcewhentherevisedConventionontheIHOentersintoforce,asexpectedshortly.ThelistofATCM9ResolutionsthatarerelevanttotheHCAandareannexedtotheStatuteswillalsobeupdated.TheHCAreviewedprogresssince its13thConferenceheld in2013,andreceivedreports fromCOMNAP,GEBCO/IBCSO,IAATO,IALA,aswellasfromtheIHOMemberStates.NationalreportsfromtheIHOMemberStates,whowerenotpresent,werenoted.Presentationswerealsogivenbytheexpertcontributors.EachfocusedtheirpresentationsontheAntarcticenvironment.Twopresentations delivered by the representative of the Norwegian Polar Institute were wellreceived and gave the opportunity to identifyways to strengthen links between theHCA andSCAR10andother scientific instituteswhocollectbathymetricdata inAntarctica. ParticipantsagreedthattheSecretariatoftheIHOshouldinvestigatethepossibilityofengagingwithSCAR’sStandingCommitteeonDataManagement(SC‐ADM).

Discussions at themeeting centred not only on the need to obtain bathymetric data from allsourcesandobserversintheregion,butalsoontheneedtoimproveanddevelopacoordinatedapproach across the HCAmembership and its stakeholders by establishing a recognized andinteroperableGIS‐basedrepositorythatwillenableexistingdatacoveragetobeidentified.TheHCAsecretariat(IHB)willinvestigateenhancementstotheHCAGISon‐linedatabaseportalbylinking to certain HCA Member States, who already run operational maritime geoportals(Colombia,France,RepublicofKorea…).Inaddition,itwasalsodecidedthattheHCAMemberswill re‐evaluate the existingdata layers available in the IHOHCAGISdatabase, aswell as thepotentialtoextendlinkagesbetweentheIHOINToGISINTchartcoordinationsystemandotherAntarcticageoportals(suchasQuantarctica,ledbytheNorwegianPolarInstitute,etc.).

The Chair of the HCA Hydrographic Priorities Working Group (HPWG) provided acomprehensive analysis of the charting coverage (INT paper charts and ENCs) in the region.Statistics and illustrations of recent vessel traffic patterns, provided by IAATO, and throughaccess to AIS datawere very useful in verifying the existingmaritime shipping routes (MSR)used to set surveyandchartingpriorities in theHCAand resulted in the identificationof twonewMSRs.

                                                            9 Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. 10 SCAR: The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. 

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PresidentRobertWardinterviewedbyTVNorway,andthankingMessrs.EvertFlierandNoralfSlotsvik(NHS),

fortheiroutstandingsupport

TherepresentativeofChilereportedonitsrepresentationoftheIHO‐HCAatthe39thsessionoftheATCMand indicated thepossibility that the IHOmightpresent a seminaron the statusofhydrography in Antarctica back‐to‐back with the 41st session of the Antarctic TreatyConsultativeMeeting(ATCM)duetotakeplaceintheCzechRepublicin2018.

Subject toconfirmationbythehostcountry, itwasagreedthatthe15thConferenceof theHCAwill take place in New Zealand in June 2017. The 16th Conference of the HCA is tentativelyplannedtotakeplaceinconjunctionwiththe41stsessionoftheATCMintheCzechRepublicin2018, thereby maximizing attendance and participation of HCA Members at both its ownConferenceandtheproposedseminaronthestatusofhydrographyinAntarctica.

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JULY

12th Session of the IMO-ITU Experts Group London,UnitedKingdom,11‐15July

The Experts Group (EG) establishedjointly by the International MaritimeOrganization (IMO) and theInternational Telecommunication Union(ITU) consists of people active in IMOand ITU in relationship to all aspects ofmaritimecommunications. The ITU isaspecializedagencyoftheUnitedNations(UN)whichisresponsibleforissuesthatconcerninformationandcommunicationtechnologies, includingaeronautical andmaritimenavigation.ThefunctionoftheIMO/ITU EG is to advise on thedevelopment of future requirements for

maritimeradiocommunicationstakingintoaccounttheoperationalneedsasdefinedbyIMOandtheregulatoryneedsasdefinedby ITU. The12th sessionof the IMO/ITUEG(IMO/ITUEG12)washeldattheIMOHeadquartersinLondon,UK,from11to15JulyunderthechairmanshipofMr Christian Rissone (France). Assistant Director David Wyatt represented the IHO. ThesessionwasopenedbyMrHYamada,SeniorDeputyDirector,SubdivisionforOperationalSafetyandHumanElement,MaritimeSafetyDivisionattheIMO.

TheGroupaddressedanumberoftopicsofdirectinteresttoIHOMemberStatesresultingfromdiscussionsatthe96thsessionoftheIMOMaritimeSafetyCommittee(MSC96),3rdsessionoftheIMOSub‐committeeonNavigation,Communications,andSearchandRescue(NCSR3),outcomesoftheITUWorldRadiocommunicationConference2015(WRC‐15)andinpreparationofWRC‐19. The IHBsubmittedonecommentpaperandmadeanumberof interventions,whichweremainly to clarifymisunderstanding of theWorldwide NavigationWarning Service (WWNWS)processes, NAVAREA and METAREA Coordinator responsibilities and the nature of MaritimeSafetyInformation(MSI).

In particular the Experts Group considered the Interconnection of NAVTEX and InmarsatSafetyNET receivers and their display on Integrated Navigation Display Systems, additionalmodulestotheRevisedPerformanceStandardsforIntegratedNavigationSystem(INS)(resolutionMSC.252(83))relatingtotheharmonizationofbridgedesignanddisplayofnavigationinformationreceived via communications equipment and Guidelines for the harmonization display ofnavigationinformationreceivedviacommunicationsequipment.TheIHBsubmittedcommentsinrelation to these items, whichwere included in the revised draft amendments to resolutionsMSC.252(83) (Revised Performance Standards for Integrated Navigation Systems (INS)),MSC.306(87) (Revised Performance Standards for Enhanced Group Call (EGC) Equipment) andMSC.148(77) (Revised Performance Standards for Narrow‐Band Direct‐Printing TelegraphEquipment for the Reception of Navigational and Meteorological Warnings and UrgentInformationtoShips(NAVTEX)),whichwillbesubmittedtoNCSR4forconsideration.

The Group considered the use of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) on unmanned craft,theiroperationsanddynamicnavigationmarkers,notingthatRecommendationsITU‐RM.585‐7andM.1375‐5didnotaddresstheseissues. TheGroupnotedthattheseRecommendationsdid

12thsessionoftheIMO‐ITUEG

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notprovideguidancefortheassignmentofidentificationtoAISdevicesusedtomarkadynamicnavigationhazard,whichcouldimprovenavigationsafetyifseparatelydistinguishedfromaidstonavigation.

The Group reviewed, in detail, the report of the Correspondence Group (CG) on theModernizationoftheGlobalMaritimeDistressandSafetySystem(GMDSS)andcommentswerepreparedforfurtherconsiderationbytheCGinpreparingtheirreporttoNCSR4.

The Experts Group considered the compatibility of multiple GMDSS satellite services withrespect to the delivery ofMSI. The Group noted that the formatting of Enhanced Group Call(EGC)messagecontent,therouteingofmessagesfromtheoriginators(MSIprovidersandSARoperators) to the satellite service providers for broadcasting and the requirement for MSIproviders tomonitor their broadcastswere of particular relevance. The IHB highlighted theguidanceonthestandardisationandtheharmonizingoftheformatofEGCmessagescontainedintheJointIMO/IHO/WMOMSIManualandtheInternationalSafetyNETManual.

TheGroupnotedtheconcernsoftheMSIprovidersinmeetingtherequirementtomonitortheirbroadcasts when transmitted via multiple satellite service providers, which could cause costincreases. The Group discussed the issue of interoperability for the shore elements of thesystem. The future development of NAVDAT and its potential place alongside the NAVTEXsystemnetworkwereconsidered.

TheGroupdiscussedtheapplicationbyThurayaandIridium forrecognitionasmobilesatelliteserviceproviders; ofparticular concernwasout‐of‐band‐emission interferenceand theGroupconsideredtheIMOshouldinvitetheITUtotakeappropriateregulatorymeasurestoensurefullprotection of the availability of the frequency bands to be used by new recognised GMDSSsatelliteserviceprovidersfortheprovisionofGMDSSservices.

TheExpertsGroupdiscusseddraftdefinitionsofAutonomousMaritimeRadioDevices(AMRD)forconsiderationbytheITUandtheneedtoconsidertheoperationalandsafetyofnavigationaspectsandwhichdevicesshouldbedisplayedbyAISandonanECDIS.

Inclosingthemeeting,MrAshokMahapatra,DirectorIMOMaritimeSafetyDivision,notedtheprogress on the GMDSS Modernization Plan in preparation for NCSR4; he also noted theprogressontheIMOpositionsforvariousWRCagendaitems. Heacknowledgedtheeffortsontherecognitionofnewmobilesatelliteserviceprovidersandtheprogressinresolvinganumberofimportantissues.

ThenextsessionoftheIMO/ITUEGisscheduledfrom10to14July2017(IMO/ITUEG13).ThemeetingreportandassociateddocumentswillbeavailableontheIMOwebsiteunderIMODOCSinduecourse.

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22nd Session of the International Seabed Authority Kingston,Jamaica,12‐22July

TheInternationalSeabedAuthorityhelditstwenty‐secondannualsessionatitsheadquartersinKingston,Jamaicafrom12to22Julywithacrowdedagenda,includingelectionstoitsexecutiveCouncil,twosubsidiaryorgansandofaSecretary‐Generaltosteeritsactivitiesforthenextfouryears.

TheSecretary‐GeneralofISAandPresidentoftheIHOSecretariatwithMrTidianiCouma,representativeofMonacototheISA

TheAuthority’s supremeorgan, theAssembly electedMd.KhurshedAlam (Bangladesh) as itsPresidentfor2016.TheCouncilelectedMariuszOrionJędrysek(Poland)asitsPresidentforthecurrent session. President Robert Ward represented the IHO during the first week of thesession.

Among the items on the Council’s agenda was consideration of a proposed Agreement onCooperationbetweentheIHOandtheISA.ThiswasagreedandresultedintheAgreementbeingsigned on 14 July on behalf of the IHO by President Ward and on behalf of the ISA by itsSecretary‐GeneralMr.NiiAlloteyOduntonofGhana.

PresidentWardaddressedtheCouncilwhereheintroducedtheIHO.HewentontheremindtheCouncilthatlessthan10%oftheareaunderitsjurisdictionhasbeenmeasureddirectlyandthatthissituationcanbestbeaddressedbyintroducingpoliciesthatobligeatleastsomelevelofthedepth data being collected as part of the exploration and environmental assessmentarrangements, to be made more widely available. He reminded the Council that this wouldfollowthegrowingtrendinotherpartsoftheworld’sseaareas–wherethepolicyistomeasureonce–andusemanytimes. HehighlightedalsothatadoptingorencouragingsucharegimeintheISAofmakingfundamentaldepthdatamorewidelyavailablewouldalsodirectlysupporttherecently adopted Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development number Goal 14 ‐ concerning thesustainabilityofoceanactivities.

The President expanded upon this theme at a side eventwhere he briefed approximately 40delegates,whochosetoattend.

Asaresultof the IHOrepresentationat theAssemblyandCouncilmeetingsof the ISAseveralgroups representing ISA licensees (Contractors) and the Secretariat expressed interest infurther developing the ISA protocols to ensure that bathymetric data collected under the ISAregimeismadeavailabletotheIHODataCentreforDigitalBathymetry(DCDB)andtheIHO‐IOCGEBCOproject.

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AUGUST

Graduation Recognition Ceremony for Master of Science Degree in Hydrographic Science

UniversityofSouthernMississippi,USA,04August

Four students sponsored by the Republic of Korea (ROK) through the IHO Capacity BuildingprogrammesuccessfullycompletedaMaster’sDegreeinhydrographicscienceattheUniversityof Southern Mississippi (USM), USA, in August. The four successful students were from thenationalhydrographicservicesofBahrain,Mauritius,NigeriaandRomania. Theywerepartofthe17thgraduatingclassandallobtainedhighmarksonthecourse.Formalgraduationwilltakeplace at the end of the year; however, a recognition ceremony was held shortly after thecompletionof the course tomark theachievementsof all thegraduatesbefore they return totheirhostorganizationstotakeupoperationalrolesinhydrography.

TheMaster’sDegreemeetstheCategoryArecognitionrequirementsoftheInternationalBoardon Standards of Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors and Nautical Cartographers (IBSC)operated jointly by the Fédération Internationale des Géomètres (FIG), the InternationalHydrographicOrganization(IHO)andtheInternationalCartographicAssociation(ICA).

TherecognitionceremonywasheldattheGulfParkCampusoftheUSMonTuesday,04August.Dr. Rodney D Bennett, President of the University of SouthernMississippi also attended theceremonywhichwasdeclaredopenbyDrSteveMiller,VicePresidentforGulfParkCampusoftheUSM.Thiswas followedbyabriefspeech fromIHBDirectorMustafa IptesandDrChaehoLim(Representativeofthedonorstate,ROK).AkeynoteaddresswasdeliveredbyCaptainBrianD. Connon (US Navy), Director of the Maritime Safety Division, US National Geospatial‐IntelligenceAgency.TheceremonyclosedwiththepresentationofcertificatesandprizesbyDrKarenS.Coats,DeanoftheGraduateSchooloftheUSMandCaptainRaymond“Rich”DelgadoIII(USNavy),ChiefofStaff,MeteorologyandOceanographyCommandandHydrographeroftheUSNavy.

AswellasthefourIHOCapacityBuildingprogrammealumni,therewerenineothersuccessfulstudents from the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, USA, and from the commercial hydrographicsurveyingsector.

It is expected that the Republic of Korea and the IHOwill be able to offer further sponsoredplacesonthecourseinfutureyears.Prospectiveapplicantsshouldmakeearlypreparationstoensure that they have the necessary qualifying credentials, particularly English languageproficiencyandacademic recognitionwell inadvanceof thenextcall forapplication,which islikelytooccurinSeptember.

Graduandsreceivetheircertificatesofrecognition

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LefttoRight:MrMaximvanNorden(CoordinatoroftheUSMCATAProgramme)MrDevendraRagoonathMadhow(MinistryofHousing&Lands,Mauritius)LtCdrBabatundeLuqmanAkanbi(NigerianNavy)

DrChaehoLim(DirectorofNauticalChartDivision,KHOA,ROK)MrMustafaIptes(Director,IHO)MrJasimButaiba(Survey&LandsBureau,Bahrain)LtLucianDutu(RomanianNavy)

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6thSession of the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management

3‐6August,NewYork,USA

The sixth Session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on GlobalGeospatial Information Management (UN‐GGIM) took place at the UNHeadquartersinNewYork,USAfrom3to6August.

The UN‐GGIM reports to the UN Assembly via the UN Economic and SocialCouncil (ECOSOC). Theprincipal purposeof theUN‐GGIM is toplay a leading

roleinsettingtheagendaforthedevelopmentofglobalgeospatialinformationmanagementandtopromote theuseof geospatial information in addressingkey global challenges, particularlytaking in to account the role of geospatial data in monitoring and achieving the SustainableDevelopmentgoalsagreedundertheUN2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopment.

Mr Wu Hongbo, UN Under‐Secretary‐General for Economic and Social Affairs opened themeeting, highlighting that ECOSOC had recently adopted a draft resolution (E/2016/L.28)entitled “Strengthening institutional arrangements ongeospatial information management”. The adoptedResolution, in effect, confirms theUN‐GGIM as a permanentUN subordinate body and enables greater institutionalsupporttobeprovidedtotheUN‐GGIM.

Nearly 300 participants representing more than 80 UNMember States and Observer Organizations, including theIHO,participated in the Session. A representativeof theUSHydrographicOffice (Office of Coast Survey)was present inthe US delegation. The Hydrographic Offices of Cuba, NewZealand, Oman and the Philippines were, in effect,representedsincetheirnationaldelegationswereledbytheirparent organizations. President Robert Ward representedtheIHO.

The sixth Session was preceded by 28 associated sidemeetingscoveringregionalGGIMmeetingsanddiscussionsinsupportofseveralworkinggroupssupportingtheGGIM.

A number of the items on the agenda ofUN‐GGIM6were ofdirect relevance to IHO Member States, particularly inrelationtothecontributionofhydrographicdataandservicestonationalandregionalspatialdatainfrastructures.

ProgressinthedevelopmentandmaintenanceofrelevantIHOstandardswaspresentedtotheCommittee as part of a combined report of the IHO, the International Organization forStandardization(ISO)andtheOpenGeospatialConsortium(OGC).TheCommitteeexpresseditsthanks for the continuing work of the IHO, ISO and OGC with respect to standards,harmonization and implementation, and the usefulness of the two reference documentsproduced by the three organizations. Several Member States indicated that the referencedocuments arenowbeingusedas ameansofhighlighting the fundamental importanceof theadoptionanduseofgeospatialstandardsinordertoenhancedatainter‐operabilityandaccessintheircountries.

The Committee reviewed the progress being made by its working group (WG) on globalfundamental geospatial data themes. There was some discussion on the usefulness of aminimumlistoffundamentalgeospatialdatathemesratherthandatasets.TheWGwasinvitedtoreportitsprogresstothenextsession.

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TheCommitteereconfirmeditsacknowledgmentthatopendata,datasharingpolicies,andtheuse of volunteered geographic information are critical to advancing the use of geospatialinformation. These are all subjects currently under the purview of the Marine Spatial DataInfrastructureWorkingGroup(MSDIWG)andtheCrowd‐SourcedBathymetryWorkingGroupoftheIHO.

The Committee’s Expert Group on theApplication of Geospatial Informationrelated to Land Administration andManagement, provided its report andobservations.PresidentWarddrewtheCommittee’s attention to the fact thatthesubjectsunderconsiderationofthisexpert group applied equally to thecoastal areas, seas and oceans. Hedrewattention to theongoingwork inthe IHO of assisting Member States tocontribute to national and regionalspatialdata infrastructuresandinvitedtheCommitteetoconsiderwhetherthescope of study should be widenedbeyond the terrestrial domain tospecifically include coastalwaters, theseas and the oceans. As a result, theCommittee:... recognized the need to consider the

marine environment – shorelines, coastalwaters, seas and oceans – as a key component of thespatialdata infrastructure thatunderpins the administration andmanagement of land,marinespaces,andthenationalgeospatialresourcesofmanylittoralMemberStates.

ThisstatementreinforcestheroleoftheMSDIWGandtheprioritythatisplacedonMSDIintheIHOWorkProgramme.

Copies of all the papers and report of the meeting are available on the GGIM website at:http://ggim.un.org

TheseventhSessionofUN‐GGIMwilltakeplaceattheUNHeadquartersduringthefirstweekofAugust2017.

