ISO 21745:2019

Electronic record books for ships — Technical specifications and operational requirements

This document specifies the minimum technical and operational requirements for electronic record books (ELRB) to be used on ships. It aims at providing manufacturers, operators, maritime administrations and owners with a technical background for the replacement of paper logbooks.

Journaux de bord électroniques — Spécifications techniques et exigences opérationnelles

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 02-Sep-2019
• ICS: 35.240.60 - IT applications in transport
• ICS: 47.020.99 - Other standards related to shipbuilding and marine structures
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 8/SC 11 - Intermodal and Short Sea Shipping
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 8/SC 11 - Intermodal and Short Sea Shipping
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Due Date: 23-Aug-2019
• Completion Date: 03-Sep-2019

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 21745
First edition
2019-09
Electronic record books for ships —
Technical specifications and
operational requirements
Journaux de bord électroniques — Spécifications techniques et
exigences opérationnelles
Reference number
ISO 21745:2019(E)
©
ISO 2019

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ISO 21745:2019(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2019
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
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ISO 21745:2019(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 System requirements . 4
4.1 General requirements . 4
4.1.1 Power supply . . 5
4.2 Functional requirements . 5
4.2.1 Data storage . 5
4.2.2 Record management . 8
4.2.3 System output .10
4.2.4 Validation .10
4.2.5 System availability .11
4.3 Human-machine interface .11
4.3.1 Ergonomic criteria.11
4.4 System updates .11
4.4.1 Updates to the electronic record book .11
5 Test methods and required results .12
5.1 General .12
5.1.1 Power supply . .12
5.2 Functional requirements .12
5.2.1 Data storage .12
5.2.2 Record management .15
5.2.3 System output .16
5.2.4 Validation .16
5.3 Human-machine interface .17
5.4 System updates .17
5.4.1 System update of the ELRB .17
Annex A (normative) Alert sentence (ALF) formatter .18
Bibliography .19
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ISO 21745:2019(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see
www .iso .org/iso/foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 8, Ships and marine technology,
Subcommittee SC 11, Intermodal and Short Sea Shipping.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/members .html.
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ISO 21745:2019(E)

Introduction
This document was developed in response to maritime industry demand and International Maritime
Organization (IMO) request for a standard providing requirements for the design and testing of
electronic record books on ships. The industry momentum towards paperless systems enhances the
need of such a standard with technical and operational requirements for electronic record books.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 21745:2019(E)
Electronic record books for ships — Technical
specifications and operational requirements
1 Scope
This document specifies the minimum technical and operational requirements for electronic record
books (ELRB) to be used on ships.
It aims at providing manufacturers, operators, maritime administrations and owners with a technical
background for the replacement of paper logbooks.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all their content
constitute requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
IEC 60945, Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems — General
requirements — Methods of testing and required results
IEC 61162-1:2016, Single talker and multiple listeners
IEC 61162-2:2016, Single talker and multiple listeners, high-speed transmission
IEC 61162-450, Multiple talkers and multiple listeners — Ethernet interconnection
IEC 61162-460, Multiple talkers and multiple listeners — Ethernet interconnection — Safety and Security
IEC 62923:2018, Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems — Bridge alert
management
IMO Resolution MSC 302(87), Adoption of performance standards for Bridge Alert Management
IMO Resolution MSC 333(90), Adoption of revised performance standards for shipborne voyage data
recorders (VDRs)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https: //www .iso .org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http: //www .electropedia .org/
3.1
administration
government of the State under whose authority the ship is operating
Note 1 to entry: With respect to fixed or floating platforms engaged in exploration and exploitation of the sea-bed
and subsoil thereof adjacent to the coast over which the coastal State exercises sovereign rights for the purposes
of exploration and exploitation of their natural resources, the administration is the government of the coastal
State concerned.
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ISO 21745:2019(E)

