Notices to Mariners – Philippine Edition is now online at http://www.namria.gov.ph/download.php#publications. Copies in digital format may be obtained by sending a request via email address: [email protected] or by downloading from the NAMRIA website: www.namria.gov.ph/download.php. Masters of ships and other persons concerned are requested to forward to the Director of the Hydrography Department any reports of hazards to navigation and other information relating to Philippine charts and coastal pilots that may come to their attention.
Log on to the Philippine Online Maritime Safety Information System (OMSIS), http://namria.gov.ph/omsis/landing.aspx to access the Nautical Chart Corrections Service (e-NCC), Cumulative List of Notices Mariners, and online Hydrographic Notes (e-HNote). Index of Charts Affected – Contains the list of all charts affected by Notices to Mariners and the Notice Numbers that affected them. Notices to Mariners - Contains corrections to sea charts in consecutive number indicating the month and year of their issue.
Temporary and Preliminary Notices – Contains notices to seafarers that temporarily affect nautical charts or contain preliminary information subject to further verification. Corrections to the List of Lights - Contains the corrections to the latest edition of the Philippine List of Lights. The intention is for this section to be cut out and pasted onto the part of the Light Frame that is being corrected.
The visibility assigned to the lights never exceeds the calculated distance at which they are visible at high tide from a height of 4.57 meters above water level. Changes in navigational aids, their maintenance and correction of operational deficiencies are the responsibility of the Philippine Coast Guard. Reports of defects and recommendations regarding navigational aids should be forwarded to the Commander of the Philippine Coast Guard.
Navigational Warnings – Contains reprints of all previously issued navigational warnings still in effect as of the publication date of this edition of Philippine Notices to Mariners. NAMRIA issues notices to mariners and navigation warnings from private entities, foreign publications, national government agencies and local government entities. Such information is published for the safety of navigation in Philippine waters and does not imply recognition of the legal validity of the information issued by the above sources.
Masters of vessels are advised to exercise great care in navigating Philippine waters due to low visibility and occasional failure of some navigation lights. Positions obtained from satellite navigation systems, such as GPS, are usually referenced to the WGS-84 Datum. Such a position may only be plotted on NAMRIA charts which are also referenced to the WGS-84 Datum.
Mariners should be aware that due to the age and quality of some of the information, such satellite-derived positions may be more accurate than chart information.
Visayan Islands and Waters
- Newly published and Updated Nautical charts
150 000, 1st Edition, 28 N0vember 2022
Mariners are requested to Notify the Hydrography Branch, NAMRIA of any changes or discrepancies found on Nautical charts and Nautical publications
Position: When a position is defined by sextant angles or bearings (true or magnetic are specified) more than two must be used to provide a check. Latitude and longitude should only be used specifically to position the details when established by astronomical observations or GPS and a full description of the method, equipment and date used should be given. If it is preferred to show the modifications on a trace of the largest scale map (rather than the chart itself), this should be in red as above, but sufficient detail of the chart should be traced in black ink to indicate the changes fit correctly.
Electronic Navigation Charts (ENCs): A screenshot of the ENC at its largest scale, with changes and additions to it shown in red. Polls: When polls are obtained, it is important to ensure that full details of the collection method are included in this report. Whether the echo sounder is set to record depths below the water surface or below the keel; in the latter case the draft of the ship must be stated.
The time, date and time zone should be given so that corrections for tidal height can be made where necessary, or a statement of what tidal corrections have already been made. Where larger amounts of bathymetric data have been collected, only those areas where there is a significant difference to the current chart or ENC should be specifically mentioned in H102. For Echo Sounders using electronic gaming gating, care must be taken that the correct range scale and appropriate gate width are in use.
Older electro-mechanical echo sounders often record signals from echoes received back after one or more rotations of the stylus have been completed. As a check that apparent ground soundings are not due to echoes received outside the set's nominal range, soundings should be continued until reasonable agreement with chart soundings is achieved. However, soundings received after one or more rotations of the stylus may still be useful and should be submitted if they show significant differences from the mapped depths.
Shortcomings should be highlighted and any firm expectation that we can check the information on a subsequent trip should be stated. Reports using this form and relevant data should be sent by mail to NAMRIA-Hydrography Branch, 421 Barraca St San Nicolas, Manila or by email to [email protected] and [email protected] . The sections should be used as a reminder and used or followed closely where necessary.
