V3.

5
April 2018

1
Contents

Overview ................................................. 2
Quality ................................................. 2
Carriage compliance............................ 2
Licensing ............................................. 2
SENC Services .................................... 2
Pay as you Sail (PAYS) ....................... 2
Further information .............................. 2
Getting started with AVCS ...................... 3
Before you start ................................... 3
Installing permits and data ................... 3
Maintaining your holdings .................... 4
Readme file ......................................... 4
Other important information ................. 4
Working with AVCS ................................. 5
Downloaded data ................................ 5
ENC data on disc ................................ 5
The AVCS permits ............................... 5
The ‘Schedule A’ ................................. 6
Cancelled ENCs .................................. 6
Adding ENC coverage ......................... 6
ADMIRALTY Information Overlay (AIO) .. 7
T&P NMs ............................................. 7
EP NMs ............................................... 7
Compatibility ........................................ 7
Troubleshooting ...................................... 8
IHO S-58 Standard - ENC Validation ... 8
Incorrect chart information ................... 8
Security Scheme Errors (SSE) ............ 8
Conversion errors ................................ 9
Technical support ................................ 9
Emergency chart permits ........................ 9

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AVCS User Guide V3.5

Overview Licensing
The ENCs in AVCS are provided under a
ADMIRALTY Vector Chart Service (AVCS) is
licence agreement that allows their use for
produced and distributed according to well-
defined periods of time. AVCS Folios and
defined international standards.
ENC Units may be added to an AVCS
This guide provides generic information to licence at any time for periods of 3, 6, 9 or 12
assist in managing and maintaining your months (where data supply agreements
AVCS holdings. allow). This offers maximum choice and the
This guide should be used in conjunction flexibility to match your chart holdings to your
with the User Manual supplied by your operational patterns.
ECDIS manufacturer.
SENC Services
AVCS brings together official Electronic
When they are loaded into the ECDIS,
Navigational Charts (ENC) from national
ENCs are converted to the system’s own
Hydrographic offices around the world. It
proprietry format, known as System ENC
includes ENC coverage produced by UKHO
(SENC). To allow them to load more
in co-operation with Foreign Governments to
efficiently, some service providers convert
provide comprehensive worldwide coverage. AVCS ENCs to SENC ashore, then send
them to the vessel, usually by download.
Quality
AVCS meets customer requirements for a AVCS SENC services carry full
comprehensive, world-wide, fully carriage ADMIRALTY assurance and accreditation.
compliant electronic chart service. AVCS
continues to develop in response to Pay as you Sail (PAYS)
customer feedback. PAYS subscriptions provide your vessel
UKHO has a programme of assessment with permits for the majority of the AVCS
portfolio, so they are available for voyage
by its professional cartographers, where
planning. Where the Producer Nation
the content of the ENC is compared to
relevant paper charts. Any navigationally allows their ENCs to be included in the
PAYS Service you avoid having to
significant differences are communicated
to users of AVCS through ADMIRALTY purchase them individually. You are only
Information Overlay (AIO). No other charged for their use when your vessel
electronic chart service offers this level of tracks across the location of each ENC.
reassurance. The ENC data must still be loaded onto
your ECDIS either manually or
Carriage compliance automatically.
AVCS only contains Official ENC data that
meets Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Further information
Carriage Requirements for use within NP231 ADMIRALTY Guide to the Practical
Electronic Chart Display and Information Use of ENCs is a comprehensive guide to
Systems (ECDIS). the ENC portrayal, standards and
regulations.

The UKHO website, Admiralty.co.uk, has

more information and links to resources
for use with AVCS.

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AVCS User Guide V3.5

Getting started with

AVCS Installing permits and data
Specific instructions for some
common models of ECDIS are
This start-up guide is designed to help you to available at admiralty.co.uk/AVCS.
load and maintain your ADMIRALTY Vector
Videos are also available at
Chart Service (AVCS) data easily and
youtube.com/user/AdmiraltyTV
quickly. It describes the basic steps
necessary to use AVCS in any ECDIS. The 1. Before loading AVCS ENCs, the ENC
functionality for loading and maintaining Permits must be installed on the
AVCS will differ from one ECDIS to another, system. The permits consist of two
so this guide should be used in conjunction files for each ECDIS: ENC.PMT and
with the User Manual supplied by your PERMITS.TXT.
ECDIS manufacturer.
Install your permits, referring to your
ECDIS User Guide.
AVCS only contains official Electronic
Navigational Charts (ENCs) issued by
AVCS customers with multiple ECDIS
Government Hydrographic Offices. It is
on board should be careful to load
designed to be used in conjunction with a
the correct permits into the
type-approved ECDIS to meet the
corresponding system.
requirements of SOLAS Chapter V.

