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Chapter 9

Admiralty Information Overlay

What is the Admiralty Information Overlay?

The Admiralty Information Overlay contains additional temporary and preliminary NM information which is considered navigationally significant and can be used in conjunction with ENCs to improve safety of navigation when using ECDIS.

The Overlay contains information about changes or hazards of a temporary naturę, such as changes to aids to navigation, advance notice of permanent changes, new survey information which wili later be issued as an ENC update, and additional information of relevance to mariners which is not currentiy included in national ENCs. The Overlay inciudes all Admiralty T&P NMs in force worldwide and additional information that relates specifically to ENCs, published as ENC Preliminary NMs (EP NMs).

The UKHO can only include information in the Overlay where it exists in the UKHO archive of hydrographic information. AVCS inciudes ENCs produced by national Hydrographic Offices that are the equivalent to their local paper chart series. Where there is no equivalent Admiralty paper chart, the UKHO does not have any additional information and the Overlay shows a ‘No Overlay’ feature. Additional information, such as local T&P NMs, may be available in these areas from other sources. When navigating in these areas, mariners should ensure that all appropriate sources of information have been consulted.

Installing the Admiralty Information Overlay

Compatible Equipment

The Overlay can be displayed on compatible ECDIS equipment and also in Admiralty e-Navigator Planning Station. Please see the UKHO website at www.ukho.gov.uk/AVCS for an up-to-date list of compatible equipment, or consult your ECDIS supplier. Most ECDIS equipment installed prior to 2010 will reguire an upgrade before it will be able to display the Overlay.

Admiralty e-Navigator Planning Station allows the Overlay to be displayed against all ENCs on your AVCS licence. To allow your licensed ENCs to be installed on e-Navigator, please aSk your Admiralty Chart Agent to include the e-Navigator User Permit on your AVCS licence. You will then be issued with a permit file for e-Navigator that allows all licensed ENCs and the Overlay to be installed.

Installing Overlay Permits

The Overlay data is protected in the same way as ENCs and requires a permit to unlock the data. This permit will automatically be added to all Chart Permit files used with e-Navigator. Please notify your Admiralty Chart Agent if you wish to use the Overlay on any other compatible ECDIS so that the Overlay permit can be added to the Chart Permit files for that equipment.

The Overlay permit will be loaded at the same time as all ENC permits when the Chart Permit files are loaded (see Loading Gharts for the First Time above).

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