MesoAmerican-Caribbean Hydrographic Commission Electronic Chart Working Group Progress Report

1. MesoAmerican-Caribbean Hydrographic CommissionElectronic Chart Working GroupProgress Report Katie Ries, Chair Cartagena, Colombia May 31, 2005

2. Electronic Chart Working Group • Goal: Demonstrate and facilitate the use of official electronic chart data for safe, efficient, and environmentally-sensitive maritime navigation. • Objectives: • Facilitate the production and use of ENCs and RNCs • Improve hydrographic capacity of coastal states • Identify sources for acquiring equipment, software, and training • Speed up ENC production for key ports & major shipping routes • Establish data distribution service within MACHC region • Increase awareness of benefits of using EC data

3. Electronic Chart Working Group Chair: Katie Ries, USA (NOAA) Vice Chair: LCDR Rafael Ponce (Mexican Navy) Technical Coordinator: Dr. Lee Alexander Two Task Groups: 1. MesoAmerican Capacity Building Pilot Project - Improve capacity building of coastal state hydrographic offices in a defined area - Initial focus: the IADB-administered, GEF-funded Gulf of Honduras Project 2. ENC Production and Distribution Improve ENC coverage of the entire region in the short to medium term, and promote production of ENC data by national hydrographic offices Initial focus: Catalyze production of small-scale ENCs for region

4. Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project

5. Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project • Project Objective: • To reverse the degradation of the coastal and marine ecosystems within the Gulf of Honduras by enhancing the prevention and control from maritime transport-related pollution in the major ports and navigation lanes, improving navigational safety to avoid groundings and spills, and reducing land-based sources of pollution draining into the Gulf.

6. Major Project Components Component 1: Building regional capacity for maritime and land-based pollution control. Component 2: Building the information base for the Strategic Action Plan. Component 3: Enhancing navigational safety in shipping lanes. Component 4: Improving environmental management and hazard reduction in network of five ports within the Gulf of Honduras

7. Major Project Components Component 3: Enhancing navigational safety in shipping lanes. Focuses on improving the hydrographic and oceanographic cooperation in the region to both prevent and prepare for groundings and spills in the Gulf related to marine transportation operations (references active collaboration with MACHC)

8. Create institutional arrangement for conducting hydrographic work. Integrate hydrographic data / ENC applications in the project’s env. information management system and facilitate access. Create ENC for priority ports and pilot an inclusion of env. data layers. Hydrographic data acquisition for priority ports including updating surveys where needed. Project Hydrographic Support Survey ENC GIS Establishment of formal training.

9. Progress • Project approved by the Global Environment Facility and the InterAmerican Development Bank • COCATRAM designated the regional executing agency and a Project Coordinating Unit being set up in Puerto Cortes • Project could become operational by the end of this year • IHB visit to Central America carried out in Feb/March 2005 to reinforce formation of national coordinating committees and importance of S-55 • Actively coordinating with IHO Capacity Building Committee • Began development of hydrographic workplan, starting with survey priorities for Gulf of Honduras Marine Highway

11. Initial Survey Priorities • Identified the individual country survey priorities • While all are important, the Bahia de Amantique its approaches to the ports of Santo Tomas and Puerto Barrios should be highest priority based on the following: -These two ports represents greatest volume of traffic -Feasible given likely amount of funding -integrate the rest of the proposed regional “marine highway” -Presents an opportunity for all participating countries to learn how to conduct resurveys of particularly unstable area -provide updated information for charts -Environmental risks due to shipping accidents is particularly great

18. Still to be done • Identify means to conduct surveys (Contract vs. In-Country) and establish sustained capability • Either option requires training (Cat. A and B) and support to cost out • Identify ENC production needs and how to accomplish • Identify pilot activity to demonstrate applications for environmental protection • Produce full plan and associated budget for the countries to advance

19. Capacity Building Assistance Needed(MACHC and IHO/CBC) • Category A and B Training for key personnel • Category A hydrographer to help do survey assessment and planning for GoH Project • Ongoing advice for project implementation • High level country visits to reinforce national hydrographic coordinating committees • Other partnerships to support other project activities • Identify GoH Project as a priority for region

20. Task Group 2: Small-Scale ENCs • Agreed at last meeting: • INT Chart scheme will be basis for production --Will use proposed French ENC cell scheme to address overlaps in ENC cell coverage • Identified HOs willing to produce INT paper charts and ENCs • Produced ENCs should undergo a consistency check by 3rd party (IC-ENC and Primar Stavanger have offered). • Small-scale ENCs will be available free-of-charge.

21. MACHC Small-Scale ENC Cell Boundaries * Red Limits represent the roughly equivalent Paper INT Charts INT 4015 INT 4016 INT 4017 INT 4013 INT 4021 INT 4012 INT 4011 INT 4022 INT 4023 INT 4025 * Proposed by France; agreed by TG2, 1 September 2004

22. Priority Ports/Routes for ENCs • Accomplished: • Minor revisions in area designations • Added additional ports (e.g., Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Suriname, USA, & Venezuela) • Incorporated/highlighted cruise ship ports • Added Environmentally Sensitive Sea Areas (ESSAs) • Began development of a detailed table for each area • Added GoH Project Ports • Need: • A more detailed map of area boundaries • Determine Pacific Ocean ports

23. ENC Distribution Options • Accomplished • Preference is for: a) To establish own RENC b) Or, join an existing RENC • Designated a small Task Group to look into pros and cons of each option • Colombia • Cuba • Mexico • Venezuela (Chair) Workshop held in UK (2/05) to look at regional options. Task Group to provide recommendations at next MACHC meeting