Before you start Permit sets are labelled MASTER,

1. Your ADMIRALTY Chart Agent will BACKUP, RESERVE 1, 2 and 3.
have provided the following materials:
• AVCS DVDs or other media which The International Hydrographic
contains the base ENCs and their Office (IHO) Public Key, IHO.CRT,
updates. may need to be updated on older
ECDIS. Refer to your ECDIS manual
• Schedule A (a document listing the
for more details.
Folios and Units that you have
licensed).
2. Load ENCs from media discs. Each disc
• A set of ENC Permit files
contains ENCs from the countries listed
(PERMIT.TXT and ENC.PMT) for
on the label. Note that some countries
each ECDIS equipment.
(such as the United Kingdom) produce
• AVCS Certificate (a document
data worldwide so the Base discs do not
showing your vessel and licence
directly correspond to a geographical
details).
area.
• ADMIRALTY Information Overlay
(AIO) CD (optional). It is only necessary to load the discs that
contain licensed ENCs, as listed in the
Schedule A. The ECDIS will manage the
2. Referring to the User Guide for your loading of all ENC cells based on the
ECDIS, remove any existing ENCs installed ENC Permits.
and if possible, any installed permits. 3. Load the ADMIRALTY Information
Overlay (if provided), which provides
You are now ready to load AVCS additional information for passage
onto your ECDIS. planning. The Overlay contains
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AVCS User Guide V3.5

Temporary & Preliminary Notices to It is strongly recommended that

Mariners (T&P NMs) and ENC you choose to delete any
Preliminary Notices to Mariners (EP cancelled ENCs from the ECDIS
NMs), which highlight navigationally otherwise it may display out of
significant differences between ENCs date data in preference to more
and ADMIRALTY paper charts. recent ENCs.

A permit for AIO is provided free of Readme file

charge with AVCS. If it does not
display, please ask your ADMIRALTY 1. AVCS discs and downloaded
Chart Agent to check that it has been exchange sets contain a
added to your licence and that your ‘README.TXT’ file which includes
ECDIS has been enabled. important safety information that
should be read before using the
Maintaining your holdings service and checked on a weekly
basis.
1. A new set of ENC Permits will be
supplied by your ADMIRALTY Chart The latest README.TXT file can
Agent whenever an ENC has been also be viewed in on the Support tab
added or removed from your licence. at www.admiralty.co.uk/avcs.
These should be installed on the
ECDIS when they are received,
before loading any new AVCS discs. Other important information
You may also receive an updated 1. Information about general cautions
Schedule A. when using ENCs within ECDIS is
contained in the document “Important
2. Your ADMIRALTY Chart Agent may information for AVCS users” which can
supply you with weekly AVCS update be found on the Support tab at
discs. www.admiralty.co.uk/avcs.

Alternatively, you may use your 2. Updates applied to the ECDIS may
ECDIS or other software to request have a navigational impact on an area
and download ENC updates. covered by a stored route. It is
important to check the effect of any
New AVCS DVDs and an AIO CD are updates on these routes prior to their
issued every week, and the data is use.
cumulative. To update the ECDIS,
just load the ENCs from the latest
AVCS discs that you hold.

3. Periodically, ENCs are cancelled as

part of the continuous maintenance
of ENC coverage worldwide.
Cancelled ENCs are normally
replaced automatically with new
updates and you will experience no
loss of coverage in your ECDIS.

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AVCS User Guide V3.5

If you receive multiple update discs on

Working with AVCS board at the same time, you only need to
use the most recent one because they are
cumulative.
Downloaded data
Your ADMIRALTY Chart Agent may Update CDs cannot be installed until
provide you with the capability to deliver the previous issue of Base discs have
the ENCs and updates that you need over been installed. This does not apply to
the internet or by email. This has the DVDs
advantage of allowing you to keep the
ENCs on your ECDIS up to date and avoid
The AVCS permits
the delay when discs are delivered by Each permit is unique and is the method
post. which gives the user access to the required
ENCs.
ENC data on disc The ENC Permits are supplied in a zipped
The AVCS DVD service comprises all the file and the contents of this file will depend on
base and update data and is distributed on the user’s bridge configuration, as each
two discs every week. This simplifies the AVCS licence allows for use on up to five
work for the ECDIS in reading the data into ECDIS. When extracted, one or more set of
the system. The ENCs are organised into permit files (PERMIT.TXT and ENC.PMT)
folders that correspond to the Base CDs and will be copied automatically into folder(s)
the discs are each named “M01X01”. named MASTER, BACKUP, RESERVE1,
The CD service comprises nine base discs RESERVE2 and RESERVE3 depending on
containing all the base and update data held the number of ECDIS configured on the
in AVCS at the time of issue, issued at bridge.
intervals of approximately eight weeks. On The permits may be supplied on physical
receipt of re-issued AVCS Base CDs, only an media, separately by email, downloaded over
update routine needs to be run on each disc the internet, or directly from back of bridge
and there is no requirement to reload all software applications. The contents should
charts. The CDs are all named “V01X01”. be extracted to removable media, e.g. USB
In each week between bases, a cumulative flash drive, that is capable of being read by
update disc is issued containing all AVCS the ECDIS system.
updates issued since the most recent base.

