At the headquarters of the International Centre for Electronic Navigational Charts (IC-ENC) in Taunton, UK, the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GASGI) unveiled 16 electronic navigational charts (ENC) from a series of charts produced in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Arabian Gulf to support the economy, development, and safe navigation in Saudi marine waters.
The Authority had concluded a cooperation agreement with the IC-ENC to publish ENC and support maritime traffic safety in the Kingdom.
Through the publication of ENC, The Kingdom, represented by GASGI, through its membership in the IC-ENC, aims to support safe navigation in Saudi maritime areas and enforce maritime agreements, codes and protocols issued by international organizations. The Kingdom also aims to improve levels of maritime safety and security (human and material), conserve the marine environment, sustain fishing activities, and support the economy in achieving the strategic objectives of preparing and developing the hydrographic survey sector and the national spatial data infrastructure and making the sector attractive for investment.
The Geospatial Authority works on publishing approximately 100 ENC in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba and the Arabian Gulf, in accordance with the standards and specifications of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for various navigational purposes in the high seas and coastal areas as a first step to invest in marine data.
The ENC provides a database, standardized as to content, structure, and format, issued for use with Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) on the authority of government hydrographic offices.
The ENC contains all the chart information necessary for safe navigation and may contain supplementary information in addition to that contained in the paper chart, which may be considered necessary for safe navigation.
Source: Saudi Press Agency