We live in an era in which more and more systems support the Officer of the Watch (OOW) in his navigation. Automatic Identification System (AIS), ECDIS, Chart radars and Engineering Alarm Systems are all examples of fairly new systems with a specific role in the situational assessment and the resulting decision process a Navigator does in sailing his vessel. Having stated that their only reason for being is to support the OOW, it appears sometimes their effect is contrary. Especially when a situation becomes critical (e.g. close quarter situation, serious system malfunction) and all the navigators' attention is required to observe the movement of his vessels with respect to the situation evolving, the different systems tend to require their share of the attention by raising warnings and alerts.
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