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AVCS User Guide V3.5

The ‘Schedule A’ Adding ENC coverage

The Schedule A document informs the Additional AVCS Folios and Units may be
user which Base CDs or Volumes on the purchased during the subscription period
DVDs are required to install the licensed through your chosen ADMIRALTY Chart
ENCs. A sample of the information Agent.
contained in the Schedule A is provided
Once your order has been approved by your
below.
ADMIRALTY Chart Agent, you will receive
If the user does NOT have a copy of the new ENC Permits to ‘unlock’ the newly
Schedule A they can refer to the media.txt added data. These permit files are
file at the root level of the AVCS disc to cumulative so as well as unlocking the new
determine which Volume contains the data coverage they will also hold the permits
for a given Producer Code. If in any necessary to unlock all your existing
doubt, the complete set of AVCS discs coverage.
must be installed to ensure that all You can use software applications and
licensed ENCs are loaded on the ECDIS. some ECDIS to order new permits and
data, then have them delivered direct to
Cancelled ENCs your vessel.
Periodically, ENCs are cancelled as part of
the continuous maintenance of ENC
coverage worldwide. Cancelled ENCs are
automatically replaced and you will
experience no loss of coverage in your
ECDIS.
It is strongly recommended that you
choose to delete any cancelled ENCs
from the SENC as failure to do so may
result in the ECDIS displaying out of
date ENCs in preference to more up to
date data.

Example of part of a vessel's Schedule A

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AVCS User Guide V3.5

Many ENC producers include some or

ADMIRALTY all of their T&P NMs in their ENCs and
Information Overlay care should be taken to understand
what has already been included in the
(AIO) ENCs in use.

A list of ENC producers whose policy is to

The AIO is a digital dataset that is designed include T&P NM information in their ENCs
to be displayed over ENCs in ECDIS and can be found at admiralty.co.uk/AVCS and in
other chart display systems to provide the \INFO folder on all AVCS discs. Please
additional information during passage note that official ENCs remain the primary
planning. The Overlay contains source of information for navigation at all
ADMIRALTY Temporary & Preliminary times.
Notices to Mariners (T&P NMs).
The AIO also draws attention to areas where
EP NMs
differences between ENCs and paper charts ENC Preliminary (EP) NMs highlight
may affect the passage plan. navigationally significant differences between
ENCs and ADMIRALTY paper charts. These
T&P NMs NMs are displayed in the same way as T&P
The T&P NMs (Temporary and NMs, as a polygon with a hatched fill which
Preliminary Notices to Mariners) that are indicates the area affected by the NM. Each
shown in the AIO relate specifically to NM is allocated a unique EP NM number.
ADMIRALTY paper charts and are The full text of the NM can be viewed in the
overlaid on ENCs to alert users to the ECDIS Pick Report. Where additional
availability of this information when
information is needed to explain the NM an
passage planning.
associated picture file displays an image
Each NM is displayed as a simple polygon showing the ENC superimposed over the
with a hatched fill which indicates the area current paper chart information.
affected by the NM. Each polygon carries the
Compatibility
same NM number that is used in the
ADMIRALTY Weekly Bulletin. The Overlay can be displayed on AIO-
compatible ECDIS equipment and also in
The full text of the NM is included as an some software applications. Please see the
associated text file which can be displayed UKHO website at admiralty.co.uk/AVCS for a
by selecting the 'Temporary Notice to list of AIO-compatible ECDIS, or consult your
Mariners' or 'Preliminary Notice to Mariners' supplier.
feature in the ECDIS Pick Report. Any
associated diagrams can also be viewed The Overlay data is held on a single CD
through the Pick Report. which is installed and updated in the same
way as ENCs. The AIO permit GB800001 is
AIO may not contain all T&P NMs
free of charge for AVCS users and can be
issued by the ENC producer. There
added to your licence. Please contact your
may be a time delay between the
ADMIRALTY Chart Agent if you wish to use
publication or cancellation of national
the Overlay or cannot view on your ECDIS.
T&P NMs and the publication or
removal of the equivalent ADMIRALTY
T&P NMs.

