Nautical equipment suppliers for ships: charts, publications, flags and navigation lights

The master and the navigating officers own this section — on most ships the second officer keeps the chart folio and raises the requisition, which is practice rather than a written rule. The obligation itself is SOLAS chapter V: regulation 27 requires adequate and up-to-date charts and publications, and regulation 9 has governments issue the notices to mariners that keep them corrected.^[1]

Flag administrations spell out what that means at sea. Liberia’s marine notice requires every ship, whatever its size, to carry nautical charts and publications to plan and display the route for the intended voyage, accepts a type-approved ECDIS with official ENCs as meeting the carriage requirement, and says a ship found without adequate charts may be prevented from proceeding to sea.^[2]

The same notice observes that current editions of sailing directions, tide tables, charts and corrections can be ordered well in advance for regular delivery — the subscription pattern a chart agent lives on — and that uncorrected charts and publications have caused problems at port state control.^[2]

Navigation lights are specified by COLREG. A masthead light shows an unbroken light over 225 degrees; on a vessel of 50 metres or more it must be visible at 6 miles and the sidelights, sternlight and all-round lights at 3; Annex I sets the vertical sectors over which intensity must hold.^[3]

Carriage rules reach further into the section. Canada’s regulations, implementing the SOLAS chapter V pattern, require a daylight signalling lamp on vessels of 150 gross tonnage or more on international voyages and a standard magnetic compass on most vessels.^[5]

Merchant flags are the largest group in IMPA section 37 by far — national flags, courtesy ensigns and signal flags in every size — and, by visitors, the busiest group in our catalogue. Nautical publications and charts come next, then marine radios and telephones, recording paper for course and echo recorders, navigation lights and searchlights, chart-room goods and GMDSS radio equipment.

A flag line is a country and a size; a chart line is a chart number and edition; a publication line is a title and the current edition. The ship expects the current one. A light line names the type and often the maker already fitted, because a lantern must fit its bracket.

For charts and publications, quote the edition and the correction date; for flags, the size in metres or breadths and the material; for lights, the approval and the voltage. If the ship is on ECDIS, ask whether it still needs paper back-ups for the route.

On GeoMarineHub, choose section 37 among your categories and activate the ports where you can deliver before sailing; lines from the section posted there reach you, and bids are sealed. Buyers read our pages on SOLAS and port state control before they order. Register as a supplier — free.