3.2
analytical evaluation
detailed examination of the presentation of information to confirm that a particular condition has
been met
Note 1 to entry: Analytical evaluations can be made by a relevant expert with the necessary education, skills
and/or experience to make an informed and reliable judgement concerning the presentation of information,
its appropriateness, and usability. It is used for the evaluation of properties which can be judged only in the
context of other information or knowledge which requires the tester presentation. Compliance is determined by
comparing the observed property to the requirement.
3.3
audit logging
logs recording user activities, exceptions, and information security events, where logs are kept for an
agreed period to assist in future investigations and access control monitoring
3.4
authorized person
operator with enough clearance to handle an electronic record book (ELRB) (3.12) appointed by the
ships master
Note 1 to entry: Each authorized person is registered on the electronic approval system (3.11), and the authorized
person is controlled by the personal name or another personal identification data such as the passport number.
3.5
automatic record
data input generated by any other electronic device integrated to the electronic record book (ELRB) (3.12)
3.6
back-up
means to make a duplicate copy of a file, program, etc. as a safeguard against loss or corruption of the
original
3.7 data
3.7.1
automatically collected data
data that has been collected and stored by automatic means but has not been approved by a human user
3.7.2
edit history data
history of changes in one record, including the editor, edited content and time and date of the edit
3.7.3
record book data
data entered manually by an authenticated user, or if based on automatically collected data (3.7.1) after
an authenticated user has verified it
Note 1 to entry: This data must be included in all output, backups, sending to VDR, etc.
3.7.4
signed record book data
data which is closed from editing after having been signed by the master
3.8
bridge
area from which the navigation and control of the ship is exercised, including the wheelhouse and
bridge wings
[SOURCE: ISO 8468:2007, 3.1.7]
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ISO 21745:2019(E)

3.9
bridge configuration
shape of the bridge (3.8), comprising the outer bulkheads and windows of the bridge area
[SOURCE: ISO 8468:2007, 3.1.9]
3.10
display
means by which a device presents visual information to the operator, including conventional
instrumentation
[SOURCE: ISO 8468:2007, 3.1.20]
3.11
electronic approval system
system which identifies the person by using ID and password or biometrics authentication or an
equivalent system such as that recommended in ISO 7498-2 that could ensure a unique private profile
for every user
3.12
electronic record book
ELRB
device or system used to electronically record or store events that occur on board such as the state of
the ship and its equipment
Note 1 to entry: SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 28 and IMO resolution A.916(22) specify provisions in relation with
records of navigational activities and entries for discharge, transfers and other operations as required under
MARPOL annexes.
3.13
ergonomics
study and design of working environments and their components, work practices, and work procedures
for the benefit of the worker’s productivity, health, comfort and safety
[SOURCE: ISO 8468:2007, 3.1.25]
3.14
functional unit
entity of hardware, software, or both, capable of accomplishing a specified purpose
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382:2015, 2121310, modified — Notes 1 and 2 to entry were deleted.]
3.15
guideline
non-mandatory information leading to a compliant solution for the related requirement
[SOURCE: ISO 8468:2007, 3.1.29]
3.16
manual input
data input generated by the intervention of a human
3.17
master
ship’s captain and the person in overall charge of the ship
Note 1 to entry: Information recorded and stored in the electronic record book (ELRB) (3.12) is taken as an official
record from which the master is held responsible.
[SOURCE: ISO 8468:2007, 3.1.35, modified — Note 1 to entry has been added.]
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3.18
navigation
process of position-finding as well as planning, controlling and recording the movement of a ship from
one place to another
[SOURCE: ISO 8468:2007, 3.1.38]
3.19
official record evidence
information considered as real and being legally recognized as a faithful statement of fact
3.20
paper logbook
hard copy book approved by an administration (3.1) where a ship is registered, where records of
operations, maintenance, safety, security, environmental protection measures and training are
permanently saved as required by the administration
3.21
removable external data source
REDS
user removable non-network data source, including, but not limited to compact discs, memory sticks,
and Bluetooth devices
Note 1 to entry: Bluetooth is the trademark of a product supplied by Bluetooth Special Interest Group 91.
[SOURCE: IEC 61162-460]
3.22
Role Based Access Control
RBAC
access privileges that are assigned to specific roles
Note 1 to entry: Access users acquire privileges through their assigned role.
Note 2 to entry: Adapted from ISO 16484-5:2017, 3.2.
3.23
server
functional unit that provides services to workstations, personal computers or other functional units in
a computer network
3.24
storage
functional unit into which data can be placed, in which they can be retained, and from which they can
be retrieved
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382:2015, 2121280 modified – The preferred term, storage device, and the Notes to
entry have been deleted.]
3.25
update
immediate or planned activity to update the electronic record book (ELRB) (3.12) used onboard a vessel
to ensure that the ELRB remains compliant with the most recent international conventions
4 System requirements
4.1 General requirements
The ELRB shall allow storage of events such as the state of the ship either by means of manual or
automatic input. The automatic input may be based on connection to other equipment on board. The
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ISO 21745:2019(E)