ChairofISOTechnicalCommittee211onGeographicinformation/Geomatics,MrOlafØstensen

andPresidentWard

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SCAR Biennial Meetings KualaLumpur,Malaysia,20‐30August

The 34th biennial meetings of theScientific Committee on AntarcticResearch (SCAR) and an associatedOpenScienceConferencetookplaceinKualaLumpur,Malaysiafrom20to30August. The event brought togetherthe world’s leading Antarcticscientists. SCAR is a body of theInternational Council for Science(ICSU), and is charged with theinitiation,promotionandcoordinationofscientificresearchinAntarcticaandthe Southern Ocean. SCAR alsoprovides international, independentscientific advice to the Antarctic

Treaty System and other bodies. SCAR is affiliated to the IHO Hydrographic Commission onAntarctica(HCA).PresidentRobertWard,whoisChairoftheHCA,attendedthefollowingsidemeetingsrelatedtohydrography thatwereorganisedaspartof theSCARConference: theStandingCommitteeonAntarctic Data Management (SC‐ADM), the Standing Committee on Antarctic GeographicInformation (SC‐AGI), theAntarcticSea‐iceProcessesandClimateExpertGroup(ASPeCt),andtheInternationalBathymetricChartoftheSouthernOcean(IBCSO)ExpertGroup.ThePresidentprovidedastatusreportonthebathymetryoftheSouthernOceanandtheneedtoobtain significantly more data than presently existed. He reminded the participants ofResolution5/2014oftheAntarcticTreatyConsultativeMeeting(ATCM)thatencouragesStatestoensurethatallvesselsoperatinginAntarcticacollecthydrographicandbathymetricdataonallvoyages.Hepointedoutthatallshipsoperatingintheregionarecapableofobtainingdepthmeasurementsincoastalwatersusingtheirstandardnavigationalsensorsandthatallsuitablyequippedshipsshouldbetakingmeasurementindeeperwatersaswell.Hedescribedthelong‐standingIHO‐IOCGeneralBathymetricChartoftheOcean(GEBCO)projectandthesupportingIHODataCentreforDigitalBathymetryastheonlycomprehensiveglobalbathymetricdatabase.Heappealedtoallthosepresenttoconsiderwaystomakearchiveddepthdataalreadycollectedas part of scientific research discoverable and thereforemorewidely available as part of theglobalbathymetricdataset.

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13th Conference of the Southern Africa and Islands Hydrographic Commission (SAIHC)

CapeTown,SouthAfrica,30‐31August

The13thConferenceoftheSouthernAfricaandIslandsHydrographicCommission(SAIHC)washeld from 30 to 31 August 2016 in Cape Town, South Africa. Six Member States: France,Mauritius,Mozambique,Norway,SouthAfricaandtheUnitedKingdomwererepresentedatthemeeting.Indiaalsoparticipatedasaninvitedmember.Comoros,Malawi,NamibiaandPortugal,attendedasAssociateMembersanddelegatesfromtheInternationalAssociationofMarineAidstoNavigation andLighthouseAuthorities (IALA), the SouthAfricanMaritimeSafetyAuthority(SAMSA) and the two Regional Electronic Nautical Chart (RENC) organizations: IC‐ENC andPRIMAR also participated in the meeting. Industry participants from C‐MAP Norway, FugroSurveyAfrica,KongsbergMaritime,OceaneeringSouthAfrica,TeledyneCARISandUnderwaterSurveys also attended the meeting. President Robert Ward and Assistant Director AnthonyPharaoh represented the IHB. The meeting was chaired by Captain Abri Kampfer (nationalHydrographerofSouthAfrica).

The 13th Conference was preceded by a meeting of the regional International ChartingCoordinationWorkingGroup (ICCWG)duringwhich the statusof INT chartproduction in theregionwasdiscussed.ApresentationontheINToGISonlinecatalogueapplicationwasprovided,followedbyan“IALASafetyofNavigationConference”.Theseeventstookplaceon29August.

Participantsofthe13thSAIHCConference

Eachof theparticipatingMemberandAssociateMemberStatespresentedat theConferenceabriefing on the status of hydrography and charting priorities in their areas of responsibility.There were reports, presentations and discussions on Satellite Derived Bathymetry, GEBCOactivities,theIHOcapacitybuildingprogrammefortheregion,thestatusofIHOpublicationC‐55, procedures for marine disasters, maritime safety information for NAVAREA VII and theNorwegianMareanoProject(http://www.mareano.no/).ThetwoRENCorganizationsprovidedfeedbackonthestatusofENCdistributionintheregion. Presentationswerealsodeliveredbyeachoftheindustryparticipants.

ThereportprovidedbyMauritiushighlightedthesignificantprogressthathasbeenmadewiththedevelopmentof theMauritianhydrographic infrastructureandcapabilities. Thishasbeenachieved through the very successful capacity building efforts from both the IHO CapacityBuilding Programme and the continuing support from the Government of India through the

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IndianNationalHydrographicOfficewhichisdeployingitsshipsregularlytoconductsurveysinMauritius,providingtrainingandcompilingnauticalchartsonbehalfofthecountry. AssociateMembers Angola, Kenya, Madagascar, Seychelles and Tanzania were not able to attend themeetinganddidnotsubmitnationalreports.

South Africa (Captain Abri Kampfer) was re‐elected as Chair for the next term and UK waselectedtoholdthepositionofViceChair.ThenextconferenceisproposedtotakeplaceinlateSeptember2017inMauritius,subjecttoconfirmation.

AllpapersandpresentationfortheWorkingGroupmeetingandtheConferenceareavailableontheSAIHC13documentpageontheIHOwebsite(http://www.iho.int).

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SEPTEMBER

Towards COP22 – African Ministerial Conference on

Ocean Economies and Climate Change Mauritius,1‐2September

At the invitation of the World Bank, President RobertWard represented the IHO at an African MinisterialConferenceonOceanEconomiesandClimateChangeheldon1and2September inMauritius. The invitationcameas a result of several meetings between IHB DirectorMustafa Iptes and theWorldBank,whereDirector IpteswasexploringopportunitiesforassistancefromtheBankfor hydrographic capacity building. During the

discussionsDirectorIpteshighlightedthefundamentalandunderpinningrolethathydrography,and inparticularbathymetricdata,plays inall aspectsofhumanactivity in,onandunder thesea.Asaresult,theWorldBanknowbetterrecognizesthathydrographyshouldbeconsideredaspartofanywiderprogrammesthatitsupportstodeveloptheblueeconomyandinvitedtheIHOtoparticipateintheAfricanMinisterialConference.

The Conference, organised by the Government of Mauritius and the World Bank, broughttogetherMinisters from15African countries togetherwith leading experts fromdevelopmentpartners, the private sector, scientists, and academia. The purpose of the Conferencewas topreparetopresentan'AfricanPackage'tothe22ndsessionoftheConferenceoftheParties(COP22) to theUNFrameworkConventiononClimateChange(UNFCCC) inMarrakesh,Morocco inNovember 2016 and to help attract transformational investment packages for ocean‐relateddevelopmentforAfricaaspartofthebroaderglobaloceanactionagenda.

TheConferencedevelopedacommuniquéthatwillbepresentedtoCOP22. Amongitsvariouscallsforaction,thecommuniquéhighlightstheneedforinvestmentsanddevelopmentsthataresustainableandenvironmentallysensitiveandarebackedupbyappropriateenvironmentalandscientificstudies.

In that context, nationalHydrographicOffices, as theprincipal custodiansof the authoritativenationalbathymetricdatabaseandtheIHOthroughitsDataCentreforDigitalBathymetryandits co‐governanceof the IHO ‐ IOCGeneralBathymetricChart of theOceans (GEBCO)project,haveimportantrolesthattheycanplay.

TheConferencewasinformedthatagrowingnumberofcountries,manyofthemIHOMemberStates,eitherhaveorareplanningtoimplementMarineSpatialPlans.Thisaddsfurtherweightto the need for those Hydrographic Offices that are notalready a key part of their national spatial datainfrastructure toconsiderhowtheymayberecognisedandbecome more involved in supporting activities that gobeyondchartingandsafetyofnavigation.

During a break in the Conference, key personnel from theMauritius Hydrographic Unit met the President anddiscussed hydrographic progress in the country, includingtherecentestablishmentofanin‐countryinshoresurveyingcapability, and the very successful capacity building efforts

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from both the IHO Capacity Building Programme and the continuing support from theGovernment of India through the Indian National Hydrographic Office which is deploying itsshipsnauticalchartsonbehalfofthecountry.

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Thesis Juries of the Masters of Science (MSc) in Hydrography and in Hydrographic Engineering

and Data Processing ENSTABretagne,Brest,France,1‐2September

GraduateandPost‐graduate

EngineeringSchoolandResearchInstitute

LCDRIndragiriYaniWardhono

(Indonesia)andAssistantDirectorYvesGuillam,

SecretariatoftheIHO

ENSTA Bretagne is the French Graduate School which offers a Category A curriculum inhydrographyrecognizedbytheFIG/IHO/ICAInternationalBoardonStandardsofCompetenceforHydrographic Surveyors andNautical Cartographers. The School proposes fourMaster ofScience (MSc) programmes, respectively inHydrography,Hydrographic Engineering andDataProcessing,OperationalOceanography,andMarineGeophysics,thelatterbeingassociatedwithaResearchMasterattheUniversityofBrest,France.

At the invitation of Dr Nathalie Debese of the Hydrography Department at ENSTA Bretagne,Assistant Director Yves Guillam, Secretariat of the IHO, chaired five MSc thesis juries onhydrographictopicson1‐2September.

ThefivestudentswerefromCameroon(1),China(2),France(1)andIndonesia(1).Fourofthetheses covered the automatic definition of bathymetric optimal surface for shallow watersurveys, inspection technologies for hydrodams and infrastructures, automatic and statisticalcomparisons of bathymetric surveys in lakes anddam reservoirs, technical specifications of anew Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle(ROV) sonar developed for mine‐hunting. Thewidespectrumoftheresearchtopicsinvestigatedinthesethesesillustratedthathydrographyismuchmorethannauticalcharting.

Thefifthresearchproject,sponsoredandmanagedbyENSTABretagneandtheFrenchnationalHydrographicService(SHOM),soughttodevelopamathematicalmethodologytobeusedbothbyhydrographersandcartographersfordecisionsupportprocesseswhenhandlingnewsurveydatawithinanareaalreadysurveyedand/orcharted.LCDRIndragiriYaniWardhonofromtheIndonesiannationalHydrographic Service (DISHIDROS)wasawardedhisMScdiploma forhisresearchonthistopic.

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CapacityBuildingdiscussionsonboardMSRichardWith

WelcomingaddressbyMrArveDimmen,DirectorofMaritimeSafety,NorwegianCoastal

8th Meeting of the IHO World-Wide Navigational Warning Service Sub-Committee

Ålesund,Norway,12‐16SeptemberThe 8th meeting of theWorld‐Wide NavigationalWarning Service (WWNWS) Sub‐Committee(WWNWS8)was hosted by theNorwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) andwas held at theQualityWaterfrontHotel,Ålesund,Norway,from12to16SeptemberunderthechairmanshipofMr Peter Doherty of the UnitedStates of America. Mr ArveDimmen, Director of MaritimeSafety at the NCA,welcomed themeeting which was attended by38 delegates from 18 IHOMemberStates, theSecretariatofthe International MaritimeOrganization (IMO), theSecretariat of the WorldMeteorological Organization(WMO), the Secretariat of theInternational Mobile SatelliteOrganization (IMSO), the ChairsofIMONAVTEXandInternationalSafetyNET Coordinating Panels,Inmarsat, Iridium and the IHB.The delegates includedrepresentatives of 16 NAVAREACoordinators, one Sub‐AreaCoordinator and three NationalCoordinators.

TheSub‐CommitteereceivedMaritimeSafety Information (MSI) self‐assessment reports fromall21NAVAREAsandfromtheBalticSeaSub‐Area,aswellasreportsfromtheSecretariatsofthe IMO, WMO and IMSO. The outcomes from the 14th meeting of the Document ReviewWorking Group (8‐10 March 2016) were discussed; in particular the proposed editorialamendments to the IMOresolutionsA.705(17)–PromulgationofMaritimeSafety Information,A.706(17) –World‐Wide NavigationalWarning Service – and A.1051(27) –IMO/WMOWorld‐WideMet‐OceanInformationandWarningService.

Thedelegatesreceivedbriefingsone‐Navigationandanewe‐BroadcastsystemfromAustralia,SONSAT (Security of Navigation, Stabilisation, Advice and Training, including the AdmiraltyWarning and Navigational Information Service (AWNIS)) from the United Kingdom anddevelopmentsintheprovisionofmobilesatelliteGlobalMaritimeDistressandSafetySystem

(GMDSS)servicesfromInmarsatandIridium. ThemeetingalsoreceivedaprogressreportonthedevelopmentoftheS‐124ProductSpecificationonNavigationalWarningsfromthechairoftheS‐124CorrespondenceGroup.

The Sub‐Committee embarked on the ferryMS Richard With to hold focused sessionscoveringvariousaspectsofCapacityBuilding(CB). The sessions were led by the CBRegional Coordinator of the East AtlanticHydrographic Commission (EAtHC), Mr EricLanglois (France). The sessions consideredprogress reports on the delivery of MSItrainingcourses,anddiscussedtheprocessesfor reporting the status of MSI provision atRegionalHydrographicCommissionmeetings

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andmethods for identifying to the Capacity Building Sub‐Committee the regions and coastalStatesmostinneedoftrainingandassistance.The next meeting of WWNWS‐SC will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, 28 August to 1September 2017; detailswill be published on theWWNWS‐SCpage of the IHOwebsitewhenavailable. It isplanned that themeetingwillbe followedby aCapacityBuildingMSITrainingCoursefortheSouthernAfricanandIslandsHydrographicCommission(SAIHC)region.WhenfinalizedthereportofWWNWS8willbepostedontheIHOwebsite,whereallthemeetingdocumentsarealreadyavailable(www.iho.int>Committees&WG>WWNWS‐SC>WWNWS8)

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4th S-100 Test Strategy Meeting Rostock,Germany,13–16September

The 4th S‐100 Test Strategy Meeting took place at the offices of the Federal Maritime andHydrographicAgencyofGermany(BundesamtfürSeeschifffahrtundHydrographie)from13to16 September. The meeting was attended by representatives from IHO Member States(Germany, Republic of Korea United Kingdom, USA ‐ National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA), Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO) and Space and Naval WarfareSystemsCommand(SPAWAR)),andexpertcontributorsfromFuruno,ESRI,theKoreaResearchInstituteofShipsandOceanEngineering(KRISO),IICTechnologies,SevenCs,TeledyneCarisandTransas.ThemeetingwaschairedbyMsJuliaPowell(USA–ChairoftheS‐100WorkingGroup)and the IHB was represented by Assistant Director Anthony Pharaoh and Mr Yong Baek(secondedofficerfromtheRepublicofKoreaandS‐100WGViceChair).

Participantstothe4thTestStrategyMeeting

ThemainitemofdiscussionfocusedonthedraftversionoftheS‐100InteroperabilityCatalogue,which has been jointly developed by IIC Technologies and C‐Map, under contract to the US‐NOAA. Thecatalogue is themaincomponentof anS‐100 InteroperabilitySpecificationwhichwilldescribehowdifferentS‐100basedproductsinteroperatewithinasinglesystemsuchasanECDIS.

TheChairoftheNauticalInformationProvisionWorkingGroup(NIPWG),MrJensSCHRÖDER‐FÜRSTENBERGprovidedareportontheproductspecificationsbeingdevelopedbytheNIPWGandhighlightedsomepotentialinteroperabilityissues.

Anupdatewasprovidedon the S‐412WeatherOverlayproduct specification currentlyunderdevelopment by the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology(JCOMM) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the IntergovernmentalOceanographicCommission(IOC).

Themeeting discussed issues relating to S‐100 portrayal and the language used for encodingconditionalsymbolizationprocedures.

Therewere presentations and discussion on the S‐100 test bed projects under development.These included items such as the S‐101 data viewers being developed by the KoreaHydrographicandOceanographicAgencyandtheUS‐SPAWAR,theS‐57toS‐101dataconverterapplicationdevelopedbyESRIandvariousS‐10xtestdatasets.

AllthemeetingdocumentsareavailableintheIHOwebsite(www.iho.int>Committees&WG>HSSC>S‐100WG).

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The next S‐100 Test Strategy Meeting is scheduled to take place in the USA or Canada inSeptember2017.

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29th Meeting of the IHO-IOC GEBCO Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names Boulder,Colorado,USA,19‐23September

The29thmeetingof the IHO‐IOCGEBCOSub‐CommitteeonUnderseaFeatureNames (SCUFN)washostedattheNationalCenterforEnvironmentalInformation(NCEI)oftheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA),inBoulder,Colorado,USA,from19to23September.SCUFNistaskedwithselectingthenamesofunderseafeaturestoappearintheproductsoftheIHO‐IOCGeneralBathymetricChartoftheOceans(GEBCO)projectandoninternationalnauticalcharts. These names, widely used in scientific publications also, are made available in theGEBCO Gazetteer of Undersea Features Names (www.gebco.net Data and products Undersea feature names view and download). The meeting, chaired by Dr HansWernerSchenke(IOCrepresentative)fromtheAlfredWegenerInstituteforPolarandMarineResearch(AWI–Germany),wasattendedby25participants,including10ofthe12SCUFNmembers(fiveIOCandfiveIHOrepresentatives),togetherwith14observersincludingMrShinTani(ChairoftheGEBCOGuidingCommittee)andMrOsamuMiyaki(IOCSecretariat).AssistantDirectorYvesGuillam(SCUFNSecretary)representedtheIHOSecretariat.ThemeetingwasopenedbytheChairof SCUFN who welcomed all theparticipants and introduced the twonew SCUFN Members: Ms RobertaIvaldi (Italy, IHO representative) andMs Ksenia Dobrolyubova (RussianFederation, IOC representative). Healso paid tribute to Mr NormanCherkis who informed the membersinAugustthathewishedtostepdownfrom his position in SCUFN. Inaccordancewith theSCUFNTermsofReference,theSecretaryinformedthemeetingofseveralfurtheranticipatedchanges to the membership due tooccur in 2018 and presented thetimeline for the IHO and IOCSecretariats to prepare calls fornominationstofillvacancies.

ParticipantsoftheSCUFN‐29meeting

TheSubCommitteeconsideredproposalsfor133underseafeaturenames,submittedbyvariousbodies and supporting organizations from the following countries: Brazil (7), China (50),Denmark (1),DominicanRepublic (2), France (1), Japan (23),RepublicofKorea (2),Malaysia(4),NewZealand(31),RussianFederation(1),UK(3)andUSA(8).TheSubCommitteedecidedtofollowtheexperimentalfast‐trackprocedureinitsreviewoftheproposalsmadebyCanada(12) and New Zealand (84) related to names that already appear on nautical charts. It wasagreedthatforthetimebeingSCUFNcouldnotconsiderinasystematicmannertheother139namesthathadbeenproposedbyCanadaforinternationalrecognitionbySCUFNbecausetheyrelate to features located in its territorial sea. This outstanding taskwill be addressed later,subjecttotheestablishmentbytheIHOHydrographicServicesandStandardsCommittee(HSSC)of an S‐100Undersea FeatureNames Project Team forwhich draft Terms of Referencewereendorsedatthemeeting,thankstoinputprovidedbyCanada.WhilealargenumberofthenamesproposedtotheSubCommitteewereaccepted,decisionsonsome others were postponed for further consideration for various reasons, including theincreasingnumberofsubmissionsnowbeingreceivedandthelackoftimeavailableduringthemeeting.

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In addition to consideration of the naming proposals, the Sub Committee considered several“corporate”issues,including:

- ThemaintenanceandimprovementoftheGEBCOGazetteerinterface,- The ways andmeans to improve the efficiency and quality of SCUFN activities (inter

connexionofthewebservicesthatalreadyexist: theIHOSCUFNwebpage,theinternalSCUFNsubmissionandreviewwebservicesdevelopedbytheRepublicofKorea,andtheGEBCOGazetteeritselfmaintainedbyNOAA),

- The future of SCUFN (membership, scope, new Edition of B‐6 – Standardization ofUndersea Feature Names (Guidelines, Proposal Form Terminology) – including theintegrationofa fast‐trackprocedure forexistingnameswhicharealreadycharted, thecapitalization of best practices, the relations between naming authorities in commonareasofinterest,etc.),

- TheincreasingresourcesneededtoincorporateSCUFNnamingdecisionsintotheGEBCOGazetteer and the fact that this can only be achieved by contracting out some workduringtheinter‐sessionalperiod.

