UKHO warns of dangers posed by counterfeit nautical charts
(Feb 22 2013)
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has issued a warning over the
dangers posed to the safety of vessels, crews and cargoes by counterfeit
nautical charts and publications.
As a result, the UKHO has produced a simple guide to help identify genuine
Admiralty products.
The UKHO said that it had recently observed an increase in the number of
counterfeit versions of its Admiralty charts and publications in circulation,
which do not satisfy the carriage requirements of SOLAS, as they have not been
issued officially by, or on the authority, of a Government, authorised
hydrographic office, or other relevant government institution.
Their carriage may also fail to satisfy (and may be contrary to) the laws of
flag state authorities and Port State Control, as well as increasing the safety
risk for vessels, crews and cargoes. Furthermore, carriage of counterfeit
documents is against the law in all countries that have signed the Berne
Convention on copyright, which includes the vast majority.
John Dawson, UKHO head of marketing, said: "The UKHO urges all purchasers,
users, inspectors and regulators to be vigilant for counterfeit Admiralty
charts and publications. Because counterfeit versions have not been through the
same rigorous checking procedures as official Admiralty charts and
publications, they cannot be trusted for voyage planning, or navigational
purposes. As well as failing to comply with SOLAS carriage regulations and
possibly also flag state and Port State Control regulations, the use of
counterfeit charts and publications poses a serious risk to vessel safety.
"We are actively seeking to stop the production and sale of counterfeit copies
of our charts and publications and have raised our concerns with the IMO, the
International Hydrographic Organisation and flag states. We also encourage
anyone that suspects they may be in possession of counterfeit products to get
in touch with us," he stressed.
UKHO has produced a simple guide to help users and inspectors to distinguish
official Admiralty charts and publications from counterfeit versions. Official
Admiralty charts bear the Admiralty `Flying A' watermark within the paper and
will carry a `thumb label' strip on the reverse with the Admiralty logo, chart
number, geographical area, barcode and date.
Suspect charts and publications can also be identified by comparing them
against official Admiralty versions, where variations may be spotted in the
look, feel and weight of the product, the colour tone and strength of the ink,
the folds on charts and the height and binding quality of publications, the
UKHO said.
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