MCA Small Ships Navigation and Radar

This course is intended for all Masters and any crew responsible for navigation on commercially operating small vessels (<24m). This course has been approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in accordance with the recommendations of the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB), and meets the requirements of the Workboat Code Edition 3 “the Manning of Small Vessels” and includes the following two sections:

• Part 1 – Small Ships Radar and Meteorology (2.5 days)
• Part 2 – Small Ships Electronic Charting System and Bridge Watchkeeping (2.5 days)

Course Content

Part 1 – Small Ships Radar and Meteorology (2.5 days)

Individual price: £520

• Types of Radar and differences in use
• Using Radar as a ranging device
• Use and limitations of radar for bearing measurement
• Effect of horizontal bandwidth, particularly on land targets
• Use of sea and ground stabilised modes of operation
• Display set up procedures including the use of performance monitoring facilities
• Understanding of the heading marker and its alignment
• Sea and rain clutter settings
• Relative and true motion displays
• True and relative trails and vectors
• Head-up (unstabilised) and North-up (stabilised) displays
• Shadow sectors and blind arcs
• False echoes
• Plotting as an aid to collision avoidance
• Position fixing and radar navigation
• Use of parallel indexing techniques
• Semi-automatic and automatic plotters
• Errors associated with automatic plotting aids

Part 2 – Small Ships Electronic Charting System & Bridge Watchkeeping (2.5 days)

Individual price: £520

• How to obtain weather information
• Use of weather reports in relation to a proposed passage plan
• Actions upon encountering reduced visibility
• An appreciation of voyage limitations imposed by reduced visibility
• Possible effect of wind on tracks made good
• The effect of wind on tides and tidal streams
• Local weather anomalies
• Effect on sensors/equipment of weather