Asaconsequenceofacontractawardedin2015,theSCUFNMemberswerepleasedtonoteadecrease in the total number of pending names (proposals and related actions) between2015and2016.

Thenextmeetingof theSubCommittee (SCUFN‐30) is scheduled to takeplace inGenoa, Italyfrom2to6October2017.

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50

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SCUFN‐20 SCUFN‐21 SCUFN‐22 SCUFN‐23 SCUFN‐24 SCUFN‐25 SCUFN‐26 SCUFN‐27 SCUFN‐28 May 2016

Evolution of pending names

Pending Resolved New

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21st Conference of the Baltic Sea Hydrographic Commission

Klaipeda,Lithuania,27‐29September2016

The21stConferenceoftheBalticSeaHydrographicCommission(BSHC21)washeldinKlaipeda,Lithuania, from27 to 29 September, under the Chairmanship ofMr. Leonid Shalnov (RussianFederation). AllfullmembersoftheCommission(Denmark,Estonia,Finland,Germany,Latvia,Poland,SwedenandtheRussianFederation)andassociatememberLithuaniawererepresentedattheConference.TheUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStatesofAmericawerealsorepresentedattheConferenceasObservers.TheIHOSecretariatwasrepresentedbyDirectorMustafaIPTES.

BSHC21coveredawiderangeofregionaltopicsincludingdevelopmentsineachoftheMemberStates, the latest statusofhydrographic surveying andnautical charting including INTCharts,ENC production and BSHC cooperative projects. Themembers of the BSHC reported on theirnational hydrographic, cartographic andMaritime Safety Information activities since the 20thmeeting.Theyalsopresentednewdevelopmentswithregardtosurveying,chartproductionandmaritime trafficmanagement. Director Iptes reported on the IHOWork Programme and theOrganization’s activities during the previous year. He also provided the Commission withgeneralinformationonthenextIHOAssemblyandtherevisedstructureoftheIHO.

The Commission reviewed on‐going regional initiatives in particular the activities of theMonitoringRe‐surveyWorkingGroup(MWG),BalticSeaBathymetricDatabaseWorkingGroup(BSBDWG), Baltic SeaMarine Spatial Data InformationWorking Group (BSMSDIWG) and theChart Datum Working Group (CDWG). The Commission considered the outcome of the 8thmeetingoftheInter‐RegionalCoordinationCommittee(IRCC)andthe6thmeetingofWorldWideENCDatabaseWorkingGroup(WEND‐WG).

TheMemberStatesreviewedtheStatutesoftheBSHCandagreedonamendmentsproposedbySwedenrelatedtothepreparationofBSHCconferences. ConsideringthattheIHOCouncilwillbeestablishedatthe1stAssemblyoftheIHOin2017,themembersoftheBSHCdiscussedthepossibleoptionsfordesignatingtheMember(s)thatwilloccupytheseat(s)ontheIHOCouncilallocatedtotheCommissionandagreedontherelevantprocedures.

Attheendofthemeeting,MrMindaugasCesnauskis,(Lithuania)waselectedasthenewChairofthe BSHC. Considering that Lithuania is not a member of the IHO, it was agreed by theCommission thatMathias Jones (Germany), asViceChair,willdealwith IHOrelated issuesonbehalf of the Chair. It was also agreed that the next meeting of the BSHC will be hosted inRostockbyGermanyinSeptember2017.AllavailabledocumentsofthemeetingarepostedontheBSHCpageoftheIHOwebsite.

The Participants of the 21st Conference of the Baltic Sea Hydrographic Commission.

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OCTOBER

6th Conference

of the Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission (ARHC)

and Ocean Innovation 2016 Conference Iqaluit,Nunavut,Canada,3–6October

The6thconferenceoftheArcticRegionalHydrographicCommission(ARHC)washeldinIqaluit(ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ),Nunavut,Canadaon3and6October,back‐to‐backwith theOcean Innovation2016Conferencethattookplaceon4and5October.TheOceanInnovationConferenceisthepremierCanadianoceansconference.

22participantsrepresentingfourofthefiveARHCMembers(Canada,Denmark,Norway,andtheUSA), two Observer States (Finland and Iceland) and one Observer from Indigenous andNorthern Affairs Canada. The Russian Federation was unable to be represented at theConferencebutprovidedwritteninputsthatweretakenintoaccountornoted.TheConferencewas chaired by Mr Denis Hains, Director General of the Canadian Hydrographic Service andHydrographer‐General of Canada. Assistant Director Yves Guillam represented the IHOSecretariat.

ParticipantsinARHC‐6,Iqaluit(ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ),Canada

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AsaresultoftheimminententryintoforceoftheProtocolofAmendmentstotheConventiononthe IHO,discussionsbeganwithaproposal toaligntheexistingStatutesof theARHCwiththenewterminologyandconditionssetoutinthenewIHObasicdocuments,includinganewannextotheStatutesdescribingtheprocessadoptedfortheselectionofaStatetooccupytheseatontheIHOCouncilallocatedtotheARHC.Asaresult,theRussianFederationwasdesignatedtobethe first to occupy the seatwhen the IHOCouncil is established at the IHOAssembly inApril2017. Formalsigningof theamendedstatutesofARHCbyallMemberswill takeplaceafterafinal checkof the text andwill bedoneby correspondenceorduringa specialmeetingof theARHCthatmaytakeplaceinthemarginsofthe1stsessionoftheIHOAssemblyinApril2017.

AllparticipantsreportedontheiractivitiesintheArcticregionandthechallengestheyface.Inparticular, the delegation from Denmark reported on the challenges in Greenland waters inrelationwith the reorganizationof theDanishGeodataAgency. Itwas agreedbyCanada andNorway to discuss further the scope and management of the Arctic International ChartingCoordinationWorkingGroupsothatENCandINTchartcoverageandmaintenanceissuescanbeconsideredtogether.TheConferenceagreedtoestablishtheArcticRegionalMarineSpatialDataInfrastructureWorkingGroup(ARMSDIWG),theTermsofReferenceofwhichwereapproved.

Following the visit paid in June2016by thePresident of the IHBDirectingCommittee to theDirectoroftheSecretariatoftheArcticCouncilitislikelythattheARHC,throughtheIHO,willberecognized as anObserver to theArctic Council at the nextMinisterialmeeting inMay 2017.ARHCMembersconfirmedtheirreadinesstoprovidefurtherinputandsupportassoonastheOrganization is recognizedasanObserver to theArcticCouncil. TheCommissionagreed thatARHC’sinvolvementmightthennotbelimitedonlytotheArcticCouncilworkinggroupontheProtectionoftheArcticMarineEnvironment(PAME).

Fruitful discussions took place on crowd‐sourced bathymetry, on surveys using autonomousvehicles,ontheneedtoengagewiththecruiseshippingindustry.

Inaccordancewiththeestablishedpolicyofrotationof theChair,DenmarkwaselevatedfromthepositionofVice‐ChairtotakeovertheChairattheendofthemeeting.NorwaywaselectedtooccupytheresultantvacantVice‐Chairposition.

Having considered the provisional dates for the first session of the IHO Council, planned inMonaco from 17 to 19 October 2017, the Conference notedDenmark’s offer to host the nextmeetinginGreenlandinAugustorSeptember2017.Specificdatesanddetailsofthevenuewillbeprovidedinduecourse.

‐‐

Ocean Innovation 2016 is a biannual conference bringing together representatives fromNewfoundland and Northern communities, scientists, stakeholders and policy makers. Theydiscusschallengesandopportunitiespertainingtosustainabledevelopmentofoceanresources,sovereignty, climate change and coastal and maritime infrastructure in the region, includingArctic.OceanInnovation2016wasattendedbyabout110participantsandchairedbyMrGerald

Anderson, Director Development & Engagement, Fisheries and Marine Institute of MemorialUniversityofNewfoundland(Canada)andVice‐President, Indigenous,Universityof theArctic.TheConferenceparticipantswerebriefedontheprojectdevelopment,challengesandpotentialbenefits of new deep water port in Qikiqtarjuaq, along the Northern Passage. PresentationsgivenbyARHCrepresentatives,allverywellreceived,were:

- NorthernMarineTransportationCorridors,byDenisHains,ARHCChair(Canada);- WorkingTowardsaMarineSpatialDataInfrastructure(MSDI)intheArctic,bySebastian

Carisio,new‐electedChairoftheARHCMSDIWorkingGroup(USA);- ChartingofGreenlandwaters–challengesandpossibilities,byJensPeterHartmann,Chair

oftheIHOMSDIWorkingGroup(Denmark).

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FollowingOceanInnovation2016,ARHCdelegatesagreedtoreportatARHC‐7ontheiractivitiesand plans to better engage with the Northern communities and make benefit of traditionalknowledge. A short brief on the effects of noise onArcticmarinemammals prepared by theCanadian Hydrographic Service was considered as very helpful for delivering positive andreassuringmessagestothecommunitiesontheimpactofhydrographicsurveys.

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High Level Capacity Building Visit to Azerbaijan

Baku,5‐6OctoberIHBDirectorMustafaIptespaidaHighLevelCapacityBuildingvisittoBaku,Azerbaijanon5and6October2016.Inthefirstpartofhisprogramme,DirectorIptesvisitedtheAzerbaijanNavyHeadquartersandcalledonCaptainShahinMammadov,ChiefofStaffoftheAzerbaijanNavalForces.Hepresentedthe activities of the IHO and underlined the importance of hydrography and hydrographicservicestoanycoastalStateanddiscussedthebenefitsofbecomingaMemberStateoftheIHO.Director Iptes also visited the Azerbaijan Navigation and Cartography Department of theMinistryofDefenseandhadameetingwithCommanderDavudBaghirli, theHydrographerofAzerbaijan,duringhisvisit.In the second part of the programme, Director Iptes visited the Azerbaijan State MaritimeAdministrationwherehemetCaptainShahlarMammadov,DeputyHeadof theStateMaritimeAdministration.DirectorIpteswasinformedthatAzerbaijan,asamaritimeStateintheCaspianSearegion, isactivelyconsideringbecomingamemberof the IHOandhasapositivedesire tojointheIHOinthenearfuture.

DirectorIptesandCaptainShahlarMammadov,DeputyHeadoftheStateMaritimeAdministration.

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66th Session of the IMO Technical Cooperation Committee (TC 66)

London,UK,10‐12October2016The66thsessionofTechnicalCooperationCommitteeoftheInternationalMaritimeOrganization(IMO)(TC66)washeldat theIMOHeadquarters inLondon,UK, from10to12October2016.TheIHOwasrepresentedbyAssistantDirectorAlbertoCostaNeves.

Inhisopeningaddress,theIMOSecretary‐General,MrKitackLim,highlightedthethemefortheWorld Maritime Day 2016, "Shipping: indispensable to the world" and the importance ofcooperation for the implementation of the IMO Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme(ITCP).Thereviewofthereportofthe2015‐2016ITCPacknowledgedthecontributionfromtheIHO, and in particular, the provision of experts and consultants on a no‐fee basis for theexecution of the IMO/IHO Multi‐Beam Training Course for safety of navigation in portoperationsheld inMalaysia.ThedelegationfromMalaysiathankedtheIHOforsupportingthetraining.

The IHO had submitted a document commenting on improving partnership arrangements, byidentifyinganumberofcommoncapacitybuildingobjectivesfacedbytheIMOandtheIHO.TheIHOsuggestedthatcollaboration inseveralareasofcommoninterestcouldmakeadifference,particularlyinrelationtohelpingcoastalStatestomeettheirobligationsassetoutinChapterVoftheInternationalConventionfortheSafetyofLifeatSea(SOLAS).

The document was well received. Brazil supported the development of mechanisms tostrengthenthepartnershiparrangementsbetweentheIMOandtheIHO.IALAdrewattentiontotheadditionalstrongconnectionbetweenhydrographyandaidstonavigationservicesrequiredunderSOLASChapterV.ThetopicscanvassedinthedocumentwillbefurtherconsideredduringtheannualmeetingoftheJointIHO‐IMO‐IOC‐WMO‐IALA‐IAEA‐FIGCapacityBuildingGroupthatwilltakeplaceinLondonon15‐16November2016.ThedocumentsubmittedtoIMO/TC66isavailableat:http://www.iho.int/mtg_docs/CB/CBM/Papers/papers.html

TheCommitteeconsideredthe2030agendaforsustainabledevelopment,thestrategyrequiredtoensureconsistentfundingfortheITCP,thestatus,theimportanceandthedifficulties inthedevelopment of the Country Maritime Profiles, the results of the IMO Member States AuditScheme and their importance in determining the technical assistance to be provided. TheCommittee further considered the impact assessment of the ITCP for the period 2012‐2015where nearly 29 million pounds were allocated (76% executed), delivering 704 activities to15,215peoplearoundtheworld.

The IMO Secretary‐General invited the representatives of the international and regionalorganizations and donor agencies to a working lunch, during which he highlighted theimportanceofcooperationforcapacitybuilding.DuringthemeetingtheIHOrepresentativehadtheopportunitytospeaktotherepresentativesofseveralnationaldelegationsinordertoraiseawareness of the IHO activities at regional and national levels, particularly in areas wherecapacitybuildingiskeytodevelopinghydrographicservices.

TheCommitteere‐electedMr.ZulkurnainAyub(Malaysia)andMr.LaurentParenté(Vanuatu)asChair and Vice‐Chair for 2017. The next session of the Technical Cooperation Committee isscheduledtotakeplacefrom26to28June2017attheIMOHeadquarters.

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TheIMOSecretaryGeneraladdressestheworkinglunchwithpartnerorganizationsanddonoragencieshighlightingtheimportanceofcooperationforcapacitybuilding.

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29th Meeting of the International Research Ship Operators Anacapri,Italy,10‐13October

The 29th meeting of the International ResearchShipOperators(IRSO)washeldinAnacapriontheIslandofCapri, Italy, from10 to13October. TheIRSOforumwasfoundedin1986andisagroupofresearch ship operators representing 49organisationsfrom30countrieswhomanageover100 of the world’s leading marine scientificresearch vessels. IRSOmembers gather annually to share information and solve problemsofmutualinteresttobettersupportthemarinescientificcommunity’sresearcheffortsatsea.IRSOalsoactsasavoicetopromotetheresearchshipcommunityandprovideexpertadvicetootherbodiesasrequired.

PresidentRobertWardwasinvitedbyIRSOtoprovideabriefingontheroleoftheIHOandinparticular, the statusofbathymetricknowledgeof theworld’s seas andoceansandhow IRSOmembersmay assist. ThePresident informed themeeting thatmankind currentlyhashigherresolutionmaps of theMoon andMars than it does of most of the world’s seas, oceans andcoastal waters. In that context, he encouraged the IRSO membership to influence theprogrammingof theirresearchvesselssuchthatallvesselscollectbathymetricdatawheneverpossible, regardless of the principal scientific task or the location and tomake data that hasalreadybeencollecteddiscoverablebyprovidingmetadataormakingthedataavailablethroughtheIHODataCentre forDigitalBathymetry(DCDB).Several IRSOmembersreportedthattheyhad previously offered data to their nationalHydrographic Offices, butwere rebuffed, on thebasis that theirdatawasnotofsufficientquality. ThePresident’smessage that the IHO is re‐invigoratingitslongstandinginterestincrowd‐sourcedbathymetrywasverywellreceived.Themajority of the IRSO members were unaware of the very significant lack of bathymetricknowledgeof theseasandoceansandweremostlyunawarethatdatacollectedbytheirshipswouldbeuseful,evenifthequalitywaslimited.

On completion of the meeting, the IRSO members involved in the Atlantic Ocean ResearchAlliance(AORA)metbrieflytodiscusshowtheycanbestcontributetothecooperativescienceobserving initiative being pursued by the European Union (EU), USA and Canada to improvescientificknowledgeinthenorthernAtlantic–includingbathymetry.AORAistheresultofthe“Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation” concluded in May 2013. In addition torepresentativesfromtheCanadian,USandseveralEUHydrographicOffices,theIHOSecretariatparticipatesasanObserverinAORA.ThePresidentprovidedfurtheradviceontheneedforallvesselsinvolvedinAORAtomeasurethedepthandtomakethedataavailablethroughtheIHODCDB.

ThenextmeetingofIRSOwilltakeplacefrom17to20October2017inYokohama,Japan.

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IHO-IOC GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans)

Project Annual Meetings Valparaíso,Chile,10–14October

Aseriesofmeetingsrelatedto the IHO‐IOCGEBCO(GeneralBathymetricChartof theOceans)projectwereheldinValparaíso,Chilefrom10to14October2016:

10and11October: JointmeetingoftheTechnicalSub‐CommitteeonOceanMapping(TSCOM)andtheSub‐CommitteeonRegionalUnderseaMapping(SCRUM);

12October: GEBCOScienceDay;and

13and14October: 33rdMeetingoftheGEBCOGuidingCommittee(GGC).The IHO Secretariat was represented at the joint TSCOM and SCRUM meeting by AssistantDirectorsAnthonyPharaohandDavidWyattwhowerejoinedbyDirectorMustafaIptesfortheGEBCOScienceDayandthemeetingoftheGGC.

TSCOMandSCRUM

ThejointmeetingofTSCOM‐SCRUMwasco‐chairedbyDrKarenMarks(USA),ChairofTSCOM,andProf.MartinJakobsson(Sweden),ChairofSCRUM.

Update reports were provided on the following regional mapping projects: Indian OceanBathymetric Compilation (IOBC), North Atlantic Seabed Mapping Project, InternationalBathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) and International Bathymetric Chart of theSouthernOcean(IBCSO).

The participants considered in detailtheproposedSeabed2030Project.TheSeabed 2030 Project EstablishmentTeam presented a draft Roadmap andBusinessPlan,whichwerediscussedindetail. A number of challenges andgaps were identified, which neededfurther investigation. It wasrecognised that its relationship withtheGGCandwithotherbodiesrequiredfurther consideration. Prof. Jakobssonresigned as Chair of SCRUM and MsVicki Ferrini (Lamont Doherty EarthObservatory, USA) was appointed asthenewChair.

ScienceDay

For the eleventh consecutive year, theGEBCOproject organized a “Bathymetric ScienceDay”.The Science Day, which included a poster session and involved contributions from a broadspectrumof institutions involved inall aspectsofoceanmapping, featuredpresentationsonadiverserangeoftopics.TheassociatedpresentationswillbeavailablefromtheGEBCOwebsiteat:(http://www.gebco.net/about_us/meetings_and_minutes/gebco_meetings_2016.html)

DirectorIptesaddressingtheopeningoftheIHO‐IOCGEBCOScienceDay

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GEBCOGuidingCommittee

The majority of the IHOrepresentatives on the GEBCOGuiding Committee were present;only Captain Norhizam Hassan(Malaysia) and Ms Marzia Rovere(Italy) were unable to attend.RepresentativesofChile,RepublicofKoreaandUSAattendedthemeetingasobservers.

The Chair, Mr Shin Tani (IHO ‐Japan), introduced the agenda andprogramme. The GGC received briefreportsfromitsSub‐CommitteesandWorking Groups and endorsed theworkwhichtheyhadundertaken.

TheGGCalsoreceivedreportsfromkeypersonnelperformingfunctionsonbehalfofGEBCOaswellasreportsfromitsparentbodies‐IHOandIOC,onactivitiessincethepreviousmeeting.

The Chair of the Sub‐Committee on Undersea FeatureNames (SCUFN) highlighted difficultiesthathadbeenexperiencedwithregardtosomesubmissionsconsideredattherecentSCUFN29meetinginBoulder,Colorado,19‐23September2016.Hepresentedsomeproposedrevisiontothe SCUFN Terms of Reference (ToRs) and Rules of Procedure (RoPs), which are aimed atclarifyingtheproceduresforfuturemeetings.TheGGCadvisedtheSCUFNChairtorequesttheIHO‐IAGABLOS toproviderelevant technical clarificationandguidance thatwouldenable thefurther development of suitable texts for the revision of the ToRs and RoPs so as to enableSCUFN to better consider proposals that occur in the sea area between national territorialwatersandtheAreaBeyondNationalJurisdiction.Itwasproposedthatthetexts,onceadjusted,shouldbeincludedinthereportofthe29thmeetingofSCUFNandsubsequentlyconsideredforendorsementbytheGGCbycorrespondence.

