AUTOMATED AND MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT FOR COLLECTING OF METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION ON BOARD OF THE SHIP

The need for reliable, accurate and comprehensive information about the weather conditions is essential for the safety of shipping. This paper discusses the various types of equipment for obtaining information about meteorological parameters on board of the vessels, their advantages and disadvantages. It emphasis the need for automation of the process to assess the weather situation in a view to save valuable time in the busiest shipping today. Officer of the Watch (OOW) should use all equipment available on board to make meteorological observations. The systems Navtex and Inmarsat-C serve to transmit MSI to ships. Constantly measuring the meteorological parameters the mariners can assess the reliability of weather forecasts prepared by coastal meteorological centers. Considering that OOW have very limited time for measuring the weather parameters, the introduction of the weather stations on board of the vessels is a key innovative technology for the safety of navigation and gives clear and precise meteorological information.