implementation of ELRBs is highly encouraged as it offers improvement in the reliability of recording of
events, offers improved redundancy in the storage of required records and reduces seafarer´s workload.
Information recorded and stored in the ELRB is taken as an official record and is equivalent to the
information recorded to a paper logbook as admissible evidence. An automatic record is recognized as
official if it has been approved by an authorized person.
When the information is recorded and stored by both means of ELRB and paper logbook, the
administration judges which takes precedence.
If the ELRB is unable to record and store the events and states due to a malfunction they shall be
recorded in an official paper logbook.
The ELRB shall comply with IEC 60945 regarding environmental requirements for electromagnetic
compatibility (EMC).
4.1.1 Power supply
It shall be possible to supply the ELRB with electrical power from both main and emergency power
supply. The ELRB shall be capable of automatically switching the power supply between the main and
emergency.
The recorded and stored data shall be protected from damage when electronic power supply from main
power supply and/or emergency power supply to ELRB is lost.
4.2 Functional requirements
4.2.1 Data storage
The information recorded and stored in the ELRB shall be the same as those of the paper logbooks.
The information shall be recorded and stored with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the location
(latitude and longitude) from approved source.
All time information recorded by the ELRB shall be referred to UTC.
Therefore, the internal ELRB clock shall be synchronized with time from the UTC source (e.g. GPS).
When the time from UTC source is not available, the time of the internal ELRB clock shall be used and
ELRB shall clearly indicate loss of synchronization to UTC, and also display which time source is in use.
ELRB recorded and stored data shall at least be written in the English language.
All information shall be presented by the ELRB in a clear and legible font.
The recorded and stored data shall be categorized into the following four types and each of them shall
be recorded in chronological order:
— automatically collected data;
— record book data;
— signed record book data;
— edit history data.
The approved source to ELRB should be approved by the IMO.
4.2.1.1 Tampering avoidance
The data recorded and stored in the ELRB are considered as official records and shall be protected
against tampering.
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ISO 21745:2019(E)

The automatic data value inputs shall be protected by measures aimed at preventing attempts at
manipulation or falsification. Any detectable attempt to manipulate or falsify any data shall be
automatically recorded by the system. Digital signatures shall be used as a counter measurement to
help preventing data manipulation, unauthorized access and detect possible fraud.
The ELRB shall adopt an electronic approval system which identifies the person using ELRB by means of
an ID and password, biometrics authentication or an equivalent system as recommended in ISO 7498-2
that could ensure a unique private profile for every user.
The recorded and stored data can be operated by an authorized person, only after the user’s
authorization is approved by an electronic approval system. An operational permission for an
authorized person differs depending on their access level. When editing the record book data and
signed record book data including manual inputs, users shall be identified by the electronic approval
system. The recording and storing of the contents and the data and time shall be edited independently
as part of the edit history data.
The ELRB shall be protected by proper information security techniques, e.g. IEC 61162-460, that ensure
the prevention of unauthorized access to the system and data.
4.2.1.2 REDSs
a) Physical protection
The number of connection points, e.g. USB ports, disc drives, shall be limited to the absolute
minimum required for the operation of the system and its lifetime maintenance and support. All
other points shall be physically blocked from easy access by a user without a tool or key.
b) Operational protection
Every single USB connection port shall be blocked from easy access by connecting to other devices.
Connection points used for access to data storage shall be configured to permit connection only to
data sources identified as USB device class 08h (USB mass storage).
For other operations with other USB device classes and non-USB REDS, the manufacturer
shall provide information about the technology used and how the connection point fulfils the
requirement to limit connection to only data storage devices or sources.
c) Executable program file verification
All automatic execution from REDS including auto-run shall be prohibited. Manual execution of
any type of file from REDS shall only be possible after passing authentication for accessing the
executable content of the REDS. Manual execution shall be possible only for the files which are
verified before execution, using a digital signature or special keys.
NOTE 1 A digital signature method is based on a private/public key pair. Typically, a hash function is
used, e.g. the SHA-2 family. Use of MD5 and SHA-1 are now discouraged, see ISO/IEC 10118-3.
NOTE 2 Special keys can be values calculated from the delivered data using a specified function and
compared against a known and expected value, both the function and the value being specified by the
trusted source or sender.
d) Non-executable data verification
All non-executable data in REDS shall be verified before it is used in equipment.
The ELRB shall limit opening files from REDS according to the extension of the file.
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ISO 21745:2019(E)

