Advancing navigational safety: Digimar’s project focus on routine maritime communication

In the field of maritime communication, this paper deals with the critical interaction between ships and shore-based services. Despite the existence of global standards, there are frequent deviations from prescribed protocols, posing a substantial risk to shipping safety and potentially impacting individuals, the environment, society, and economy. To address this challenge, the Erasmus+ Digimar project seeks to improve maritime communication and, as a consequence, enhance maritime safety through digital education and training in maritime communication procedures. Adopting a concise yet comprehensive approach, the initiative aims to have a sustained positive impact on the safety and efficiency of maritime communication worldwide. This paper will first provide a broad description of the project, subsequently narrowing its focus on the definition of the regulatory framework and content for the digital tools, one of the primary outcomes of the project. This regulatory framework consists of two interrelated sections that this paper will explore. The first section will provide an overview of internationally adopted rules, procedures, and standards that govern routine maritime communication and thus define the standard protocol of such interactions. The second section concentrates on the definition of standards and guidelines regarding education and training in routine maritime communication. The objective here is to present the competence standards in routine maritime communication among Vessel Traffic Service operators across national contexts.