1999-11-Year 2000 Computer Failure Issues

1999-11-Year 2000 Computer Failure Issues

Notices to Mariners

Year 2000 Computer Failure Issues

11 - 1999

Issue Date: Wednesday 1 December 1999

Aid:

Area:

1999-11

Year 2000 Computrwer Failure Issues

Mariners will be aware that there is a risk of computer errors or failures due to the change of century rollover date, known as Year 2000 or Y2K issues.
The Commissioners of Irish Lights have made every effort to ensure that all their equipment and systems are Y2K compliant and have sought compliance assurances from their suppliers. Nonetheless, the possibility of failure must be considered and Mariners should exercise caution around the period of the rollover date. Mariners should also be aware that depending on the manufacture, model, and age of their receiver equipment for radio aids to navigation it may not be Y2K compliant.
The Commissioners of Irish Lights provide typical aids to navigation as follows:
Main Navigation Lights
Standby Navigation Lights
Emergency Navigation Lights
Leading Lights and Sectored Lights
Buoy Lights
Automated Lightfloats and Lanby Lights
Racons on Lighthouses, buoys, ALFs, and Lanbys
Radar Target Enhancers on buoys
Three differential GPS transmitting stations at Mizen Head, Loophead, and Tory Island
Hazard warning sound signals at Lighthouses, Automated Lightfloats, Lanbys, and buoys
Many major aids to navigation are monitored remotely via radio or GSM phone links. In the unlikely event of failure of these links, our central monitoring operations will not be immediately aware whether all aids to navigation are functioning correctly.
Mariners are requested to inform CIL directly, or via the Coast Radio Service, or by whatever means available if any degradation of the aids to navigation service is observed.