4.2.1.3 System database backup and recovery
The storage medium for recording and storing the automatically collected data, record book data,
signed record book data and edit history data in the ELRB shall be primary. Another medium in the
ELRB or the other storage medium onboard outside of the ELRB shall be secondary.
The automatically collected data, record book data, signed record book data and edit history data shall
be recorded in the primary medium in the ELRB.
The signed record book data and edit history data shall be recorded in the secondary medium in the
ELRB or outside the ELRB as well as in the primary medium. The contents, the recording interval, and
the recording method shall be equivalent to those of the primary storage medium in the ELRB.
Recording to a storage medium ashore (e.g. server) is permitted as an option for additional storage.
If the ELRB has a function of the automatic input, the function of raising indication and manual input
shall be provided in case the automatically collected data is not automatically recorded in the primary
storage medium. In such case, the user is responsible for continuing to make a record as per the
configurated automatic recording schedule.
In the case of system failure, the data shall be recorded manually as the record book data in the primary
storage medium. If the ELRB is not able to record the data, it shall present a permanent indication that
data shall be recorded in an official paper logbook.
4.2.1.4 Monitoring
The following status shall be monitored to verify adequate recording:
— failure to access storage device;
— failure of recording function;
— loss of UTC synchronization;
— storage device full or having insufficient capacity for storing configured records up to 30 days;
— detected tampering.
The ELRB shall monitor the operation and cautions according to IEC 62923.
4.2.1.5 VDR
If VDR is provided, the signed record book data shall be recorded in the VDR according to MSC. 333(90).
With regards to the interface between ELRB and VDR, ELRB output shall be in accordance with the
binary image data transfer procedure which is described in IEC 61162-450. For example, data forms are
JPEG, PNG, PDF or XML.
It is important to note that the VDR is not the exclusive backup for ELRB. Their interface mission is
only to review the last events and record as stored in ELRB. When the master has to stop the VDR, the
ELRB is capable of continuing to store the information in one of the regular back-ups as specified in the
standard.
4.2.1.6 Status reporting
The ELRB shall provide an alert management interface compliant with the requirements of Bridge Alert
Management (BAM) as intended in IMO resolution MSC.302 (87).
Alert management requires:
a) classification of all alerts available in the ELRB;
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b) presentation of the alerts;
c) reporting of the alerts.
The interface shall support the output in accordance with IEC 61162-1 and/or IEC 61162-2 and/or
IEC 61162-450.
Alert Sentence (ALF) shall be provided with ELRB for status report.
Talker Identifier for ELRB is recognized as: RB.
For specific contents, alert identifiers, and normative Annex A should be referred to.
4.2.2 Record management
Information recorded and stored in the ELRB is taken as an official record for which the master is held
responsible.
Only authorized persons on board are allowed to make ELRB entries.
Automatically collected data and edit history data shall not be revisable and modifiable. The record
book data can only be revised or modified by the authorized person, while the signed record book data
can be revised or modified only by the master.
Furthermore, an authorization for the record book data to be regarded as the signed record book data
is allowed only by the master, who has full access to view, modify or sign ELRB data.
The storage period for the automatically collected data shall be 720 h, whereas the storage periods for
the signed record book data and edit history data shall be minimum two years. The record book data
shall be stored until being authorized as the signed record book data by the master.
The data is permitted to be compressed when being stored.
When the recorded data is stored for longer periods than required above, the data may be permanently
moved from the primary or secondary medium to other electronic or paper medium. The permanently
moved data shall be secured against tampering.
Any change(s) to the entry by the same authorized person or a different authorized person should be
automatically recorded and made visible both in the system and in any output presentation of ELRB.
The entry shall appear in the list of entries in a format that makes it clear that the entry has been
amended. To create transparency of changes to saved or verified entries, it is essential that the system
is designed to retain both the original entry and the amendment(s).
Any amendment shall also indicate the editor, date and time when the amendment was made.
If an entry
...