We set off at lunchtime today towards
the next rMCZ on our survey plan which is East of Haig Fras. We’re
making good progress with the tide behind us so it will be around 8
hours steam to get there.
The officers on the Bridge are using a
range of technical equipment to ensure that we get there safely.
Radar is used to see the location and direction of movement of other
ships in the area, and it is also possible to find out the
destination and activity of the other ships by viewing the Automatic
Information System (AIS) data that the ships are broadcasting.
The
Endeavour’s position is displayed on electronic nautical charts
which show detailed information that the skipper takes into account
when setting the course of the ship. Just off South Pembrokeshire we
entered a busy area with lots of shipping traffic so the skipper had
to change course in order to comply with a traffic separation zone.
On the picture below you can see a pink traffic exclusion zone which
separates two lanes of shipping traffic that are going in opposite
directions.
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| The Master and Second Officer on the Bridge (Radar screen on the right) |
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| Second Officer Stephen at the controls |
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| Navigation system showing traffic separation zone |
