MAGNETIC COMPASS ADJUSTMENT

Magnetic compass is carried onboard sea going ships as a redundancy for Electronic Direction Reference instruments. 

Advantages of a Magnetic Compass

 

• Little maintenance required

• No power source required

• Durability

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Disadvantages of a Magnetic Compass

 

• Does not seek True North

• Affected by surrounding materials

• Cannot be used near the poles    

 

Where the Variation of the earth magnetic is known, the Deviation caused by a steel constructed ship must be formulated by a Compass Adjustment. This provides the operator a means to apply corrections to the magnetic heading thus obtaining the True Heading.

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SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19 requires a ship’s Standard Magnetic Compass to be properly adjusted.

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ISO 25862: 2019 requires the Magnetic Compass to be adjusted:

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• No less often than intervals of two years

• After dry-docking

• After significant structural work

• When they are first installed

• If they become unreliable

• When repairs or structural alterations have been made to the ship that could affect its permanent and/or induced magnetism

• If electrical or magnetic equipment close to the compass is added removed or altered

• If the recorded deviations are excessive or when the compass shows physical defects or

• At any other time deemed necessary by the Master for the safety of navigation

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Our compass adjusters will carry out inspection of the compass binnacle either dockside or at anchorage. Subsequently, compass swing will be conducted at sea while adjusting the available correctors hence confirming, eliminating and/or minimising deviations. Finally, a comprehensive Compass Record report and a Standard Deviation Card will be furbished for the ship’s navigation team.