EGERSUND, NORWAY | 14 Nov 2013 | By JEPPESEN

Jeppesen is expanding its support of the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (NSSR) by providing fleetwide Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) at no charge, in collaboration with PRIMAR and the Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NHS).

For the past 11 years, NSSR boats and vessels have used Jeppesen digital charts with regular updates and supplementary data, and have also received information technology support from the company. Although not yet required for the NSSR fleet, international legislation requires larger ships to phase in ENCs, made by or on behalf of hydrographic services, as a primary means of navigation. Against this background, Jeppesen decided to make the donation, which has an annual value of close to USD 500,000.

We will not only back the ENCs with online digital updates, but we will also continue to expand our collaboration with the NSSR, says Egil Aarstad, managing director and general manager at Jeppesen Marine.

Rikke Lind, secretary-general of the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue, says, We have an excellent cooperation with Jeppesen. With a fleet involved in some 7,000 operations a year, we really need to have state-of-the-art equipment on board our vessels.

At Jeppesen, we feel the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue is a very worthy organization to support, says Aarstad. They go out in all kinds of weather to save lives and rescue people in distress.

It is a Norwegian tradition to support this service, which is more than 100 years old. In the past fishermens wives held bazaars to raise funds for the service. Additionally, some NSSR vessels carry the names of the Norwegian shipowners who donated them.

Jeppesen also benefits from this collaboration, Aarstad adds, because the NSSR has a permanent crew of super-users through whom we can continuously verify and monitor our products and services. In this way, we can make sure we have the world-class quality required for the efficient delivery of online digital products and services to the international shipping fleet.

All 44 NSSR vessels will be equipped with ENCs, as will any additional vessels the service may acquire. The ENCs updates are made available as soon as Jeppesen receives updates from the Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NHS).

The key role of the NHS is to enhance safety at sea by producing and distributing official ENCs to end-users. Distribution to end-users is conducted through the PRIMAR RENC (Regional ENC Coordination Centre, operated by NHS) via a network of commercial distributors. Jeppesen, a Boeing company, has a long collaboration with the NHS, having provided the dKart Office software tools the NHS uses to produce paper and digital charts since 2006.

Even before that, when the NHS resurveyed the whole Norwegian coast to produce new charts, we produced ENCs and paper charts as their sub-contractor for close to 10 years. Through this collaboration, we know the quality of Norwegian navigational charts, says Aarstad.

NHS Director Evert Flier describes Jeppesen as a long-term strategic partner for ENC distribution and noted that the correct use of ENCs reduces the chances of accidents at sea. He emphasizes the importance of ensuring that those involved in search and rescue operations use the same high-quality ENCs as those required for professional SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) shipping.

Giving the NSSR free access to Norwegian ENCs does just that, Flier concludes. The solution provided is an excellent example of public-private cooperation between PRIMAR and Jeppesen. This is a good day not only for the NSSR, NHS and Jeppesen, but for all mariners relying on NSSR services when sailing along our coast.

To learn more about Jeppesens ENC coverage and innovative solutions for the world shipping industry, visit www.jeppesen.com/marine/commercial.

About Jeppesen Jeppesen is a market-leading provider of vessel operations services and digital navigation solutions, based on worldwide vector chart data type approved to ISO19879, meteorological information and transmission technologies. Jeppesen offers a wide range of navigation and operations products and services to both recreational and commercial marine markets. Safety-conscious boater, mariners and operators of vessels ranging from coastal to SOLAS class, rely on Jeppesen for innovative navigation solutions that improve safety and efficiency.

Jeppesen is a subsidiary of The Boeing Company. Jeppesen corporate information is available online at jeppesen.com.

About The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (Redningsselskapet) was founded in 1891. Its purpose is to save lives and protect vessels at sea, as well as to safeguard the coastal environment and do preventative work to improve safety at sea. www.redningsselskapet.no

The Norwegian Hydrographic Service The Norwegian Mapping Authority Hydrographic Service is responsible for preparing and updating nautical charts, and covers all marine and coastal waters in Norway and around Svalbard, as well as polar waters. http://www.statkart.no/en/About-The-Norwegian-Mapping-Authority/The-Norwegian-Mapping-Authority/Norwegian-Hydrographic-Service

Media Contact: Bjrnar Bang Jeppesen Marine Marketing +47 98 07 63 45 +47 51 46 47 00 Bjornar.Bang@jeppesen.com