Request users of Digital Route Service to give feedback
At routeinfo.no, 118 additional sailing routes and waypoints are now available from Stad to Rørvik. The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) invites users of the Digital Route Service to give feedback in an online survey.

As of June 15, 2020, a total of 395 digital sailing routes are available from the Oslofjord to Rørvik in northern Norway.
“By the end of the year, the service will be available nationwide with routes up to the Russian border in the north, and will also include routes for Svalbard. To ensure that the service meets user needs, we encourage mariners to give us feedback on the service through a survey,” says Senior Engineer John Morten Klingsheim in the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA).
Fill out the survey here
Contributes to safer and smarter shipping
Via routeinfo.no, anyone planning to call ports from the Oslofjord to Rørvik in Trøndelag can download quality assured sailing routes directly into their on-board chart systems. The free of charge service that aims to contribute to safer and smarter shipping.
In addition to sailing routes, routeinfo.no provides route information relevant to specific routes – such as sailing conditions and local regulations for inbound voyages and arrival. The routes are quality-assured by NCA nautical personnel for vessels up to 150 metres in length and 9 meters in draught.
A risk-reducing measure
“By providing quality assured sailing routes we make it easier for vessels to use a safer route option, thereby reducing the risk of unwanted incidents," says Klingsheim.
“It is important to stress that the service does not replace the mariners need to validate their sailing route prior to the voyage,” Klingsheim adds.
Route information from the NCA is also available through other external map services through a so-called digital interface or API. PRIMAR and the Norwegian Pilot Guide are examples of chart services that now offer digital routes from routeinfo.no.
“I really do appreciate the routeinfo-initiative and honestly do wonder why this hasn’t been in the industry for years already, as it is such an obvious beneficial implementation as part of the digitisation of shipping,” says Director of Navigation Solutions, Ralf Lehnert, in SevenCs, which is a manufacturer of navigation software.
Used as reference routes prior to voyage
By offering reference routes that are quality assured by the NCA Pilotage Service, Vessel Traffic Service (VTS), Aids to Navigation Service and Pilot Exemption Certificate Unit, the NCA aims to strengthen safety at sea. Although the route service is not mandatory, the NCA recommends that mariners use reference routes as a basis for voyage planning. The routes have also been quality checked by the Norwegian Mapping Authority in relation to detailed bathymetry.
Berge Rederi AS is one of the shipping companies that plans to use the NCA’s Digital Route Service. The shipping company has ten self-discharging vessels that provide ship transport services along the Norwegian coast.
"Now that the route service covers large parts of the coast, we plan to use it on our vessels. For us it is important that the routes are quality assured by mariners and marine pilots in the Norwegian Coastal Administration. That will ensure that the courses we use on board are correct and that other issues have been considered,” says shipowner and Captain Øivind Berge in Berge Rederi AS.
To avoid oncoming traffic situations, the NCA has separated oncoming routes in waters where thid is possible. At routeinfo.no, mariners can download separate routes for northbound, southbound, inbound and outbound traffic.
“This is a major benefit for shipping, as separate routes will help to increase the safety of our vessels," says Berge.
Facts
Benefits for mariners:
- Increases navigational safety – selecting quality-assured routes reduces risk of unfavourable route selections that could result in hazardous incidents and events.
- Access to already established routes and relevant route information saves time during voyage planning.
- Important route information is collected from multiple sources and can be downloaded digitally from one website, routeinfo.no.
- Strengthens Bridge Resource Management by facilitating more efficient use of resources and improved situational awareness.
- Facilitates just-in-time arrival, thereby also reducing fuel consumption on board.
- A free of charge service.
- Digital routes are available in international RTZ format.
More about the Digital Route Service:
- Routeinfo.no provides vessels with access to quality-assured sailing routes and route information – including information on current local regulations for relevant ports and quays, and sailing distances.
- Reference routes have been quality-assured by marine pilots, Vessel Traffic Services, the Aids to Navigation service and the Pilot Exemption Certificate unit in the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) to ensure maritime safety.
- The Digital Route Service was established in 2018 with routes for Oslofjorden. Today, the service includes 395 routes from Oslofjorden to Rørvik. By the end of 2020, the service will be nation-wide with a total of 500 routes for the entire coast, including Svalbard.
- Sailing routes can be added to the BarentsWatch wave forecast service thereby providing vessels with wave forecasts for individual routes.
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