The GGC discussed outreach and ways to raise the profile of the GEBCO project among thedifferentstakeholderandusercommunities includingtheIHOandtheIOCMemberStates, themaritimeandscientificcommunityandthegeneralpublic.Itwasnotedthatdifferentstrategieswouldberequiredforeachofthesegroups.TheGGCdevotedconsiderabletimetodiscussionson the proposed Seabed 2030 Project, including its structure, governance, oversight andreporting. The Seabed 2030 Project Establishment Team presented a draft Roadmap andBusiness Plan and requested GGC endorsement to continue the development of the project,includingasubmissiontotheNipponFoundationforfundingsupport.

TheGGCalsorevieweditscurrentfinancialsituationinrelationtoproposedplannedprojects;the Committee addressed the budget submissions from its subordinate bodies and approvedrevisedallocationstoensureacontingencybalanceof9,000€wasmaintainedfor2017tocoveremergentitems.ThedraftconsolidatedGEBCOWorkPlanandbudgetwillbereportedtothe9thmeetingof the IHOInter‐RegionalCoordinationCommittee(IRCC)andthe29thmeetingof theIOCAssembly,forconsiderationandendorsement.

ThenextGEBCOannualmeetingsarescheduledtotakeplacefrom13to17November2017inBusan,RepublicofKorea.

GEBCOGuidingCommitteemembersatGGC33

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Extraordinary Summit of the Assembly

of the African Union on Maritime Security, Safety and Development Lomé,Togo,10‐15October

The African Union (AU) convened, in liaisonwith the Government of Togo, an ExtraordinarySummitoftheAUAssemblyonMaritimeSecurity,SafetyandDevelopmentwhichtookplaceinLomé,Togofrom10to15October.

TheSummitwasorganizedundertheaegisoftheAU2050IntegratedMarineStrategyadoptedin 2012 and followed the Summit ofHeads of State andGovernment onMaritime Safety andSecurityintheGulfofGuineathatwasheldinYaoundé,CamerooninJune2013.

The Lomé Summit was composed of three main segments. From 11 to 14 October, thePermanent Representatives Committee and the Executive Council of the AU met in a closedsessiontodiscussandfinalizethedraftofan“AfricanCharteronMaritimeSecurity,SafetyandDevelopment”.Inparallel,aseriesofside‐eventsaddressingthethemeoftheSummitwasheldfrom10 to 14October togetherwith an exhibition of posters anddemonstrations illustratingactivities and tools related to maritime safety and security. Finally, the Heads of State andGovernmentsmeton15OctobertoreviewandapprovethedraftCharter.

The side‐events brought together up to 500 participants from 25 different countries,representingthedifferentbranchesofthemaritimesector‐includinginternationalandregionalorganizations,nationalmaritimeadministrations,navies,portauthorities, industry,academia‐andalsothecivilsociety.

About 120 experts invited by the Government of Togo took part in the different paneldiscussionscomposing theside‐events. The IHOwasrepresentedby IngénieurgénéralBrunoFrachon,nationalHydrographerofFrance,asRegionalCoordinatorforCapacityBuildingoftheEasternAtlanticHydrographicCommission,andDirectorGillesBessero. Theytookpart inthepanel discussions related to maritime safety and security issues and to governance issues.DirectorBesseroparticipatedalsointhepaneldiscussionsontheblueeconomy.

The interventions of the IHO representatives focused on the importance of hydrography asunderpinning allmarine activities, the poor status of hydrographic surveys inAfricanwaters,the lack of appropriate arrangements for providing hydrographic services in general andmaritimesafetyinformationinparticularinmanyAfricancountries,thewayforwardtoimprovethis situation and the role of the IHO in relation to standardization, training and capacitybuilding. Dr Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental OceanographicCommission (IOC), and Mr Chris Trelawny, Special Advisor to the Secretary‐General of theInternational Maritime Organization (IMO) were involved in the panel discussions relatedrespectivelytogovernanceissuesandmaritimesafetyandsecurityissues.

Asummaryofthepaneldiscussionswaspresentedattheclosingsessionoftheside‐eventsbyMrLionelZinsou, formerPrimeMinisterofBenin. Hedescribed theoceansas the “bestkeptsecretofAfrica”andnotedthatthedevelopmentoftheblueeconomyisdependentonasafeandsecure marine environment. Mr Lionel Zinsou welcomed the interest of several landlocked

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States in maritime affairs and highlighted the importance of close intergovernmentalcooperation and information sharing in order to address the threats associated with illegalactivities at sea conducted by unconventional actors that are consideredmore powerful thanmost African States individually. His summary was followed by three successive closingaddressesbyMrKarmenuVella,EuropeanCommissionerforEnvironment,MaritimeAffairsandFisheries,MrJean‐YvesLeDrian,MinisterofDefenceofFrance,andMrRobertDussey,MinisterofForeignAffairsofTogo.

DirectorBesseroindiscussionwithDrNkosazanaDlaminiZuma,ChairpersonoftheAUCommissionwithMrRobertDussey,MinisterofForeignAffairsofTogointhebackground

With the kind assistance of Professor Adote Blivi, IOC focal point for Togo, several postersprovidedbytheIHOSecretariatandbytheFrenchHydrographicOffice(SHOM)weredisplayedin the exhibition complementing the side‐events. The IHOdisplaywaspresentedbyDirectorBesserotoHerExcellencyDrNkosazanaDlaminiZuma,ChairpersonoftheAUCommission,andbyIngénieurgénéralFrachontoCommissionerKarmenuVella.

OpeningCeremonyoftheSummitoftheHeadsofStateandGovernment

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Following a lively opening ceremony, the Heads of State and Government convened for theSummitinaclosedsessionunderthechairmanshipofHisExcellencyIdrissDebyItno,PresidentoftheRepublicofChadandChairpersonoftheAU.TheSummitadoptedtheAfricanCharteronMaritimeSecurity,SafetyandDevelopmentwiththeaimto“solidifyAfrica’scommitmenttoanefficient and effective management of its oceans, seas and waterways so as to ensuresustainable,equitableandbeneficialexplorationofthesecriticalresources.”

According to the unofficial copy of the Charter made available by the news media “JeuneAfrique”, theChartercommitssignatoriesto implementenvironmentalprotection,developtheblueeconomyandactonmaritimecrimeaswellastrafficking indrugs,armsandpeople.Thetext commits signatories to creating national and regional institutions to promote maritimesafetyandsecurity.Itinvitesthesignatoriestodelimittheirmaritimedomainsaccordingtotherelevantinternationalprinciplesandstandards.Althoughthetextdoesnotcontainanyexplicitreferences to hydrography, the article on Safety of Navigation refers to the provision ofappropriate and standardized “aids to navigation” and the article on the Exploitation of theMaritime Domain invites the signatories to “explore” (and exploit) their maritime domain inaccordancewith the relevant international principles and standards. TheCharter encouragesmarinescientificresearchactivitiesinsupportofdevelopment.

TheCharterprovidesfortheestablishmentofaMaritimeSafetyandSecurityFundandinvitesboth the Flag States and the Coastal States to share the financial obligations associatedwithmaritimesafetyandsecurityintheAfricanmaritimeareas.

TheCharterwillenterintoforce30daysafterthe15thratificationbyanAUMemberState. Itsimplementationwill bemonitored by a dedicatedMinisterial Committee composed of 15 AUMemberStates.

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5th meeting of the IHO-EU Network Working Group 13th European Week of Regions and Cities, Workshop on

“The Importance of Marine Data for the Development of the Blue Economy on Local and Regional Level”

Brussels,Belgium,13–14October

TheIHO‐EUNetworkWorkingGroup(IENWG),establishedbytheInter‐RegionalCoordinationCommittee (IRCC) tomonitor anddealwith the activities andprocessesdevelopedunder theaegis of the European Union (EU), held its fifth meeting in Brussels, Belgium on 13 and 14Octoberontheoccasionofthe13thEuropeanWeekofRegionsandCities(EUWRC2016).

TheChairoftheIENWG

ThemeetingwaschairedbyLaurentKerléguer(France)andattendedbyrepresentativesfromthefollowingRegionalHydrographicCommissions:

- BalticSeaHydrographicCommission(Sweden),- EasternAtlanticHydrographicCommission(France),- MediterraneanandBlackSeasHydrographicCommission(Greece),- MesoAmerican‐CaribbeanSeaHydrographicCommission(France),- ArcticRegionalHydrographicCommission(Norway,intheabsenceofDenmark),- NordicHydrographicCommission(Norway),- NorthIndianOceanHydrographicCommission(UnitedKingdom),- SouthAfricaandIslandsHydrographicCommission(France),- SouthWestPacificHydrographicCommission(France).

Apologies had been received from Germany, representing the North Sea HydrographicCommission. Representatives from the Italian Hydrographic Office participated as AssociateMembers.AssistantDirectorYvesGuillamrepresentedtheSecretariatoftheIHO.

On13October,theIENWGcontributedtotheworkshopon“TheImportanceofMarineDatafortheDevelopmentoftheBlueEconomyonLocalandRegionalLevel”organizedbytheCommitteeoftheRegionsoftheEuropeanUnion.Notwithstandingarelativelylownumberofparticipantsattheworkshop,theIENWGmembersintroducedtheIHOandhighlightedtheprogressmadesincethe signature of the MoU between the European Commission (EC) and the IHO in 2012, inparticular through the development of the Coastal Mapping Project and the portal of theEuropeanMarine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet – see IHO Bulletin Report 18‐19January 2016). The representative of the EC Directorate‐General for Maritime Affairs andFisheries (DG Mare) was pleased to report that the Hydrographic Offices had become muchmoreactivethaninthepast.Hegaveapresentationonthemaritimegeospatialstrategyandthe

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associatedroadmap,benchmarkingtheannualbudgetsallocatedfordatacollectionthroughtheCopernicus programme (satellite data, ~ 150 M€), the Data Collection Framework (fisheriesdata,~60M€)andEMODnet(<5M€)confirmingthatthesupportforcollectinghydrographicdata“whereitisneededtodevelopinnovationandjobs,whereitisnotgoodenoughtomeetuserrequirements”remainedinsufficient. HealsoconfirmedthatEMODnetoperationswerefundeduntil 2020 and thatDGMarewas preparing for the next phases of activity. One of themaintopics of the workshop concerned the Coastal Mapping Project which sparked discussion onwhether Hydrographic Offices were interested in standards other than those existing forbathymetry! This provided the opportunity for the representative of the IHO Secretariat tointroduce the S‐100 framework (S‐102 in particular), refer to the IHO project team onhydrographicsurveysscoping,andtoreportonthecontactsalreadyestablishedwiththeChairsof the Backscatter Working Group of GeoHab (Marine Geological and Biological HabitatMapping).

Themeetingagreedon theproposalspreparedby theFrenchHydrographicOffice (SHOM),asleaderoftheCoastalMappingProjectConsortium,todevelopaEuropeanstrategybyRegionalHydrographicCommissionsforcoastalbathymetry.SHOMalsoreportedonthedevelopmentofthefirstcomponentsfortheimplementationoftheEuropeandirectiveestablishingaframeworkfor maritime spatial planning (MSP). The representative of the BSHC (Sweden) provided astatus report on the FAMOS project (Finalising Surveys for the BalticMotorways of the Sea),co‐fundedbytheEU.

FAMOSProject(Source:SwedishMaritimeAdministration)+ 10 cmdraft+ 20 kUSDprofit(perportcall)

assumingtypicalAframaxtanker=3USDprofitperbarrel

The meeting agreed in principle to highlight these promising results as part of the WorldHydrographyDay2017themeattheEuropeanMaritimeDayplannedinPoole,UK,inMay2017.

The IENWG agreed on the need to consider the impact of the proposed amendment to IHOResolution 3/1919 ‐ Datums and BenchMarks (see IHO CL 27/2016) on INSPIRE technicalguidelines but noted that the INSPIRE Technical Working Group for Coordinate ReferenceSystemsandGridSystemsisnowdisbanded.

It is planned to hold the 6thmeeting of the IENWG on 16March 2017 in Paris if possible, inconjunctionwith the 2nd International Conference onMarine/Maritime Spatial Planning to beheldinUNESCOfrom15to17Marchandco‐organizedbytheIntergovernmentalOceanographicCommission(IOC)andtheEuropeanCommission.

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14th Conference of

the Eastern Atlantic Hydrographic Commission Cádiz,Spain,18‐20October

The 14th Conference of the Eastern Atlantic Hydrographic Commission (EAtHC‐14) was heldfrom 18 to 20 October 2016, in San Fernando, Cádiz, Spain and hosted by the HydrographicOffice of Spain (InstitutoHidrográficode laMarina ‐ IHM). Due to thenon‐availability of theDirector of the Department of Surveying, Oceanography and Charting of the Royal Navy ofMorocco (DHOC), the Conference was chaired by Commander Hassan Ouahid, Head of theHydrographicSectionofDHOC.SimultaneoustranslationfromFrenchtoEnglishandviceversawasprovided.TheConferencewasattendedby28delegates. Five IHOMemberStatesof theRegion (outofsix),threeAssociateMemberStates(outofnine)andtwoObserverStates(outofeleven)wererepresented. Representatives from the IHO‐IOC GEBCO Project, from the UNESCO IOCIntergovernmentalCoordinationGroupfortheTsunamiEarlyWarningandMitigationSysteminthe North‐Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (ICG/NEAMTWS), theInternationalAssociationofMarineAidstoNavigationandLighthouseAuthorities(IALA), twoexpert contributors from industry (Kongsberg Maritime, Teledyne‐Caris), two Regional ENCCoordinatingCentres(IC‐ENC,PRIMAR)participatedasobservers. DirectorGillesBesseroandAssistantDirectorYvesGuillamrepresentedtheIHOSecretariat.

ParticipantsofEAtHC‐14,Cádiz,Spain

The Conferencewas opened by Rear Admiral Ricardo Hernandez Lopez, Chief of Staff to theAdmiraloftheSpanishFleetandbyCaptainJuanAntonioAguilarCavanillas,DirectoroftheIHM.TheChair reported onEAtHC achievements since the previousConference in 2014 through acomprehensive report highlighting the main events and topics of interest to RegionalHydrographicCommissionsingeneralandtotheEAtHCinparticular.

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DirectorBesseroprovidedabriefingoncurrentIHOcorporate,technicalandcooperationissues.Heofferedanoverviewofthepreparationofthe1stSessionoftheIHOAssemblyandhighlightedthepracticalconsequencesfortheIHOMemberStatesoftheratificationon8August2016oftheProtocolofAmendmentstotheIHOConvention.Asaconsequence,theprocessfortheselectionof the EAtHC Member State that will occupy the seat on the IHO Council allocated to theCommissionwasadopted.InresponsetotheIHOSecretariatreportontheactivitiesandcurrentissues addressed by the Hydrographic Services and Standards Committee (HSSC), theHydrographerofSpainconfirmedhisintentiontocontinuecontributing,onacase‐by‐casebasis,tothetranslationofIHOtechnicalstandardsintoSpanish.The Chair reported on the goals and calendar of the Mandatory Audit Scheme of theInternationalMaritimeOrganization(IMO)inrelationtothestatusofhydrographicservicesincoastal States. UK informed theConference that it hadprovided some assistance to a coastalState in relation to responding to the preparatory questionnaires and offered to assist othercoastalStatesonrequest. However,nofeedbackfromthecoastalStatesthathadbeenauditedprior to EAtHC‐14 was provided and no request for assistance for the preparation of theforthcomingauditswassubmittedduringtheConference.Duetotheunplannedabsenceoftherepresentativeof theMaritimeOrganisation forWestandCentralAfrica (MOWCA), itwasnotpossibletoconsiderhowtheMemorandumofUnderstandingoncooperationbetweentheIHOandMOWCAthathadbeensignedinJulywouldaffecttheactivitiesoftheCommissionandtherelationswithMOWCA’sspecializedorgans.All thecoastalStatesparticipating in theConferencereportedontheiractivities,progressanddifficulties.MostoftheWesternAfricacoastalStatescontinuetoexpressconcernsaboutlackofexpertiseandtrainingopportunities,despiteseveraltrainingsessionssponsoredbytheIHOinaccordancewith the recommendations of the IHOWestern Africa Action Team in the 2000’s.The Conference took note that very few initiatives aimed at setting up national hydrographiccommitteesornationalhydrographicservices,orjoiningtheIHOwerereportedbythoseStates.Clearly, there is a need to re‐consider the relationship between those coastal States and theEAtHCandtheIHO.Thisishopefullywhatcouldbeachievedthroughthe“HydroMAOC”projectledbyFrance(asregionalCapacityBuildingCoordinator). Theobjectivesoftheprojectaretodefine, conductand implementa consistent setof actions todevelophydrography inWesternandCentralAfrica. Francedelivered thereportof thedefinitionstudysupporting thisprojectaddressing education, equipment, and empowerment issues as well as associated fundingstrategies.ThestatusandimplementationoftheregionalINTandENCchartingschemeswerereviewedbytheregionalcoordinatorforINTRegionG(France).Thecoordinatorremindedtheparticipantsof the new regime decided by the Inter‐Regional Coordination Committee (IRCC) for themonitoring and themanagement of INT charts, as well as of the operational use of INToGISservicesforthemaintenanceoftheINTchartscataloguedatabase(S‐11PartB).Allparticipantswere invited to takeadvantageof themethodologiesavailable for conducting risk‐assessmentstudiesasfarastheENCcoverageisconcerned,notonlyinrelationtointernationalshippingintheapproachesofthemainharbours,butalsoinsupportofthecruiseindustry,submarinecable,andoilandgasindustryactivities.Ingénieur général Bruno Frachon, national Hydrographer of France, reported on theparticipationofDirectorGillesBesseroandhimselfattheAfricanUnionExtraordinarySummitonMaritimeSecurityandSafetyandDevelopmentinAfrica,heldinLomé(Togo)from13to15October(seeseparatebulletinreport).

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SpainsucceedsMoroccoasChairoftheEAtHC

InaccordancewiththeStatutesoftheCommission,SpaintookoverthechairattheendoftheConference. ThenextConferenceisexpectedtotakeplaceinNigeria in2018. ThevenueandexactdatesareexpectedtobedecidedbytheendofNovember2016.

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Liaison Visit to the 8th IHO-Nippon Foundation CHART Project Course for nautical cartographers UnitedKingdomHydrographicOffice,Taunton,UK,24October

DirectorMustafaIptesandMrKentaroKaneda(ProjectOfficersecondedtotheIHOSecretariatfromJapan)visitedtheUnitedKingdomHydrographicOffice(UKHO)on24Octobertomeetandbrief the trainees attending the eighth course of the IHO ‐ Nippon Foundation CHART(Cartography, Hydrography and Related Training) Project.Theproject,fundedbytheNipponFoundation of Japan, provides training in marine cartography and data assessment which isrecognized at the Category B level by the FIG‐IHO‐ICA International Board on Standards ofCompetence forHydrographic Surveyors andNauticalCartographers.The course ishostedbytheUKHOandcomposedoffivemodules,eachmodulevaryingfromtwotofiveweeksinlength.The8th course startedon5 September2016 andwill endon16December. It is attendedbystudentsfromBangladesh,Colombia,Cuba,Georgia,Latvia,PhilippinesandVietNam.Director Iptesdiscussedvarious topicswith the students. In response, the studentsdescribedtheir experiences and thanked theNipponFoundation,UKHO, and IHO for theopportunity todevelop their knowledge and expertise in the field of nautical cartography. Director Iptesdeliveredapresentationhighlighting theareasof influenceand thevalueofhydrographyandthe responsibilities of Governments in relation to the provision of hydrographic data,information,productsandservices.TheimportantcoordinationandstandardizationroleoftheIHOanditsCapacityBuildingprogrammewerealsodescribed.Thestudentswereencouragedtokeepintouchwitheachotherandtomaintainanalumnirelationshipaftertheyreturntotheirhomecountries.

