Advanced Avionics AWENA-1 Marine ECS

ADVANCED AVIONICS AWENA-1 Marine Electronic Chart System (ECS)

The Advanced Avionics AWENA-1 is a Marine Electronic Chart System (ECS) engineered for commercial coastal vessels, inland waterway transport, offshore support vessels (OSVs), tugs, and workboats. Developed by Shanghai Advanced Avionics Co., Ltd., the AWENA-1 integrates International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) S-57 Edition 3.1 vector chart decoding with S-52 presentation libraries to deliver real-time hydrographic rendering and navigational situational awareness.

Operating on a galvanic-isolated 24V DC marine distribution bus, the AWENA-1 combines an industrial-grade embedded computing core with an anti-glare, high-luminance 17-inch/19-inch marine-grade LCD display (AWECS-00002). The architecture supports multi-channel IEC 61162-1 (NMEA 0183) serial interfaces and dual 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports, enabling synchronization with Primary Position Fixing Systems (GNSS/BDS), Automatic Identification Systems (AIS Class A/B), Gyro/Magnetic Heading Sensors, Echo Sounders, and Doppler Speed Logs. Designed to fulfill the functional requirements for Class-A ECS installations under national and regional maritime administrations (including China Maritime Safety Administration/CCS standards), the AWENA-1 delivers anti-grounding safety contour monitoring, active route validation, dynamic collision assessment (CPA/TCPA calculation), and continuous voyage event recording.

Model Details

• Commercial Designation: AWENA-1 ECS
• Manufacturer: Shanghai Advanced Avionics Co., Ltd. (上海埃威航空电子有限公司)
• Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): AWENA-1-SYS-DC24
• Display Processing Unit Part Number: AWECS-00002 (17”/19” Integrated Marine Console)
• Processor Unit (Black Box, where applicable): AW-CPU-01B
• Input Interface Module: AW-IF-04COM (Opto-Isolated NMEA Serial Board)

Technical Details

Features

1. Hydrographic Standard Compliance: Full native execution of IHO S-57 Ed. 3.1 vector cartography, S-52 Ed. 4.3 presentation libraries, and compatibility with official ENC/C-MAP/ARCS databases with configurable safety depth contours and shallow water shading.
2. Multi-Sensor Data Fusion Engine: Real-time integration of positioning (GNSS/BeiDou), vessel heading (Gyro/THD), AIS vessel tracking, and underwater depth via isolated NMEA 0183/IEC 61162-1 listener channels.
3. Active Collision & Anti-Grounding Alarms: Real-time CPA (Closest Point of Approach) and TCPA (Time to Closest Point of Approach) target tracking against AIS-reported targets, combined with look-ahead vector safety frame alerts against charted shoals, wrecks, and restricted zones.
4. Marine-Hardened Rugged Hardware: Solid-state fanless thermal convection design housed in an IP22 bridge-console chassis with full anti-corrosion marine powder coating, capable of continuous operation from 0°C to +50°C.
5. Multi-Color Bridge Palettes: Dim-to-zero backlighting control with distinct Day, Dusk, and Night color display modes adhering to IMO/IEC 60945 bridge luminance specifications.

Equipment Compatibility

• GNSS / DGPS / BDS Receivers: Furuno GP-150 / GP-170, JRC JNAV-500, Sailor 6560, ONWA KP-32 / KP-1299, Advanced Avionics BDS units.
• AIS Transponders: Furuno FA-150 / FA-170, JRC JHS-182 / 183, Saab R4 / R5, Kongsberg Seatex AIS, ONWA KS-200A.
• Heading Sensors / Gyros: Anschütz Standard 22 / 20, Sperry Marine Navigat X MK 1 / MK 2, Tokimec/Tokyo Keiki TG-8000, Simrad GC80 / SC50 Satellite Compass.
• Echo Sounders & Speed Logs: Furuno FE-700 / FE-800, Skipper GDS 101 / 102, JRC JFE-380 / JFE-680.
• Autopilot Systems: Anschütz NP60 / Pilotstar D, Simrad AP70 / AP80, Sperry Marine Navipilot 4000.
• Voyage Data Recorders (VDR/S-VDR): Consilium S-VDR, Furuno VR-3000 / VR-7000, Headway HVR-02, Highlander HLD-VDR.

Applications

• Commercial Coastal & Inland Freight Vessels: Bulk carriers, deck cargo barges, aggregate carriers, and inland container feeders operating under regional maritime regulatory regimes requiring certified chart display systems.
• Tugs, Workboats & Offshore Support: Harbor tugs, Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels, and crew transfer vessels requiring dynamic AIS target tracking and shallow-water perimeter alarms.
• Commercial Fishing Fleets: Distant-water and coastal trawlers requiring S-57 hydrographic accuracy, route storage, past-track retrieval, and depth integration.
• Passenger Ferries & Ro-Ro: Inter-island Ro-Pax vessels using secondary chart stations for redundant electronic navigational backup alongside primary ECDIS or official paper folios.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary difference between the AWENA-1 ECS and a certified ECDIS?

The AWENA-1 is classified as an Electronic Chart System (ECS) rather than a full carriage-requirement IMO SOLAS ECDIS. While it decodes official IHO S-57 vector charts and S-52 presentation rules identically to an ECDIS, it is primarily intended for vessels not strictly bound to international SOLAS ECDIS carriage mandates (e.g., domestic coastal vessels, workboats, fishing vessels, or as a secondary bridge visual aid alongside official paper folios).

Can the AWENA-1 display AIS targets directly on the vector chart?

Yes. When interfaced with an AIS Class A or Class B transponder via its dedicated high-speed NMEA port (38,400 baud), the AWENA-1 renders all AIS target symbols, vessel names, MMSI, course over ground (COG), speed over ground (SOG), and CPA/TCPA vectors over the active nautical chart.

What voltage is required to power the AWENA-1 system?

The unit operates directly from a standard marine 24V DC auxiliary electrical system (acceptable operational swing: 18V to 36V DC). For vessels with 110V/220V AC mains only, an external industrial 220V AC to 24V DC marine power supply with battery backup failover must be utilized.

How are nautical chart updates performed on the AWENA-1?

Chart updates and base cell imports are handled via the system’s USB data interface. The charts are loaded from a standard FAT32 USB storage drive using the integrated chart management utility within the AWENA-1 operating menu.

Can the AWENA-1 output active steering commands to an autopilot?

Yes. The AWENA-1 features isolated NMEA talker channels that output active cross-track error (XTE) and waypoint data (such as APB, BWR, and RMB sentences), allowing compatible marine autopilots to perform track-following navigation when a pre-planned route is activated.