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AVCS User Guide V3.5

Troubleshooting
Error messages likely to be displayed in an
ECDIS
Certificate is invalid
IHO S-58 Standard - ENC SSE 03
(Authentication failure)
Validation Format of Certificate is
SSE 04 incorrect (Authentication
The majority of the ENC checks defined in failure)
the IHO Standard S-58 are intended for use
SA Digital Certificate file is not
in the ENC validation software that is used by SSE 05 available (Authentication
Hydrographic Offices or Regional ENC failure)

Coordinating Centres. These were not SA Digital Certificate is invalid

SSE 06
(Authentication failure)
intended to be used in ECDIS. However,
Certificate file is not available
some system manufacturers have SSE 07
(Authentication failure)
incorporated some or all of the ENC
Format of Private Key is
validation checks in their ECDIS software. As SSE 08 incorrect (Authentication
a result, you may see misleading messages failure)
indicating that officially produced and SSE 09
Signature is invalid
(Authentication failure)
released ENC data contains errors, when it
does not. In some cases, official ENC data is Files are different (check after
SSE 10
decryption)
even being reported as not suitable for
Cell Permit file not found
navigational use. SSE 11
(Decryption failure)
You should only report these errors where an SSE 12
Cell Permit format is incorrect
(Decryption failure)
ENC has failed to load. These are normally
identified by the ECDIS as a fatal error or Cell Permit is invalid
SSE 13 (checksum [CRC] is incorrect /
ENC failed import. In these instances the decryption failure)
UKHO will seek to resolve this with the ENC SSE 14 Incorrect system date
producer.
Subscription licence has
SSE 15
expired
Incorrect chart information SSE 16 ENC CRC value is incorrect
According to IHO rules, each country is
responsible for producing the ENCs in
their own waters. As a result, UKHO is > Codes 03 to 09 relate to the ECDIS
unable correct any errors that are reported check of the authenticity of the discs
by users, except for GB ENCs. However, being loaded
we will pass on any user feedback to the > Codes 11 to 13 relate to the permits
Producer Nation with the aim of resolving supplied
any issues.
> Codes 14 and 15 relate to checks on
Security Scheme Errors licence validity

(SSE) > Codes 10 and 16 relate to checks carried

out on the consistency of the ENC data
As part of the IHO Standard S-63 Data
Protection Scheme, ECDIS have to include
standard error and warning messages called
Security Scheme Errors (SSE). The table
below shows a list of the SSE codes:

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AVCS User Guide V3.5

Conversion errors When reporting a chart related problem it is

When ENCs are loaded into an ECDIS they useful if you can provide the following details:
are converted from the standard S-57 format > Licence Number
they are supplied in to the systems specific > Vessel Name
format of the ECDIS being used (the System
ENC – SENC). > ECDIS/Software Manufacturer

Data being supplied within AVCS has been > Details of error message – Including
validated to very high standards and the ‘SSE’ error code
number of conversion errors being reported > Screen shot(s) of error
should be low. > Details of Base Discs or DVD used (date)
When loading ENCs the ECDIS could report > Details of Update CD used (date)
the following error conditions:
> Details of permits used (date)
1. The ECDIS is unable to load the ENC or
Update at all, or loads and reports an > Details of Cell number(s) errors apply to
error. This is not common. If the problem > Have there been any configuration
persists, please contact your ADMIRALTY changes to computers
Chart Agent. > Details of User Permit(s) and PIN(s)
2. The ECDIS loads the ENC or Update and
reports a warning. This is quite common
on some ECDIS systems and reflects Emergency chart
minor differences in the way it interprets
the S-57 standard. We are not aware of permits
any evidence that the correct operation of
the ENC in the ECDIS is affected in these
In certain circumstances it may be
cases.
necessary for a vessel to get access to an
Technical support ENC at very short notice. Your
ADMIRALTY Chart Agent has access to
You will receive the most effective support
the UKHO 24-hour online ordering system
if you address your initial query to the
and can very quickly deliver new permits
correct organisation.
to you by email or internet. Also, some
Problem Contact ECDIS or bridge software allow you to
Hardware problems: difficulties order and download new permits yourself.
with the keyboard, mouse, display
or main system console, CD or If these options are not available to you
DVD drive. ECDIS and you need new permits due to a
Software problems: difficulties Manufacturer
medical or safety emergency only,
with configuring or using the ECDIS
system software, interfacing individual AVCS ENC Permits can be
problems. obtained from the UKHO at any time.
Chart installation problems: Please quote Vessel Name, ECDIS User
problems with installing certificates,
permits and AVCS ENCs, standard
Permit Number, required ENC(s) and
error codes displayed. ADMIRALTY reason for request.
Chart Agent
Chart content problems: display
anomalies or mismatched data These permits can be transmitted direct to
displays. the vessel by email, or simply by reading
the characters out over the telephone.

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AVCS User Guide V3.5

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UKHO Customer Services
Support Hours: 0600-2200 Monday - Telephone: +44 (0)1823 484444
Friday (UK time)

Emergency cover only at weekends Email: [email protected]

Web: admiralty.co.uk