Thetraineesofthe8thCHARTCourseandtheIHOvisitteam

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23rd Business Meeting of the Advisory Board on the Technical Aspects of the Law of the Sea

Seoul,RepublicofKorea,26‐27OctoberThe Advisory Board on theTechnical Aspects of the Law oftheSea(ABLOS)isajointboardofthe International HydrographicOrganization (IHO) and theInternational Association ofGeodesy (IAG). The ABLOScomprises four representativesfromIHOMemberStatesandfourrepresentativesfromtheIAG.TheUnitedNationsDivisionforOceanAffairs and Law of the Sea (UN‐DOALOS) and the secretariat of

the IHO provide one ex‐officiomember each. The ABLOS ischargedwithprovidingadvice,guidanceand,whereapplicable,offeringexpertinterpretationofthehydrographic,geodeticandmarinegeo‐scientificaspectsoftheLawoftheSeatotheparentOrganizations, theirMemberStatesortootherorganizationsonrequest. ItalsoreviewsStatepractice and jurisprudence on Law of the Seamatterswhich are relevant to thework of theBoardtoenableittoprovideexpertadvicewhenneeded.TheABLOSalsostudies,promotesandencourages the development of appropriate techniques in the application of the technicalprovisions contained within the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). IHOpublicationC‐51‐ManualontheTechnicalAspectsoftheUnitedNationsConventionontheLawoftheSeaismaintainedbytheABLOS.23rdBusinessMeetingofABLOS

The23rdBusinessMeetingofABLOSwasheldattheRamadaHotelinSeoulon26and27October.Itwas followedbya seminar titled ‘Rolesof theLaw of the Sea and the Hydrography in AsianRegion’on28October.ABLOS members and IHO appointed observersfrom Australia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, theRepublicofKoreaandtheUnitedKingdomwerepresent, as well as two invited observers fromQatar. The Chair, Mr John Brown (IHO – UK),welcomed all Boardmembers and observers tothemeeting.

Themeeting continued its preparations for the9thABLOSConference,which is planned tobeheld inMonaco on 10 and11October 2017. Detailed information for theConferencewill beannouncedbyIHOCircularLetterandontheABLOSpageoftheIHOwebsitewhenavailable.ThemeetingdiscussedtherevisionsofChapter3toEdition5.0.0ofIHOpublicationC‐51.TheEditorial Board, under the leadership of Mr Chris Carleton, will review the draft revision inpreparationforsubmissiontothe9thmeetingoftheIHOHydrographicServicesandStandardsCommitteeinNovember2017foritsendorsementandsubsequentIHOandIAGapproval.

ABLOS Members gathered for ABLOS BM23 in Seoul 

ABLOS BM23 plenary in session 

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ABLOSmembersandobserversdiscussednotabletopicsfromthevariousconferences,seminarsandworkshops that they had attended and undertaken since the previous BusinessMeeting.Themeeting also discussed thematerial for the ABLOS capacity building training course andreviewedwaystodevelopitfurther.ThemeetingreviewedtheTermsofReferenceandRulesofProcedureoftheBoard,asacatalystfor in depth discussions on the future of ABLOS and its role. The status of current Boardmemberswasreviewed, itwasnoted that thecurrent termsof three IAGappointedmemberswouldallendinJuly2019;itwasagreedthatasearchfornewmembersshouldbestartedearlytoavoidhavingunfilledvacancies.TheABLOSmeetingwas followedbyaLawoftheSeaSeminar,whichwashosted by the Korea Hydrographicand Oceanographic Agency (KHOA)and the Hydrographic Society ofKorea. TheSeminarwasopenedbyMrJae‐HyungRyoo,DirectorGeneralof KHOA and was attended byapproximately 45 delegates fromacross the region, including Chinaand Japan aswell as representativesfrom France and Qatar and a wideselection of Korean governmentministries, technical authorities anduniversities.TheSeminarcoveredpresentationson:WhatisABLOS,ApplicationofMarineSeismicSurveytoUNCLOS Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf and Naming of Undersea Features, MaritimeJurisdictionandElectronicChartingincludingS‐121,AccuracyAssessmentofSomePotentialGNSSPositioning Techniques for Ellipsoidally Referenced Hydrographic Surveys, Characteristics ofMarineShallowGasintheKoreanSeas,DisappearedSeaNamingIssueswithSpecialReferencetoKorea Strait, Maritime Boundary Delimitation between South Korea and China, NationalOceanographicForecastingSystem: NowandFuture,China’sPolicyandPerspectiveonUnsettledTerritorial and Boundary Disputes, Historic Trends of Global Maritime Delimitation, and TheImpactofSeaLevelRiseonMaritimeBoundaryDelimitation.Thepresentationswerefollowedbyquestionandanswersessionsfortheparticipants.DateofNextMeetingsThe24thABLOSBusinessMeetingwillbeheld inMonacoandisplannedfor9and12October2017, inconjunctionwiththe9thABLOSConference;detailswillbemadeavailableontheIHOwebsiteastheplanningprogresses.AvailabilityofDocumentsThedocumentsconsideredbytheBusinessMeetingandthepresentationsgivenattheSeminarwillbeavailable fromtheABLOSsectionof the IHOwebsite(IHO→CommitteesandWorkingGroups→HSSC→ABLOS).

ABLOS23“RolesoftheLawoftheSeaandtheHydrographyinAsianRegion”Seminar

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NOVEMBER

IHO-Nippon Foundation Alumni Workshop-2016

2‐4November,Bangkok,ThailandThe International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and Nippon Foundation (NF) AlumniWorkshop was held from 2 to 4 November in Bangkok, Thailand organized by the IHO andsupported by the Nippon Foundation of Japan. The Nippon Foundation has funded selectedinternational trainees to attend courses in nautical cartography at the United KingdomHydrographicOffice(UKHO)forthelasteightyears.Since2014thetraininghasbeenconductedundertheauspicesofaMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)signedbetweentheIHOandNF,known as the IHO‐NFCHART (Cartography,Hydrography andRelatedTraining) Project. Thecourse in “Marine Cartography and Data Assessment” delivered for the CHART Project isrecognizedat theCategoryB levelbytheInternationalBoardonStandardsofCompetence forHydrographicSurveyorsandNauticalCartographers(IBSC)inaccordancewithIHOPublicationS‐8‐StandardsofCompetenceforNauticalCartographers.

ViceAdmiralCharinBoonmoh(DirectorGeneraloftheThailandHydrographicOffice),Mr.MustafaIptes,(IHODirector)

andMr.MitsuyukiUnno(ExecutiveDirectorofNipponFoundation).

The objectives of the Alumni Workshop were to strengthen the IHO‐NF Alumni network, toencourage cooperation between the fellows, to further develop global linkages and to obtainfeedback from the alumni. Of the total of 51 fellows, 18 alumni from 16 countries (Algeria,Bulgaria, Egypt, Estonia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Solomon Islands, Spain,Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Vietnam, Japan and Thailand), were available toparticipateinthisevent.Mr.MitsuyukiUnno(ExecutiveDirectoroftheNipponFoundation),Mr.YuNakahiro(representativeoftheNipponFoundation),Mr.JeffBryant(InternationalCapacityBuildingManagerof theUKHO),Mr.DerekAldridge(cartographytrainer fromtheUKHO),Mr.Shinichi Toyama (representative of the Japan Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department)

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also attended theworkshop. The IHOSecretariatwas representedbyDirectorMustafa Iptes,AssistantDirectorAlbertoCostaNevesandDr.KentaroKaneda(ProjectOfficersecondedtotheIHOSecretariatbyJapan).

TheWorkshopwasopenedbyDirectorIptes.ThiswasfollowedbykeynotespeechesdeliveredbyMr. Mitsuyuki Unno and Vice Admiral Charin Boonmoh (Director General of the ThailandHydrographic Office). Following the presentations given by the representatives of the IHO,UKHOandNFwhichinformedtheparticipantsaboutthebackgroundoftheIHO‐NFcooperationanddevelopmentoftheCHARTProject,thealumnidescribedtheirexperiencesandthelessonslearned during and after the training programme, their professional progress since theirtraining,andtheirexpectationsforfuturedevelopmentsintheirhydrographicservices.

The presentations from the alumni showed that all alumni continue to work on nauticalcartographyorrelatedmatterssincethecompletionofthetrainingprogrammeandthatabouthalfofthealumniareinapositiontoteachnauticalcartographytotheirstaffortostudentsinformaleducationandtrainingprogrammes. Mostof thealumninowholdkeypositions intheestablishmentanddevelopmentofcartographicproductionandthepublicationofENCs.Forthemajority of the alumni theworkshopwas their first participation in an internationalmeetingwhichprovidedthemwithadditionalconfidenceandexperiencetofurtherdeveloptheirwork.

Theworkshopprovidedopportunities to discuss theways andmeans to continuedevelopingnautical cartography worldwide in line with the objectives of the IHO and of the NipponFoundation,includingtheneedforaCategory"A"cartographictrainingprogramme.

The alumni all agreed that hearing about the work and developments in other hydrographicofficescanhelptoestablishbenchmarksandidentifysuccessstoriestohelppromotetheirworkboth within their chains of command and with other national, regional and internationalorganizations.

ParticipantsoftheIHO‐NFAlumniWorkshop‐2016

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3rd Meeting of the Crowd-Sourced Bathymetry

Working Group Warnemünde,Germany,7‐8November

Hydro 2016 Conference

Warnemünde,Germany,8‐10November

TheCrowd‐SourcedBathymetryWorkingGroup(CSBWG)hasbeentaskedbytheInter‐RegionalCoordination Committee (IRCC) to develop an IHO publication that provides guidance on thecollectionanduseofCrowd‐SourcedBathymetry(CSB).ThisdocumentwillprovideguidelinesandadviceonvariousconsiderationsthatshouldbetakenintoaccountwhencollectingCSBdataforinclusionintheglobalbathymetricdatasetwhichismaintainedintheIHODataCentreforDigitalBathymetry(DCDB).Theworking group held its thirdmeeting at the offices of the Leibniz Institute for Baltic SeaResearch(IOW)inWarnemünde,Germanyon7and8November.ThenewChairoftheCSBWG,MsJenniferJencks(USA,andDirectoroftheDCDB),chairedthemeetingwhichwasattendedbyrepresentatives from tenMember States (Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India,Italy,Norway,PortugalandUSA),andexpertcontributorsfromSevenCsandSea‐ID.Secretary‐GeneralRobertWardandAssistantDirectorDavidWyatt represented the IHOSecretariat.MrSergeGosselin(Canada)waselectedasVice‐Chairoftheworkinggrouptooccupythepreviouslyvacantposition.

The CSBWG received verbalreports from the coordinators ofits correspondence groups thathad been tasked with draftingspecific sections of the guidelines.During the meeting the variousdraft sections of the guidelineswere developed further. It wasagreedthatan initialdraftversionwill be circulated to IHO MemberStates and targeted stakeholdersfor their comments inpreparationforthepresentationofafinaldraftto the IRCC at its 9th meeting inParamaribo, Suriname, in June2017.

Theparticipantsofthe3rdmeetingoftheCSBWGbetween sessions

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Itwas agreed that a furthermeeting of theworking groupwould be beneficial to review thecommentsreceivedontheinitialdraftpriortotheIRCC9.ItisthereforeplannedtoholdafourthmeetingoftheCSBWGon15and16February2017attheUniversityofNewHampshire,USA.ThiswillfollowameetingoftheAtlanticSeabedMappingInternationalWorkingGroup,whichisactively engaged in crowd‐sourced bathymetry initiatives to help improve knowledge of theAtlanticseafloor.ThereportofthemeetingandthesupportingpaperswillbeavailablefromtheCSBWGsectionoftheIHOwebsite:www.iho.int>Committees&WG>IRCC>CSBWG

Several members of the CSBWG took the opportunity toattend the Hydro 2016 Conference organised by theInternationalFederationofHydrographicSocieties(IFHS),which took place during and after the meeting of the

CSBWG,from8to10November.TheIFHSisanobserverorganizationtotheIHO.The IHO Secretary‐General delivered a welcoming speech, together with Dr Mathias Jonas,NationalHydrographerofGermanyandChairoftheIHOHydrographicServicesandStandardsCommittee.BothprovidedadditionalpresentationsontheworkandtheperspectivesoftheIHOand,inparticular,itsrelevancetotheConferenceattendees.Hydro2016wasattendedbyover300peoplefrom20countrieswithover50companiesexhibitingtheirservices.

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GEO-XIII Plenary SaintPetersburg,RussianFederation,9‐10November

GEO, the “Group on Earth Observations” is a voluntary partnership of governments andinternational organizations. GEOwas launched in 2003 in response to calls for actionby the2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and by the G8 (Group of Eight) leadingindustrializedcountries.GEOiscoordinatingeffortstobuildaGlobalEarthObservationSystemofSystems(GEOSS) inorder toexploit thegrowingpotentialofEarthobservations tosupportdecisionmakinginanincreasinglycomplexandenvironmentallystressedworld.GEO’sMembersnowinclude103GovernmentsandtheEuropeanCommission. Inaddition,77intergovernmental, international, and regional organizations with a mandate in EarthobservationorrelatedissueshavebeenrecognizedasParticipatingOrganizations.TheIHOwasrecognizedasaParticipatingOrganizationin2006.GEOmeetsannuallyinplenarysession.Itsstrategic guidance is provided by a Ministerial Summit which takes place about every threeyears.TheGEOSSImplementationPlanhasbeensteeredbytheGEOCo‐Chairs(fourMembers:China, European Commission, South Africa, and USA) and the Executive Committee (sixteenMembersselectedonageographicalbasis).The13thGEOPlenarySession(GEO‐XIII)tookplaceinSaintPetersburg,RussianFederationon9and10November2016,chairedbyDr.PhilemonMjwara(SouthAfrica)who isoneof theCo‐ChairsoftheGEO.ThemeetingswerecombinedwithanexhibitionillustratingcontributionstoGEOSS from Member States, Participating Organizations and industry. More than 400representatives from Members and Participating Organizations and Observers attended theplenary.DirectorMustafaIptesrepresentedtheIHO.TheplenaryconsideredtheadvancementoftheVisionofGEOandexaminedprogresstowardsthe GEO Strategic Objectives and Ministerial commitments, as well as the challenges,opportunitiesand theareas inneedof additional investment. Themeetingalsodiscussed theGEOSS ImplementationPlan inparticular thecoordinationofearthobservations,datasharing,the development of tools to improve delivery and the use of earth observation data andinformation.

TheplenarymeetingdiscussedtheGEOEngagementStrategy,EngagementPrioritiesfor2017‐2019 and challenges and opportunities related to Commercial Sector engagement in GEO inparticular mutual advantages including capacity building, raising awareness and knowledgesharing.The meeting also considered the potential contributions by GEO and the Earth observationscommunitytotheUN’s2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDG). Thereporton“TheEarthObservationsinServiceofthe2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopmentInitiative”wasnoted. TheInitiativeaimstoorganizeandrealizethepotentialofEarthobservationsandgeospatial information to advance the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and enablesocietal benefits through achievement of the SDGs. The Initiative also encompasses activitiesadvancing the provision, access, discoverability, and applicability of Earth observations andgeospatial information forusewith theSDGs,andassessesdataand informationneededtobe

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availablefortheSDGs,whileworkingwithGEOdataactivities,nationalstatisticalagenciesandothers.Theplenary reviewed and subsequently approved the2017‐2019GEOWorkProgramme andthe2017budget.TheGEOWorkProgramme includes31CommunityActivities,22 Initiatives,fourFlagshipprojectsand10FoundationalTasks. AmongtheGEOInitiatives,the“OceansandSociety:BluePlanetInitiative”aimstoensurethesustaineddevelopmentanduseofoceanandcoastal observations for the benefit of society. Specific activities of theBlue Planet Initiativeinclude:

- implementationofaCommunicationandEngagementStrategy;- theproductionofaspecial issueof theJournalofOperationalOceanographyonocean

observingforsocietalbenefits;and- organizing and hosting the 3rd Blue Planet Symposium – “TheRoleof theOceans in

Earth’s Life‐Support System” in College Park, Maryland, USA, from 31 May to 2 June2017(seehttp://symposium.geoblueplanet.com/).

- The IHO Secretariat in consultation with the Chairs of the relevant IHO organs (notably theGEBCO Guiding Committee and the Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure Working Group) willconsiderhowtheIHOmightcontributetotheBluePlanetSymposium.RevisedRulesofProcedureof theGEOwerealsoapproved at theplenarymeeting. ThenextmeetingswillbeheldinWashingtonDC,USAin2017andTokyo,Japanin2018.All the documents considered at the meeting and the IHO Statement provided for GEO‐XIIIplenaryareavailableat:http://www.earthobservations.org/geo13.php

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6th Meeting of the Atlantic Seabed Mapping International Working Group (ASMIWG)

Warnemünde,Germany,11NovemberTheAtlanticSeabedMappingInternationalWorkingGroup(ASMIWG)wasestablishedin2015to address seabedmapping issues related to the implementation of the Galway Statement of2013throughwhichtheEuropeanUnion(EU),theUnitedStatesofAmerica(USA)andCanadaagreedtojoinforcesonAtlanticOceanResearch.The 6thmeeting of the ASMIWGwas held at the offices of the Leibniz Institute for Baltic SeaResearch(IOW) inWarnemünde,Germany,on11November. ThemeetingwaschairedbyMrAlanStevenson,BritishGeologicalSurvey(BGS)/EuroGeoSurveyMarineGeologyExpertGroup(EGSMGEG)withrepresentativesfromtheEU,CanadaandUSAaswellasrepresentativesfromtheEuropeanCommission(EC)andNon‐GovernmentalOrganizations.AssistantDirectorDavidWyattrepresentedtheIHOandtheIHO‐IOCGeneralBathymetricChartoftheOceans(GEBCO)Project.The ASMIWG reviewed progress since its previous meeting and the direction and guidanceprovidedfromtheCanada‐EU‐USTripartiteImplementationCommittee. Themeetingreceivedinformation on a recent North Atlantic transect undertaken from 22 July to 5 August in theCanadianCoastGuardvesselCCGLouisS.St‐LaurentenroutetotheArctic.A brief updatewas received from theNOAA/National Centers for Environmental Information(NCEI)onprogresswithdevelopments to the IHODataCentre forDigitalBathymetry (DCDB)and the North Atlantic Data Viewer. Details of a draft document being developed as an IHOguideforthesubmissionofdatatotheDCDBwereprovided.Thebriefingalsohighlightedtwonew datasets received from Portugal and Spain covering their Continental Shelf extensionsubmissions. Additionallyupdatebriefswereprovidedon theactivitiesof theOceanLiteracyWG, the EuropeanMarine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), International ResearchShipOperators(IRSO),IHOCrowd‐SourcedBathymetryWG,theGEBCOSeabed2030Project,“ATrans‐Atlantic assessment and deep‐water ecosystem‐based spatial management plan forEurope”(ATLAS)and“Deep‐seaSpongeGroundsEcosystemsoftheNorthAtlantic”(SponGES)andAtlanticOceanResearchAllianceCoordinationandSupportAction(AORACSA).TheMarineInstitute of Ireland (Infomar) informed the meeting that it had provided data from recenttransectstotheBBCforuseintheBluePlanetIItelevisionseries.

