The Smedvig family backed Norwegian e-navigation service provider, which claimed to have introduced the world’s first DNV type-approved PAYS service in 2012, launched the NAVTOR PAYS with AVCS solution in early April.
AVCS is claimed to be the world’s leading ENC service for ECDIS, offering the widest coverage in the market. With over 12,500 ENCs, AVCS allows seafarers to navigate a significant number of international shipping routes.
Business and communication manager Willy Zeiler explained: “PAYS allows navigators to instantly access the ENCs they need for planning purposes, levying charges only for the charts they actually use during voyages. It’s a flexible, user-friendly and efficient way to navigate, making it easier to order and manage an ENC portfolio.
“It is something that the market has eagerly been waiting for. This collaboration between NAVTOR and the UKHO marks a significant step forward in the way that e-navigation solutions are delivered to the end user. We’re proud to be working with the UKHO and using NAVTOR’s advanced technology to connect with its customers,” he said.
The NAVTOR PAYS with AVCS solution is distributed on a pre-loaded NavStick USB device, which when inserted into a ship’s ECDIS, will instantly install the required AVCS coverage. The latest AVCS charts and updates can then be regularly retrieved using NAVTOR’s online programme NavSync, ensuring that all vessels are kept up to date easily.
Jason Scholey, UKHO’s senior product manager - charts, said: “AVCS is the world’s preferred ENC service for ECDIS. We’re very pleased Navtor are launching the NAVTOR PAYS with AVCS solution to provide customers with additional choice when purchasing their ENCs.”
Navtor claimed that the majority of its customers now opt for a PAYS solution. Zeiler is keen to stress that it’s not only ECDISmandated vessels that are signing up with NAVTOR. “Many shipowners appreciate the tangible benefits of a service that provides safe, efficient and predictable operations, whether they are subject to IMO regulations, or not.