AUSTRALIAN HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE Information

As part of a maturing relationship between Australia and its South Pacific neighbours, it is time to recognise the level of partnership and cooperation that exists between the AHO and the PNG National Maritime Safety Authority in support of maritime safety, by identifying their charts as 'PNG' charts rather than 'Aus' charts. This transition is now underway, and is planned for completion by mid-2020. To keep arrangements clear for mariners, only the national prefix will change during this transition; the individual chart number will remain constant. As part of the transition, the national prefix for Electronic Navigation Charts will similarly change, from AU to PG. How many paper charts are enough? The Australian Hydrographic Office is reviewing the ongoing requirement for selected paper charts in areas where there appears to be a high concentration of overlapping charts at similar scales. Demand for Electronic Navigation Charts (ENC) in Australian waters now exceeds demand for paper charts by around 5 to 1. As this relative demand exceeds the 25% of AHO cartographic resources dedicated to keeping existing paper charts up to date, the AHO now critically reviews the ongoing need for selected paper charts on a case by case basis prior to embarking upon major updates. The current focus of this activity is areas covered by charts at multiple scales that appear to be fulfilling the same purpose, particularly within and near ports. While this is only likely to result in a relatively small number of permanent withdrawals, these withdrawals will permit the AHO to focus on emerging requirements. Electronic Chart Services