Participants at the 6th meeting of ASMIWG

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Taking into account the Tripartite Implementation Committee directive to the ASMIWG, astandard report template was provided by the EC for the generation of the ‘Next steps’documentandrecommendations. Thiswouldreportonactivitiestodate,proposals for futureactionsandtheidentificationofpilotprojectareas,highlightingthebenefitsofeacharea.Theseareas would be generated from a series of prioritised 400 square‐mile rectangles coveringunsurveyedsectionsof theNorthAtlantic, the limitsofwhich, itwasagreed,would followthelimitsdetailedinIHOpublicationS‐23–LimitsofOceansandSeas.ItwasnotedthatthereportshouldbesubmittedtotheImplementationCommitteebytheendofJanuary2017.Participants were briefed on the developments of the AORA website(http://www.atlanticresource.org) in support of the ASMIWG activities and the SharePointapplication for use by ASMIWG members to share documents and into which all meetingdocumentsandpresentationshavebeenplaced. At theendof themeetingMrStephenLocke(NaturalResourcesCanada)tookovertheroleofChairoftheASMIWGTheImplementationCommitteeconfirmedthatthenext,andseventh,meetingof theASMIWGwouldtakeplaceattheUniversityofNewHampshire,USAon15and16February2017.

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24th Session of the IMSO ASSEMBLY London,UnitedKingdom,15‐17November

The InternationalMobile SatelliteOrganization (IMSO) is the inter‐governmental organizationwhose primary purpose is the oversight of certain public satellite safety and securitycommunicationservicesprovidedbymobilesatellitecommunicationsystems.IMSOalsoactsastheCoordinatorof the international system for theLongRange IdentificationandTrackingofShips (LRIT), appointed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to ensure theoperation of the LRIT system worldwide by auditing and reviewing the performance of thesystem.ThegoverningbodyoftheorganizationistheAssemblyofthePartieswhichmeetevery

two years. IMSO comprises102 Member States. The 24thsession of the IMSO Assemblywas held at the IMOHeadquarters in London, UK,from15to17Novemberunderthe chairmanship of Mr DikkoTahir Bala (Nigeria), who waselectedat thebeginningof theAssembly. Assistant DirectorDavid Wyatt represented theIHO.In his opening address, MrKitack Lim, Secretary Generalof the IMO noted that IMSO

wouldcontinuetomonitortheLRITandGlobalMaritimeDistressandSafetySystem(GMDSS)serviceprovidersaswellas the technicalassessmentofpotentialnewGMDSSmobile satelliteserviceproviders.HesaidthatthecooperationbetweenIMOandIMSOremainedimportantandwasanareafordelegatestokeepinmindwhenconsideringtherestructuringofIMSOlaterintheAssembly.The Assembly agreed that the International Agreement on the use of Inmarsat Ship EarthStations (SES) within Territorial Seas and Ports will need to be altered if additional GMDSSmobilesatelliteserviceprovidersarerecognizedbytheIMO. ItwasnotedthiscouldbeeitherthroughterminationofthecurrentAgreement,establishmentofanewAgreementforeachnewproviderortheamendmentoftheexistingSESAgreementtomakeitmoregeneric.Themeeting addressed a number of other topics of direct interest to IHOMember States, inparticular theGMDSSandpotential newGMDSSmobile satellite serviceproviders. The IMSODirectorate gave a presentation providing insight information relating to the activities of theDirectorate to overseeGMDSS services. The IHO representativemade an intervention,whichwastoclarifyanumberofconcernsraisedatthe8thmeetingoftheIHOWorldwideNavigationWarning Service Sub‐Committee (WWNWS‐SC). These concerns relate to the monitoring ofbroadcastsofWarningMessagesbyNAVAREACoordinators, thepotential increase in costs toNAVAREA Coordinators as a result of the introduction of a second GMDSS mobile satelliteserviceproviderandtheneedforequipmentinteroperability.TheAssemblyreceivedapresentationfromthesatelliteserviceproviderIridium,whichbriefedtheAssemblyondevelopments to Iridium’s futureservicesand theworkbeingundertaken toaddresstheconditionsidentifiedatthethirdsessionoftheIMOSubCommitteeonNavigation,Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR3), which need to be fulfilled prior toconsiderationforrecognitionbytheIMOasaGMDSSmobilesatelliteserviceprovider.

MrKitackLim,SGofIMO,addressingtheIMSOAssembly

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AconsiderableportionoftheAssemblywasdevotedtotheproposedrestructuringoftheIMSODirectorateandtheassociatedbudgetimplicationsandfinancialplanfortheperiod2017‐2018.ThenextsessionoftheIMSOAssemblyisscheduledfortheperiodOctober‐November2018.ThemeetingreportandassociateddocumentswillbeavailableontheIMSOwebsiteundertheIMSOMembersAreainduecourse.

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8th MEETING OF THE IHO HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE (HSSC) IHOSecretariat,Monaco,15‐18November

TheeighthmeetingoftheHydrographicServicesandStandardsCommittee(HSSC)washostedbytheIHOSecretariatinMonaco,from15to18November2016.ThemeetingwasopenedbyRobertWard, Secretary‐General of the IHO, and Dr Mathias Jonas, National Hydrographer ofGermany,andChairoftheHSSC.

OpeningofthemeetingbyRobertWard,Secretary‐GeneraloftheIHO

andDrMathiasJonas(Germany),ChairoftheHSSC

HSSC‐8 was attended by 74 representatives from 22 Member States, nine internationalorganizations accredited as observers and the IHO Secretariat. Director Gilles Bessero andAssistantDirectorsTonyPharaohandYvesGuillamprovidedtheinputfromtheIHOSecretariatand secretariat support. Jeff Wootton, recently appointed as Technical Standards SupportOfficer,demonstratedtheuseoftheIHOGeospatialInformationRegistry(registry.iho.int).

TheChairGroup,composedoftheChairandVice‐ChairoftheHSSC,theChairsofitssubordinatebodies and representatives of the IHO Secretariat,met on 14November to discuss themajoritems on the agenda and prepare consolidated proposals for further consideration by theCommittee.

TheCommitteereviewedtheactivities,proposals,andworkplansofitssubordinatebodiesandthedecisionsofotherorgansandorganizationsaffecting itswork. Following this review, theCommitteeagreedonthekeymessages tobedeliveredto the1stsessionof the IHOAssembly(A‐1) in April 2017, in relation to hydrographic standards and services. The CommitteeendorsedtheinputfromtheChairGrouprelatedtotherevisionoftheIHOStrategicPlanandthepreparation of the draft 3‐year Work Programme of the IHO for 2018‐2020 that will besubmittedtotheAssemblyforitsconsideration.

Themainoutcomesofthemeetingaregivenbelow:

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S‐100developmentandrelatedactivities

The Committee acknowledged thesignificant efforts of the S‐100 WorkingGroup (S‐100WG) and the outstandingsupportprovidedbytheRepublicofKorea(ROK)toprogresstheupgradeofthewebinterfaceoftheS‐100Registry.

ThedelegationoftheROKreportedonthefirst sea‐trial of S‐10x test data sets,including dynamic data such as S‐111(Surface Currents) and S‐112 (DynamicWaterLevelDataTransfer), togetherwithstaticdatasuchasS‐101(ENCs)andS‐102(BathymetricSurface)data.

TheCommitteeendorsedthedraftnewEdition3.0.0ofS‐100‐IHOUniversalHydrographicDataModelandwelcomedtheprogressoftheworkoftheProjectTeamsresponsiblefordevelopingproduct specifications: S‐101 (ENCs), S‐121 (Maritime Limits and Boundaries), S‐124(NavigationalWarnings)11 and S‐129 (Under Keel Clearance Management Information). TheCommitteenotedthatthecomplexityofS‐100developmentsandthelimitedresourcesavailablehad resulted in somedelays toprogress. Taking in to account thevarioususer requirementstogether with the constrained resources available, the Committee invited the NauticalInformation Provision Working Group to place priority on the development of two productspecificationsrelatedtonauticalinformation:S‐122(MarineProtectedAreas)andS‐123(RadioServices).

TheCommitteedecidedtodisbandtheDataProtectionSchemeWorkingGroup(DPSWG)andtocontinuethedevelopmentof theprotectionscheme(theS‐63equivalentcomponent)ofS‐100based‐productsaswellasthemonitoringofcybersecurityrequirementsthroughaProjectTeamundertheS‐100WG.TheexpertiserequiredtosupporttheSecretariatasSchemeAdministratorfortheexistingS‐63‐DataProtectionSchemewillnowbeundertheresponsibilityof theENCStandardsMaintenanceWorkingGroup(ENCWG).

The Committee endorsed the proposal of the Chair of the Hydrographic DictionaryWorkingGroup(HDWG)toseekcontractorsupportforthedevelopmentofanexperimentalmulti‐lingualwiki‐based demonstrator to support a subsequent upgrade of IHO Publication S‐32 ‐HydrographicDictionary. TheCommitteetaskedtheHDWGtodevelopadraftpolicyandroad‐maptakingintoaccounttheS‐100framework.

ECDISmattersandNauticalCartography

The Committee endorsed the principles of the draft revised editions of S‐58 ‐ENC validationchecks, S‐65 ‐ENCs:Production,MaintenanceandDistributionGuidance andS‐66 ‐FactsaboutElectronicChartsandCarriageRequirements proposedby theENCWGand tasked theworkinggrouptofinalizethedraftsandforwardthemtotheSecretariatforsubsequentconsiderationbyIHOMemberStates.TheCommitteealsoendorsedtheENCWGproposaltouseECDISChart1toassist mariners in checking ECDIS operating with Edition 4.0 of the IHO S‐52 PresentationLibrary.

                                                            11 This Project Team reports to the World‐Wide Navigational Warning Service Sub‐Committee (WWNWS SC) and keeps the 

HSSC informed. 

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ExampleofnewsymbolsintroducedinEdition4.0oftheIHOS‐52PresentationLibrary

TheCommitteetaskedtheSecretariat,inliaisonwiththeENCWG,todescribetheprocedureinaneweditionoftheIHOwebpageon“ECDISDataPresentationandPerformanceCheckinShips”.

In response to the concerns raised in a submission from the International Association ofIndependent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO), the Committee tasked the ENCWG and theNautical Cartography Working (NCWG) to draft a consolidated, authoritative IHO documentaddressingtheissueof“equivalent”TemporaryandPreliminaryNotices(T&Ps)forENCs,withtheintentionofdistributingthecompleteddocumenttoHydrographicOffices,PortStateControl(PSC) authorities andmariners. In order to facilitate this task, the Committee requested theSecretariattoinviteIHOMemberStatestoliaisewiththeirnationalmaritimeadministrationinordertoprovidefeedbackonPSCissuesrelatedtothecarriageandoperationofECDIS.TheCommitteeendorsedproposedchanges toEdition4.6.0ofS‐4 ‐ChartSpecificationsof theIHOandtaskedtheNCWGtofinalizethedraftnewedition4.7.0andforwardittotheSecretariatfor subsequent consideration by the IHO Member States. The Committee reached a similardecisionwithregardtothenewdraftEdition3.0.0ofS‐11PartA‐GuidanceforthePreparationandMaintenanceofInternationalChartSchemes,whichnowincludesaseparatesectiononENCschemes.TheCommitteeremindedtheNCWGoftheimportanceofcompletingitsworkitemonthefutureofthepaperchart.

The provisional results of a study addressing the possible development of an additionalbathymetric layer for S‐57ENCs thatwouldprovidehigher density contour lines tomarinerswere presented by Germany. The Committee agreed that this matter should be consideredfurther,underanewtaskandworkitemoftheENCWG.Therepresentativesofthestakeholderstook this opportunity to highlight the pressing requirement for all IHO Member States thatproduceENCstopopulatethemwithassessedCATZOCvalues(1to5)toassistmarinersintheirdecision‐makingprocessforsafenavigation.

ConsiderationoftheneedtoestablishaHydrographicSurveysWorkingGroup

The Committee considered the report provided by the Chair of the Hydrographic SurveysScopingProjectTeam(H2SPT)establishedin2015,anddecidedtoestablishaProjectTeamonStandards forHydrographicSurveys (HSPT),primarily tasked toreviewS‐44 ‐ IHOStandardsforHydrographicSurveys,draftanewedition,ifappropriate,andidentifyadditionaltasks,ifany,thatmightrequiretheestablishmentofastandingHydrographicSurveysWorkingGroup.

RelationswithStakeholders

The Committee welcomed the various presentations given by the stakeholders and expertcontributors and benefited in particular from the user perspective provided by therepresentative of INTERTANKO. The Committee invited the IHO Secretariat to monitor theactivities of the newly established Marine Domain Working Group of the Open GeospatialConsortium and agreed a set of enabling actions to address the topics reported in thepresentation provided by the representative of the International Cable Protection Committee(ICPC) thatmight impact current charting specifications, theGEBCOSeabed2030project andtheon‐goingdevelopmentofS‐100‐basedproductspecificationsinrelationtotheprotectionofcables.TakingnoteofthetermsoftheMoUoncooperationbetweentheIHOandICPCandthesubsequentcreationofanICPCFocusGroup,theCommitteeagreedtoinitiatethedevelopmentof a road‐map to guide the practical implementation of the MoU. The representative of the

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ComitéInternationalRadio‐Maritime(CIRM)informedtheCommitteeonthedevelopmentofe‐navigation training. The Committee welcomed the participation of a representative of theInternational Maritime Organization (IMO). He provided input to further develop the draftsubmissiononactivatingtheIMO/IHOHarmonizationGrouponDataModelling(HGDM)thatisbeingpreparedbytheIHOSecretariat,attheinvitationoftheIMOMaritimeSafetyCommittee,forconsiderationbythe4thsessionoftheIMOSub‐CommitteeonNavigation,CommunicationsandSearchandRescue.

NextMeetings

Thenextmeetingof theHSSC(HSSC‐9) isscheduled from6 to10November2017, inOttawa,Canada. HSSC‐10 is scheduled to be held inRostock, Germany inMay2018. TheCommitteeagreedtoscheduleHSSC‐10andsubsequentannualHSSCmeetingsinMayinordertoprovideitsinputtotheannualmeetingsoftheCouncilscheduledinOctober.

MoreInformation

AlldocumentsconsideredatthemeetingandfurtherinformationareavailableontheIHOwebsiteatHome>Committees&WG>HSSC.

HSSC‐8participants

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Visit by the President of the United Nations General Assembly

IHOSecretariat,Monaco,21November

HE Peter Thomson, permanent representative of Fiji to the UnitedNations (UN), and currentPresidentof theUNGeneralAssembly(UNGA)visited the IHOSecretariaton21Novemberaspartofhisofficialvisit toMonaco. HewasaccompaniedbyMsSigneScheldePoulsen,SpecialAssistant to thePresidentof theUNGAandMrAbdelghaniMerabet,SeniorAdvisorduringhisvisit.

TheUNGA is one of the six principal organs of theUnitedNations and themain deliberative,policymaking and representative organ of the UN in which all member nations have equalrepresentation.TheUNGAelectsitsPresidentforeachsession.HEPeterThomsonwaselectedbytheUNGAon13June2016toserveasPresidentofitsseventy‐firstsession,whichrunsfromSeptember2016toSeptember2017.

HEPeterThomsonandDirectorMustafaIptes

HEPeterThomsonwaswelcomedbyDirectorMustafaIptesandreceivedabriefingontheroleof the IHO and its relationship with several UN bodies including the UN Initiative on GlobalGeospatial InformationManagement (UN‐GGIM), the InternationalMaritime Organization, theIntergovernmentalOceanographicCommissionandtheInternationalSeabedAuthority(ISA).

ThePresidentoftheUNGAexpressedhispleasuretovisittheIHOheadquartersandhighlightedhisparticularinterestinpromotinginterestinoceanaffairsastheformerPresidentoftheISACouncil in the 2015‐2016 session and now the President of the UNGA. He emphasized theimportance of the forthcoming high‐level United Nations Conference to support theimplementationof SustainableDevelopmentGoal 14:Conserveand sustainablyuse theoceans,seas andmarine resources for sustainable development, which will be convened in New York,from5to9June2017,coincidingwithWorldOceansDay.TheConferencewillbeco‐hostedbytheGovernmentsofFijiandSweden.TheIHOwillberepresentedbySecretary‐GeneralRobertWard.

ThevisitcontinuedwithatouroftheIHOheadquartersandinparticulartheChartRoomwhereHEPeterThomsonreceivedapresentationonGEBCO(GeneralBathymetricChartoftheOceans)chartsandINT(International)charts.

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PresidentoftheUNGAThomsonandDirectorIptesdiscussonINTcharts.

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97th Session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee London,UnitedKingdom,21‐25November

The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) is the highest technical body of the InternationalMaritimeOrganization(IMO).ThefunctionsoftheMSCaretoconsidermattersrelatedtoaidsto navigation, construction and equipment of vessels, rules for the prevention of collisions,handlingofdangerouscargoes,maritimesafetyprocedures,hydrographic information,salvageandrescueandanyotherissuesdirectlyaffectingmaritimesafety.The97thsessionoftheMSC(MSC97)washeldattheIMOHeadquartersinLondon,UK,from21to25November.AssistantDirector David Wyatt represented the IHO. In addressing the agenda of the session in hisopeningstatement,theSecretary‐GeneralofIMO,MrKitackLim,highlightedtheimportanceofmaritimesecurityinrelationtoworldtrade,henotedwithconcerntherecentreportsofattackson warships and MV Galicia Spirit in the Bab el Mandeb; he reminded flag States of theirobligations to conduct threatassessmentsandset security levels for ships inaccordancewithSOLASandtheInternationalShipandPortFacilitySecurity(ISPS)Code.Healsohighlightedtheon‐goingworktoprotectmaritimetransportfromcyberthreatsaswellasongoingissueswithdomestic passenger ship safety and unsafe mixed migration by sea which were all topics ofmajorconcerntotheMSC. Inadditiontoaddressingtheformalagendainhisopeningspeech,the Secretary‐General of IMO hosted the annual awards ceremony for Exceptional Bravery atSea.UnsafeMixedMigrationbySeaThe Committee reviewed theMSC.1/Circ.896/Rev.2 – Interimmeasures for combating unsafepracticesassociatedwiththetrafficking,smuggling or transport ofmigrants bysea – and invited Member States andinternational organizations to reportincidents with information via thefacilitation module in the GlobalIntegrated Shipping InformationSystem(GISIS).HydrographyandChartingThe MSC addressed various mattersrelated to hydrography and nauticalchartingresulting fromthe3rdsessionof the Sub‐Committee on Navigation,

IMOMSC97inplenarysession

Mr Kitack Lim presents Captain Radhika Menon (India) with the certificate for Exceptional Bravery at Sea on behalf of her crew of the M/T Samourna Swarajya for her display of great determination and courage in rescuing seven fishermen from the sinking boat Durgamma after it had been adrift for six days in fierce rain, high winds and rough seas, at great risk.

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Communications, and Search and Rescue (NCSR3) held in March this year. The main itemsincluded adopting amendments to resolution A.572(14), as amended, –General provisions onships’ routeing – onestablishingmultiple structures at sea tobedistributedas aMSC circularonce confirmed by the IMO Assembly at its next meeting. The Committee approvedMSC.1/Circ.1364/Rev.1 – Amendments to the International SafetyNET Manual – andMSC.1/Circ.1403/Rev.1–Amendments to the IMONAVTEXManual. IHOmadean interventionproposinganearlierentry‐into‐forcedateandtodeletetherequirementofprovidingatleast12months notification; the MSC decided to refer this proposal to the NCSR Sub‐Committee forfurtherconsideration.TheCommitteealsoauthorizedtheNCSRSub‐CommitteetoestablishanExpertGrouponships’routeingatfuturesessions.GlobalMaritimeDistressandSafetySystem(GMDSS)TheCommitteeapprovedMSC.1/Circ.1551–NavigationalWarningsconcerningendangeringtheSafetyofNavigation – toensureappropriatenavigationalwarningswere issued inaccordancewith resolutionA.706(17), asamended,–World‐WideNavigationalWarningService –prior tooperations which might threaten the safety of navigation. The MSC considered informationprovidedbytheUnitedKingdomontheInmarsatFleetBroadbandMaritimeSafetyDataService(MSDS) for recognition and use in the GMDSS. It was agreed that the NCSR Sub‐Committeeshouldconsiderhowtheprocessshouldbeundertakenandwhetheritshouldbeconsideredasanewapplicationorasanup‐gradetotheexistingservices;furthertheNCSRshouldreporttothenextsessionoftheMSCwithadviceonwhichrequirementsofresolutionA.1001(25)–Criteriafor theprovisionofMobileSatelliteCommunicationSystems in theGlobalMaritimeDistressandSafetySystem(GMDSS)–shouldbeapplicable.MaritimeCybersecurityThe Committee reviewed the MCS.1/Circ.1526 – Interim guidelines on maritime cyber riskmanagement – and decided to wait for the 41st session of the IMO Facilitation Committee(FAL41) to complete its work on facilitation aspects before any further consideration to thepossiblemandatorynatureoftheGuidelines.OfficeBearersThe MSC unanimously re‐elected Mr Bradley Groves, Australia, as Chair and Mr Juan CarlosCubisino,Argentina,asVice‐ChairoftheCommitteefor2017.NextSessionsThe next sessions of theMSC are scheduled from7 to 16 June 2017 (MSC98) andMay 2018(MSC99).

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DECEMBER

14th Conference of the South West Pacific Hydrographic Commission

and Technical Workshop for Pacific Island Countries and

Territories on Formulating and Implementing Strategic Development Plans for Hydrography Nouméa, New Caledonia, 28 November - 2 December

14thConferenceoftheSouthWestPacificHydrographicCommissionTheGovernmentofNewCaledonia,theFrenchHydrographicOffice(ServiceHydrographiqueetOcéanographiquedelaMarine‐SHOM)andthePacificCommunity(SPC)jointlyhostedthe14thConferenceoftheSouthWestPacificHydrographicCommission(SWPHC)from30Novemberto2December inNouméa,NewCaledonia. Representatives fromall eightMemberStatesof theCommission(Australia,Fiji,France,NewZealand,PapuaNewGuinea,Tonga,UK,USA),andsixofthe sevenAssociateMembers (Cook Islands,Kiribati,Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands,Vanuatu)attendedthemeeting.TwoObservers(NewCaledonia,Tuvalu),fiveinternationalorganisationsandninerepresentativesfromindustryalsoparticipated,atotalof46participants.TheIHOwasrepresentedbySecretary‐GeneralRobertWardandAssistantDirectorAlbertoCostaNeves.The meeting was opened by Captain Éric Mevelec, Director of the Department of MaritimeAffairs inNewCaledonia,onbehalfof thePresidentof theGovernmentofNewCaledonia,Mr.PhilippeGermain,andchairedbyCommodoreBrettBrace(Australia).EachofthecoastalStatespresentprovidedanupdateontheiractivitiessincethelastmeetingthattookplace intheCookIslands19monthspreviously. TheCommissionacknowledgedtheachievementsanddevelopments inFiji,wheretheprofileofhydrographyhasbeenraisedandappropriate legislationandforeignagreementswereestablished. PapuaNewGuineareportedthat ithadsignedacooperativeagreementwithAustralia toensure that it isable toproperlymeetitsinternationalobligationsundertheInternationalConventionfortheSafetyofLifeatSea(SOLAS). It reportedalso theestablishmentofanetworkof tidegauges,and informedon thefunding for hydrographic surveys provided by theAsianDevelopmentBank. Tonga reportedthat it had established aNationalHydrographic CoordinatingCommittee and that theNavy isnow tasked with the collection of hydrographic data for which it will shortly acquire a newvesselthatwascapableofconductinghydrographicsurveys.

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14thConferenceoftheSouthWestPacificHydrographicCommissionThe Cook Islands reported the establishment of its National Hydrographic CoordinatingCommitteeandabilateralagreementwithNewZealand. KiribatihasadoptedanewMaritimeAct and acceded to the SOLAS Convention. Solomon Islands has provided hydrographicsurveyingandchartingawarenesstotertiaryinstitutionsandgovernmentagencies,establishedchart sales services to the local shipping industry and foreign vessels entering itswaters andstarted conducting hydrographic surveys. Vanuatu reported significant progress towardsbecomingaMemberStateoftheIHO.ThemeetingwasinformedofrecenttechnicalvisitstoKiribati,Niue,Samoa,TuvaluandVanuatuconductedundertheauspicesoftheIHOcapacitybuildingworkprogrammewithsupportfromNew Zealand and the United Kingdom. Member States in the region also reported on thedevelopmentsandprogressinchartproductionsystemsandnewchartreleasesandthesupportbeing provided to Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) through the New ZealandPacific RegionNavigation Initiative (PRNI), from the United Kingdom CommonwealthMarineEconomies(CME)ProgrammeandfromtheGeoscienceDivisionofthePacificCommunity(SPC).SPCbriefed theCommissionon thedevelopmentof itsproposedSafetyofNavigationStrategyandtheprogressbeingmadeindevelopingitshydrographiccapacity.NewZealandreportedontherecentoutcomesfromitsevidence‐basedhydrographicriskassessmentinitiativetoidentifypriorities and areaswhere chart remediation should be a priority. TheCommissionmembersreviewedtheirrequirementsforfurthercapacitybuildingsupportandagreedonprioritiestobesubmittedtothenextmeetingoftheIHOCapacityBuildingSub‐CommitteethatwilltakeplaceinJune2017.TheCommissionwasinformedabouttheimpactofsignificantnaturaldisastersthathavetakenplaceintheregionsincethelastmeeting,inparticulartheseveretropicalcyclonePAMinMarch2015 affectingVanuatumainly and the severe tropical cycloneWINSTONwhich struck Fiji inFebruary2016andtheveryrecentearthquakethatstrucksouthernNewZealandinNovember.The Chair of SWPHC in close coordinationwith the IHO Secretariatmonitored the impact ofthese disasters and undertook a coordinating role, as guided by IHO Resolution 1/2005 asamended.IHOSWPHCTechnicalWorkshop forPICTsonFormulatingand ImplementingStrategicDevelopmentPlansforHydrographyThe14thmeetingoftheCommissionwasprecededbyaworkshopforPICTsonFormulatingandImplementing Strategic Development Plans for Hydrography sponsored by the IHO capacitybuilding fund and delivered by representatives from the Primary Charting Authorities in theregion, IHO and International Association of Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities(IALA).TheworkshopwasintendedtoprovidetherepresentativesofthePICTswithelementsto assist in the development and strengthening of hydrographic capacity to meet theirinternational obligationsunder SOLASand to support economic growth andprotectionof themarine environment. Nine presenters briefed the 30 participants to theworkshop over twodays.TheirpresentationsarebeingmadeavailableontheIHOwebsiteundertheSWPHCpage.

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IHOSWPHCTechnicalWorkshopAustralasianHydrographicSociety'sPatronGoldMedalDuring the meeting of the SWPHC, Mr. Ron Furness, Vice President of the FIG/IHO/ICAInternational Board on Standards of Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors and NauticalCartographers(IBSC)presentedtheAustralasianHydrographicSociety'sPatronGoldMedal tothe IHO Secretary‐General Robert Ward. The medal is the Society's highest individualrecognition to itsmembers, tobe granted for themost significant service to industry and theSociety, or technical and academic achievements in hydrography or related sciences, over anextendedperiod.

Mr.RonFurnesspresentedtheAustralasianHydrographicSociety'sPatronsGoldMedaltotheIHOSecretary‐General

RobertWard

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NextMeetingSubject to final confirmation, the next meeting is scheduled in South Tarawa, Kiribati, inFebruary orMarch 2018. The Commission re‐elected Commodore Brett Brace (Australia) tocontinueasitsChairandelectedLieutenant‐CommanderGerardRokoua(Fiji)asitsVice‐Chair.

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43rd Meeting of ISO/TC 211 Redlands,USA,28November‐2December

The Technical Committee (TC) 211 ‐ Geographic information/Geomatics of the InternationalOrganization for Standardization (ISO) held its 43rd Plenary Meeting and Working GroupMeetinginRedlands,USAfrom28Novemberto2December.

The ISO/TC211 dealswith the development of standards and specifications in the geospatialdomain and is currently responsible for maintaining 72 ISO standards. The InternationalHydrographicOrganization(IHO)isaClassAliaisonmemberofISO/TC211andparticipatesinits standards development and maintenance activities. The ISO/TC211 19100 series ofstandardsandspecificationsunderpinstheIHOS‐100UniversalHydrographicDataModel.

Themeetingwas hosted by the Esri Corporation based in Redlands, USA. Assistant DirectorAnthonyPharaohrepresentedtheIHOSecretariatatthemeeting.

Participantstothe43rdISO/TC211Meeting

Applications for external Class A liaison membership from the Calendaring and SchedulingConsortium(CalConnect)andtheEuropeanUmbrellaOrganizationforGeographicInformation(EUROGI) were approved. CalConnect is a non‐profit partnership between vendors ofcalendaringandschedulingsystemsandtools,andtheirusers.TheEUROGIbringstogetherallorganizations in Europe who use and/or produce geospatial information. The meeting alsoagreed to establish an internal liaison agreementwith ISO/TC 20 Sub Committee 14, dealingwithspacesystemsandoperations.Thefollowingnewprojectswereapprovedbythemeeting:

ISO19160‐3,Addressing–Part3:Addressdataquality.(ThisstandardextendsPart1:Conceptualmodel,andPart2:Goodpracticesforaddressassignmentschemes).

ISO 19150‐4, Ontology ‐ Part 4: Service ontology. (This standard extends Part 1:Ontology Framework, Part 2: Rules for developing ontologies in the Web OntologyLanguage(OWL),andPart3:Semanticoperators).

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Thefollowingstandardswereapprovedtoundergoasystematicreview:ISO19118–Encoding;ISO19141‐Schemaformovingfeatures;ISO19149–Rightsexpressionlanguageforgeographicinformation(GeoREL)andISO19156–Observationsandmeasurements. Themeetingagreedthat there is a need to review the ISO 19152 (Land Administration Domain Model ‐ LADM)Standard.The plenary meeting agreed that the TC211 should be represented at the subsequent jointworkshop of the United Nations Expert Group on Land Administration Management (UN EGLAM) and Global Land Tool Network/Fédération Internationale des Géomètres (GLTN/FIG)whichwilltakeplaceinDelft,NetherlandsinMarch2017.Thenext(44th)ISO/TC211meetingwilltakeplaceinStockholm,Swedenfrom29Mayto2June2017.Aworkshopon “IntegratingGeospatial andStatistical Standards”will takeplaceduringthemeetingweek.SincetheestablishmentoftheTechnicalCommitteein1994,MrOlafØstensenandMsBjørnhildSæterøy (Norway) have provided the Chair and secretariat functions of the TechnicalCommittee.After22yearsofexcellentleadershipandservice,theyhavesteppeddownandMsChristinaWasström(Sweden)hastakenoverasChair.

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4th Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS 2016) Rotterdam, Netherlands, 30 November - 2 December

The World Ocean Council (WOC) held its 4th Sustainable OceanSummit in Rotterdam, Netherlands from 30 November to 2December. WOC is a non‐governmental, not‐for‐profitorganization registered in the United States and the UnitedKingdom. It has been established as an international multi‐industry business leadership alliance on ocean sustainability,

scienceandstewardship.WOCwasaccreditedasanobservertotheIHOearlierthisyear.

WOCinitiatedtheseriesofSustainableOceanSummit(SOS)in2010withtheaimtoprovideacross‐sectoralplatformforleadershipcompaniesandorganizationstoadvancethedevelopmentand implementationof industry‐drivensolutions tooceansustainabilitychallenges. SOS2016wasthefourtheditionandthefirstonetooccuronanannualbasis. TheSOS2016themewas“Ocean2030:SustainableDevelopmentGoalsandtheOceanBusinessCommunity”.TheSummitattractedmore than200participants representing thevariousmarine industries,including shipping, oil and gas, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, renewable energy, ports,dredging,cables,aswellasthemaritimelegal,financialandinsurancecommunitiesandrelatedintergovernmental and non‐governmental organizations, including UN Programmes andAgencies,theInternationalMaritimeOrganization,theInternationalOceanographicCommissionandtheEuropeanCommission.DirectorGillesBesserorepresentedtheIHO.

The Ocean Executive Forum at SOS 2016

The Summit featured seven plenary sessions and five groups of three parallel sessions. Thesessionsaddressedavarietyoftopicssuchasprojectionsonthefutureoftheoceaneconomyinthecontextof theUNsustainabledevelopmentgoals, theroleofmaritimeclusters, theroleofindustry in the implementation of the sustainable development goals, the implication forindustryof thedevelopmentof international instrumentsonregulatingareasbeyondnationaljurisdictions, “green shipping”, marine spatial planning, accelerating investment for oceansustainable development, etc. Director Bessero opened the session on “smart ocean ‐ smartindustries: industry data collection and sharing to improve ocean knowledge” with apresentationon“CharttheOceansby2030:whatroleforindustry”.Awelcomereceptionwashostedby thegovernmentof theCityofRotterdam, representedbyAldermanPexLangenberg,inchargeofTransport,SustainabilityandCulture.

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10th Anniversary of Contributions by the Republic of Korea

to the IHO Capacity Building Programme IHOSecretariat,Monaco,7December

The10thanniversaryofcontinuoussupportbytheRepublicofKorea(ROK)totheIHOCapacityBuilding(CB)Programmewasacknowledgedbyaspecialmeetingheldat the IHOSecretariat,Monacoon7December.TheROKdelegationcomprisedDirectorGeneralofKoreaHydrographicandOceanographicAgency(KHOA)MrRyoo Jae‐hyung,MrKimBaekSoo,MrKangSeongmin,Prof.ChoiYunsooandMsYuAeri.TheIHOwasrepresentedbySecretary‐GeneralRobertWard,Directors Mustafa Iptes and Gilles Bessero, Assistant Director Alberto Costa Neves, ProjectOfficer seconded to the IHO Secretariat by the ROK Baek Yong and Accounting andAdministrationAssistantSandrineBrunel.

Participantsat10thAnniversaryofContributionsbytheROKtotheIHOCapacityBuildingProgramme

The ROK’s support to the IHO Capacity Building Programmewas initiated in 2006 under thetermsofaMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)betweentheIHOandtheROK.AtotaloftwomillionEuroshasbeenprovidedoverthelasttenyearswhichhasmadeupasignificantpartofthe CB Fund used to support the annual IHO CBWork Programme (CBWP). The MoU wasrenewedin2011whenaProgrammeManagementBoard(PMB)wasestablishedtomanagetheIHO‐ROK Programme of Technical Cooperation which meets annually and reviews theimplementation of the ROK’s contribution. The ROK’s contribution has supported educationprogrammesinhydrographyandcartography,trainingfortrainers'courses,seminarsandshortcourses on hydrographic surveys, ENC quality assurance,marine spatial data infrastructures,lawofthesea,andtidesandwaterlevels,amongstothers.The meeting was opened by Secretary‐General Ward and Director General Ryoo who bothhighlightedthecontributionoftheROKandtheachievementsthatithasmadepossible.MsYureviewedtheROK’scontributiontoCBProgrammeduringthelast10yearsandDirectorIptesprovidedhisassessmentofthepositiveimpactontheCBProgrammeandtheaimsoftheIHO.Themeetingreviewed thecurrent trainingandeducationactivities, inparticular theCategory"A" Hydrography Programme at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), USA and the

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Category"B"MarineGeospatialInformationProgrammeatKHOA,BusansponsoredbytheROK.ThemeetingwasalsobriefedonTrainingforTrainers(TFT)activitiesbeingconductedbytheEast Asia Hydrographic Commission’s Training, Research and Development Center (TRDC)hostedbyKHOAanditssupporttotheregionalhydrographiccommunity.MrBaekpresentedareviewoftheTechnicalCooperationProjectsthathavealsobeensupportedby the ROK in addition to its contribution to the CB programme. The meeting consideredpotentialwaysofdevelopingfurthercooperation inthisarea. ThemeetingalsoagreedontheneedtorevisethecurrentMoUinordertoupdateitscontentandincludetechnicalcooperation.During the meeting Director General Ryoo indicated that he expected ROK’s support for CBactivitieswouldcontinueinthefuture.Attheendofmeeting,Secretary‐GeneralWardthankedthe Republic of Korea on behalf of the IHO Member States for its continuing and generoussupporttotheIHOWorkProgramme,notonlyintheareaofcapacitybuilding,butincreasinglyin several important areas of the IHO technical work programme and for its support of theSecretariatthroughthesecondmentofofficers.

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Inaugural Meeting of the S-121 Maritime Limits and Boundaries Product Specification Project Team

NewYork,USA,5‐9December

TheS‐121ProjectTeam (PT) is a subsidiarybodyof theS‐100WorkingGroup, and is taskedwith the development of an S‐100 conformant Product Specification forMaritime Limits andBoundaries.

TheProjectTeamheld its firstmeetingat theofficesof theUnitedNationsDivision forOceanAffairsandtheLawoftheSea(UNDOALOS),inNewYork,USAfrom5to9December.Meetingparticipants includedtheChairoftheIHO‐IAGAdvisoryBoardontheLawoftheSea(ABLOS),JohnBrown(UK),andrepresentativesfromthefollowingIHOMemberStates:Australia,Canada,France, Korea (Rep of), Netherlands, Sweden and USA.. Assistant Director Anthony PharaohrepresentedtheIHOSecretariat.

Participantstothe1stS‐121Meeting

FollowingadiscussiononthescopeandtermsofreferenceoftheProjectTeam,apresentationwasprovidedbytheUNDOALOSrepresentative(RobertSandev)highlightingexamplesof thedeposit of charts and listsof coordinatesmade in supportof submissionsanddeterminationsmade under the terms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in relation to maritimeboundaries.ThiswasfollowedbyanonlinevideopresentationontheS‐100Standard,theIHOGeospatialInformationRegistryandtheprocesstobefollowedwhendevelopinganS‐100basedProductSpecification.ThepresentationwasprovidedbytheChairoftheS‐100WorkingGroup,JuliaPowell.TheIHOSecretariatrepresentativereportedontherequestfromthe8thmeetingofthe Hydrographic Services and Standards Committee (HSSC) that the draft S‐121 ProductSpecification be completed as soon as possible in accordance with the agreed plan for theproject.

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PresentationsweredeliveredbyeachoftheMemberStaterepresentativesontheirapproachtomaritime boundary delineation and the preparation of their national submissions to theUN/DOALOS. Therewasalsoadiscussionontheneedtomakeprovisiontoaccomodate legalinstrumentsinthemaritimeboundarysubmissionmechanism.ThiswasfollowedbyanonlinevideodiscussionandpresentationsontheInternationalOrganizationforStandardization(ISO)‐LandAdministrationDomainModel(LADM)Standard(19152)andtheINSPIRE(InfrastructureforSpatial InformationinEurope)CadastralParcelsspecificationwhichisaframework(setofrules) for describing how cadastral parcels can serve as references for creating a EuropeanSpatialDataInfrastructure.ThemeetingreviewedthedraftS‐121ProductSpecificationdocumentandthiswasfollowedbyareviewofthefeature,attributeandcode‐listrequirements.Therewasalsoadiscussionsontheimplementationrequirements,dataformatsandadditionalworkrequired.ThenextS‐121PTmeetingisscheduledtotakeplaceinOttawa,Canadaduringthelatterpartof2017.

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3rd Meeting of the Nautical Information Provision Working Group (NIPWG)

Busan,RepublicofKorea,5–9DecemberThe 3rdmeeting of theNautical Information ProvisionWorkingGroup (NIPWG) took place inBusan, Republic of Korea, from 5 to 9 December, hosted by the Korea Hydrographic andOceanographicAgency(KHOA).

The NIPWG is the IHOworking group reporting to the Hydrographic Services and StandardsCommittee(HSSC)thatisresponsibleforthedevelopmentofspecificationsinsupportofthee‐navigation services that are intended to provide mariners with harmonized up‐to‐dateinformationonintegrateddisplaysinthefuture.

Themeetingwas chaired byMr Jens Schröder‐Fürstenberg (Germany). Thirty‐one delegatesfrom13MemberStates(Finland,France,Germany,Italy,Japan,Netherlands,Norway,Republicof Korea, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States) and fourstakeholder organizations (Anthropocene Institute, Korean Hydrography and ResearchAssociation, Korean Research Institute of Ships & Oceans Engineering, University of NewHampshire)attendedthemeeting. The IHOSecretariatwasrepresentedbyAssistantDirectorYves Guillam. Mr Lim Chaeho, Director of KHOA Nautical Chart Division, welcomed theparticipantsonbehalfoftheDirectorGeneralofKHOA,stressingtheimportanceoftheactivitiesoftheNIPWGfordevelopingfuturee‐navigationproductsandservices.

ParticipantsoftheNIPWG‐3Meeting

The meeting considered the continuing development of S‐100 based product specificationsassigned to theNIPWG. The course of actionswas adjusted in accordancewith the decisionsmade,andprioritiesgivenattheeighthmeetingofHSSCtwoweeksearlier.Itwasagreedtoputon hold and benchmark S‐126 (Physical Environment) with existing features of physicalcharacteristics of other product specifications such as S‐111 (Surface Currents), S‐411 (IceInformation) and S‐412 (WeatherOverlay)which are developing at a faster pace. Itwas alsodecidedtospeedupthefinalizationofS‐122(MarineProtectedAreas)andS‐123(RadioServices)productspecificationsthroughout‐sourcing,duetothelackofresourcesandexpertiseavailablein the group since some expert contributors from industry had been obliged to step downrecently.

Following a presentation on the test strategy for S‐100 based products, the working groupdecided to develop and maintain a matrix of interoperability issues based on the results oftestbeds and experimentations such as the sea trial of S‐101 (ElectronicNavigationalCharts),S‐124 (Navigational Warnings), S‐111 and S‐112 (Dynamic Water Level Data Transfer)conductedbyKHOAinOctober2016.TheNIPWGalsostartedtoreviewtheIHOResolutionsin

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M‐3 that are under its remit. Proposals to amend them will be made through the normalprocedure via the HSSC except for IHO Resolution 4/1967 as amended (Submarine Cables).Notingthevitalimportanceofsubmarinecables,arevisedtextdevelopedthroughtheefficientrelationshipestablishedbyNIPWGwiththerepresentativeoftheInternationalCableProtectionCommittee(ICPC)willbesubmitteddirectlybyGermany,asChairofboththeNIPWGandtheHSSC,asaproposaltothe1stSessionoftheAssembly.TheNIPWGconsideredtheobjectivesandthepreparationoftheworkshoponthevisualizationofnautical informationthatwillbekindlyhostedbytheUniversityofNewHampshire,UnitedStates, from22 to 26May2017. Themeeting agreed that itwould be a goodopportunity toenlistrepresentativesfromtheNauticalCartographyWorkingGroup(NCWG)sotheycansharetheirexpertiseonportrayal issues. Practicalexamples illustratingof theproblemofdepictinguncertaintyinsomenauticalinformation(“fuzzy”areas)willbecollectedpriortotheworkshop.

During the meeting, several membersprovided top level presentations ofdevelopmentintheircountriesthathavedirect links to the development ofe‐navigation. Norway provided anupdateonthedevelopmentofthedigitalapplicationnamed“theNorwegianPilot”,while the Republic of Korea introducedthe SMART project, which aims todemonstrate the benefits of thee‐navigationconcept.

NIPWG Members were also invited to liaise with their national International MaritimeOrganization (IMO) representatives to seek support for the activation of the IMO/IHOHarmonizationGrouponDataModelling.AllagreedthatmoreguidancewasrequiredtoensuretheproactivedevelopmentoftheIMO’sMaritimeServicePortfolioswithintheNIPWG.

AllthedocumentsconsideredatthemeetingareavailableontheIHOwebsiteat:

www.iho.int>Committees&WG>NIPWG>NIPWG‐3.

The4thmeetingoftheNIPWGisscheduledtobeheldinconjunctionwiththeworkshoponthevisualizationofnautical informationat theUniversityofNewHampshire,Durham,NH,UnitedStatesfrom22to26May2017.

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17th Meeting of the Meso-American - Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission (MACHC)

Belem, Brazil, 14-17 December The 17thMeeting of theMeso‐American ‐ Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission (MACHC)washeldinBelem,Brazilfrom14to17Decemberwith61participantsrepresenting11MemberStates, 11 Associate Members, one observer country, seven observer organizations, and fivecommercial companies. Secretary‐General RobertWard and Assistant Director Alberto CostaNevesrepresentedtheIHOSecretariat.

Participantstothe17thMeetingoftheMeso‐American–CaribbeanSeaHydrographicCommission

The meeting was hosted by the Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation (DHN) at hotelPrincesa Louçã and chaired by Captain Marc van der Donck, National Hydrographer of theNetherlandsandChairoftheCommission. ThemeetingwasopenedonbehalfoftheBrazilianNavy Commander by Vice‐Admiral Alipio Jorge Rodrigues da Silva, Commander of the 4thBrazilianNavalDistrictandbyVice‐AdmiralMarcosOlsenSampaio,NationalHydrographerofBrazil.Asalead‐uptothemeeting,IHOcapacitybuildingseminarsonhydrographicgovernanceandonsatellitederivedbathymetrywereheld.SpeakersfromIHOMemberStates,theIHOSecretariatandtheInternationalAssociationofAidstoNavigationandLighthouseAuthorities(IALA)tookpart.Secretary‐GeneralWardalsodeliveredapresentationataparalleleventorganizedbytheBrazilianMaritimeAuthorityraisingawarenessoftheimportanceofhydrographyforthesafetyof navigation, for the protection of the marine environment and for national economicdevelopment.The seminars were followed by meetings of the MACHC Integrated Chart CoordinationCommittee(MICC),theCapacityBuildingCommittee(CBC),theMarineEconomicInfrastructureProgram(MEIP)WorkingGroupand theRiskAssessmentWorkingGroup(RAWG). MsDawnSeepersad from theUniversityof theWest Indies (UWI)describedher research topiconRiskAssessment in Maritime Navigation for the Greater Caribbean Region. The Commission

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subsequently decided to create a correspondence group to support the UWI risk assessmentresearchandparticipantswereinvitedtocontribute.TheBrazilianOceanographicVesselAntaresmadeaportcallduringtheperiodof themeetingandtheMACHCattendeeswereinvitedtoareceptiononboardthevessel.ParticipantsalsohadtheopportunitytovisittheCentreforHydrographicSurveysandAidstoNavigation(AtoNs)fortheEasternAmazonia,operatedbytheBrazilianNavy.The agenda of the Commission meeting was arranged according to themes: reports fromcountries and organizations, surveying and risk assessment, spatial data infrastructures,nauticalchartsandpublications,andcapacitybuilding.Inadditionaltothedeliveryofnationalreportsfromeachofthecountriesrepresentedatthemeeting,presentationswereprovidedbytheobservingorganizationsandbyindustrystakeholdersinvitedtothemeetingtocomplementthevariousagendatopics.Themeetingwastoldof the levelof technicalengagement in theworkof theMICCandof thesignificant progress in ENC coverage in the regionwith 37newENCs. Themeetingwas alsoinformedoftheoutcomesofthecruiseportgapanalysisandtheactionscountriesaretakingtofillthegaps,withtwonewENCsproducedbasedonthisanalysis.AsadirectconsequenceofthereportfromtheChairoftheWorld‐WideNavigationalWarningService Sub‐Committee and the assessment of Maritime Safety Information in the regionBarbados immediately began supporting the issuing of Notices to Mariners and navigationalwarningsinformingthemarinersontheinconsistenciesbetweenAtoNsandthenauticalchartsofitswaters.Inthecontextof thepassageofHurricaneMatthewandthe impact ithad inHaiti themeetingreviewed IHO Resolution 1/2005 – Response to Disasters and agreed on several proposedadjustmentstotheResolution. Themeetingwas informedof thesubstantial improvements indetermining the accuracy uncertainty of satellite derived bathymetry and on its assimilationwithvariousothermeasuresleadingtonewstrategiesforitsuse.BriefingsweredeliveredonthestatusoftheworkoftheRegionalENCCoordinatingCentres,onthe importance of Inland ENCs in the region, on developments for chart on demand, on theoutcomes of the 3rd Mexican Hydrographic Conference, and the potential benefits of therecognized Hydrographic Certification Scheme granted to Canada by the FIG/IHO/ICAInternational Board on Standards of Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors and NauticalCartographers,contributingtothestandardsofcompetenceandlabormobilityonaglobalbasisfor Hydrographic Offices, Ports and other organizations requiring professional competenciesamongsttheircontractors.AnumberofchangestotheStatutesoftheMACHCweremadeasaconsequenceoftheentryintoforceofamendments to theConventiononthe IHO. Aprocesswas includedtodetermine theselectionofMemberstooccupytheseatsontheIHOCouncilallocatedtotheCommission.BrazilandtheNetherlandswereselectedtooccupythetwoseatsallocatedtotheMACHConcetheIHOCouncilisestablishedduringthefirstSessionoftheIHOAssembly.Rear‐Admiral Fernando Alfonso Angli Rodríguez (Mexico) and Ms. Kathryn Ries (USA) wereelectedrespectivelyastheChairandVice‐Chairforthenexttwoyears.NextmeetingwillbeheldinVaradero,Cubafrom29Novemberto2December2017,precededbyatwo‐dayAwarenessSeminaron27‐28November.

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NEW HYDROGRAPHERS

NAMES COUNTRIES DATES

Vice Admiral Marcos SAMPAIO OLSEN Brazil 2016

Vice Admiral Arata SENGOKU (Ph.D) Japan 2016

Commander Leonardo TUN HUMBERT Mexico 2016

Ms Birte NOER BORREVIK Norway September 2016

Rear Admiral António Manuel DE CARVALHO COELHO CÂNDIDO

Portugal 2016

* No C.V. received

** Nomination reported to the IHB in 2016

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New HYDROGRAPHER OF BRAZIL Vice‐AdmiralMarcosSAMPAIOOLSEN

Vice‐AdmiralMarcosSAMPAIOOLSENwasborn inFortaleza,CE,Brazil,onMarch08th,1961. In1979 he joined the Brazilian Naval Academy on Villegagnon Island, Rio de Janeiro. Upongraduation,in1982,hewascommissionedasEnsignandassignedtotheBrazilianFleet.HeisaSubmarinerspecialist.He attended numerous military courses, including the Command and Staff Course at theBrazilianNavalWar College and the “AdvancedCourse inHemisphericDefenseand Security” –Inter‐AmericanDefenseCollege,WashingtonDC.He served on the following Brazilian Navy ships: Commanding Officer of Minesweeper“ATALAIA”, Executive Officer of Submarine “TAMOIO”, Commanding Officer of Submarine“TAPAJÓ” and Executive Officer of Aircraft Carrier “SÃO PAULO”. His career includes theBrazilianDelegation Inter‐AmericanDefenseBoard–USA,DirectorofCivilianPersonalof theNavy, Commanding Officer of Submarine Force and Chief of Staff of the Command of NavalOperations.

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NEW HYDROGRAPHER OF JAPAN

VViicceeAAddmmiirraallAArraattaaSSEENNGGOOKKUU((PPhh..DD))

1.DateofBirth: 5thAugust19572.Education: GraduatedfromGraduateSchooloftheUniversityofTokyoinMarch19843.AssignmentHistory:

April2016: ChiefHydrographerofJapanApril2014: ChiefofMiyagiCoastGuardOffice,2ndRegionalCoastGuard

Headquarters,JCGApril2011: DirectorofTechnologyPlanningandInternationalAffairsDivision,

JHODApril2010: DirectorofEnvironmentalandOceanographicResearchDivision,JHODApril2007: DirectorofHydrographicSurveyDivision,JHODApril2005: DirectorofChartandNavigationalInformationDivision,JHODMarch2004: DirectorofHydrographicandOceanographicDepartment,7thRegional

CoastGuardHeadquarters,JCGJanuary1994 VisitingScholaratUniversityofTexas,Austin,USAApril1983: JoinedHydrographicDepartment(PredecessorofJHOD)

ofJapanMaritimeSafetyAgency

4.Interests/Hobby: Walking,Tennis,Gardening 

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NEW HYDROGRAPHER OF THE MEXICo CommanderLeonardoTUNHUMBERT

TheCommanderLeonardoTUNHUMBERToftheGeneralCorps,aSpecialistinHydrographyandCartography, is the new Director of Hydrography of Mexicofrom1stMay2016.

After finishing his military training, he served on differentvesselsoftheNavy’sSecretariattoserveasOfficerindifferenttasks. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Head of differentdepartments inside the Sub‐Directorate‐General ofOceanography, Hydrography andMeteorology. Between 2005and2012hewasSecond‐in‐Commandoftheresearchvessels“Río Tuxpan”, “Río Suchiate” and “Antares”, as well asCommanderof“Antares”.From2013hewasDeputyDirectorofOceanography at the Oceanographic Institute of the Gulf andtheCaribbeanSeaandfrom2013to2016heservedasDirectorofthissameInstitute.

He graduated from the HeroicMilitary School of the Navy in1994withadegreeinNavalSciences.In2002hegraduatedinHydrography and Cartography in the Oceanographic Instituteof the Gulf and the Caribbean Sea. In 2003 he specialized inharbourandcoastalhydrographyattheInternationalMaritime

Academy in Trieste, Italy. In 2006 he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in OceanographicCharting at the University of New Hampshire, sponsored by the Nippon Foundation andsupportedbytheIHO‐IOCGEBCOProject.

EDUCATION

1994 EngineerinNavalSciences,HeroicNavalMilitarySchool;

1996 EnglishlanguageCourse,HeroicNavalMilitarySchool;

MilitaryIntelligenceCourseforOfficers;

HelicopterControlOfficerCourse;

AdvancedFirePreventionCourse;

In2002,hegraduatedinHydrographyandCartographyfromtheOceanographicInstituteoftheGulfandtheCaribbeanSea.

In 2003 he attended the Course of Harbour and Coastal Hydrography at the InternationalMaritimeAcademyinTrieste,Italy.

In 2006, he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Oceanographic Charting at the University ofNewHampshire, sponsored by theNippon Foundation and supported by the IHO‐IOCGEBCOProject.

In2010hegraduatedintheCourseofNavalCommandfromtheCentreofHighNavalStudies.

PROFESSIONALEXPERIENCE

October1994 Officerinchargeintheship“Hidalgo”;

November1995 ElectricalOfficerintheship“Hidalgo”;

December1997 Officerinchargeintheship“Abasolo”;

June2001 OfficerinElectronicsintheship“Abasolo”;

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January2003 Department Head in the Sub‐Directorate‐General of Hydrography andCartography;

February2005 Second‐in‐Commandoftheresearchvessel“RíoTuxpan”;

June2006 Headof theDepartmentofCoordination inLogistics inSub‐Directorate‐GeneralofOceanography,HydrographyandMeteorology;

August2007 Second‐in‐Commandoftheresearchvessel“RíoSuchiate”;

August2008 Head of Department of Foreign Hydrographic Affairs at the Sub‐Directorate‐GeneralofOceanography,HydrographyandMetereology;

July2011 Second‐in‐Commandoftheresearchvessel“Antares”;

February2012 Commanderoftheresearchvessel“Antares”;

January2013 Deputy Director of Oceanography at the Oceanographic Institute of theGulfandtheCaribbeanSea;

February2013 DirectoroftheOceanographicInstituteoftheGulfandtheCaribbeanSea;

May2016 DirectorofHydrographyattheSub‐Directorate‐GeneralofOceanography,HydrographyandMeteorology.

DECORATIONS

SixthClassPerseverance,18thJuly1998;

First Place recognition during the Speciality Course in Hydrography and Cartography,26thNovember2002;

FifthClassPerseverance,1stAugust2003;

FourthClassPerseverance,18thJuly2008;

ThirdClassPerseverance,20thSeptember2013;

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NEW HYDROGRAPHER OF NORWAY MsBirteNOERBORREVIK

 

 

MsBirteNoerBorrevik tookup thepost asDirectorHydrographic Service for theNorwegianMappingAuthorityon1September.Ms Borrevik graduated from the University of Stavanger in 1980 with a BSc in PetroleumTechnology.Her career has been built upon various technical and managerial positions in the UpstreamPetroleumbusiness,bothinNorwayandabroadpriortoassumingthepositionofDirector,NHS.Hermostrecentappointmentshavebeen:

‐ ProjectGeneralManagerBPNorway2001‐2003‐ ProjectexcellencefunctionBPworldwide2003‐2006‐ VPProjectsandTechnologyNorwegianEnergyCompanyASA2006‐2011‐ HSEandOperationsManagerExploraPetroleumAS2011‐2016

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The new Hydrographer of Portugal RearAdmiralAntónioManuelDECARVALHOCOELHOCÂNDIDO

Born in Lisbon in 1961, Rear Admiral AntónioManuel de Carvalho Coelho Cândidograduatedat thePortugueseNavalAcademy in1984.Heholds theGenerals andFlagOfficersPromotionCoursefromthePortugueseJointCommandandStaffCollegeandfromtheNationalDefense Institute, theNational Defense Course and the Emergency andDisasterManagementCourse.HisfirstassignmentwasastheExecutiveOfficerinthePatrolBoatNRPCUANZA.Hecompleted

the Electronics Specialization Course in 1987 and then wasappointed to the frigateNRPROBERTO IVENS, as theHeadofWeaponsEngineeringDepartment.After a year of weapons courses in the US, António Cândidoservedmorethan6yearsintheMEKOClassFrigatesasDeputyofWeapons Engineering Department, NRPALVARES CABRAL,and asHead ofDepartment,NRPVASCODAGAMA serving inhomewatersandSTANAVFORLANTaftertakingtheRNOSTin1992 and 1996, and deploying to Guinee‐Bissau during the1998crises.In1999heassumedcommandofNRPJOÃOROBY.Ashore,RearAdmiralCândidoservedasHeadofWeaponsand

EngineeringDepartment in the Frigates Squadron, asHeadof C3IDivision andDetection andNavigation Systems Division in the Directorate of FleetMaintenance. Promoted to Captain in2006,hewasappointedCommanderofMadeiraMaritimeZoneandatthesametimeDirectorofMRCCFunchal,CaptainofthePortofFunchalandCommanderoftheRegionalMaritimePolice.In2011he servedasCaptainof thePortof LisbonandCommanderof theRegionalMaritimePolice.Followingpromotion toRearAdmiralhemoved toAzores,wherehe tookcommand of the Azores Maritime Zone and at the same time Director ofMRCCDelgadaandCommanderoftheRegionalMaritimePolice.He joined the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute as the NationalHydrographerinNovember2015.His awards include among others the Distinguished Services Medal (3),MilitaryMeritMedal (2nd class) and the “CruzMeritoNavalconDistintivoBlanco”.RearAdmiralCândidoismarriedtoFilomenaandhasoneson.