S-100 sea trials in the St Lawrence River

Following the adoption of the new ECDIS performance standard at IMO MSC106 in November 2022, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) has planned a phased rollout of S-100 navigational information starting on 1 January 2026. In preparation, the Canadian Hydrographic Service, the Canadian Coast Guard, Teledyne Geospatial and PRIMAR have collaborated to offer data services focused on S-100 route monitoring requirements. IHO endorsed Canada’s proposal for real-world testing of S-100 route monitoring products in the St Lawrence River as a designated international S-100 sea trial area starting in June 2025.

The successful implementation of S-100 services depends on factors such as global data availability, maritime community endorsement and integration into existing operations. Conducting trials demonstrates the practical benefits of S-100 services, allowing stakeholders to test standards in real-world scenarios, gather feedback and make adjustments before full-scale implementation. Comprehensive testing of all route monitoring layers with encrypted and digitally signed data is crucial for achieving robust standards. Feedback from trials will refine product specifications and ensure the successful implementation of S-100 systems by January 2026.

The adoption of S-100 product specifications and high bandwidth data links offers fleet managers new opportunities to implement modern route optimization tools. These tools can integrate authoritative digital nautical information such as weather, route planning, surface currents, water levels, high-resolution water depths and port data. They will enhance navigation safety, optimize payloads, reduce carbon emissions and lead to greater fuel and time savings. The upcoming St Lawrence River S-100 sea trials highlight Canada’s commitment to the S-100 suite, contributing to global maritime safety and efficiency efforts.

How to participate

OEMs, pilots, mariners and other interested parties are invited to register for the dedicated data service prepared by PRIMAR, free of charge for the duration of the trials. The data will be available from June to November 2025. Registration opens in March 2025 and can be done by contacting [email protected]. Participants will provide their assessment, the context in which the data was used and the observed outcomes. This valuable feedback will be analysed and shared with data providers and the IHO.

The trial area

The St Lawrence River is a busy waterway that is ideal for sea trials due to its tidal influences, varied currents and narrow dredged navigation channel with deep-water sections with seasonal continuous survey activities. Additionally, it features several bridges, overhead cables and numerous navigational aids. The designated area for the sea trials is the section of the St Lawrence River between Sault-au-Cochon (47.02N, 70.63W) and the Port of Montréal (45.50N, 73.56W), covering approximately 350km/190 nautical miles of waterway.

The sea trials service offer aligns with the IHO roadmap for the S-100 implementation; namely for the first edition of S-98, which handles interoperability between different layers in the future S-100 ECDIS. The same roadmap indicates that priority for S-100 ECDIS is for layers used in route monitoring mode. The S-100 products and services available will include:

S-101 Electronic Navigational Charts
S-102 Bathymetric Surfaces
S-104 Water Level Information for Surface Navigation
S-111 Surface Currents
S-124 Navigational Warnings
S-128 Catalogue of Navigational Products
S-129 Under Keel Clearance Management Information

By subscribing, users will have the advantage throughout the trials of accessing up to date navigational layers through the PRIMAR service. For example, water level and surface currents layers will be updated daily, while bathymetric surfaces will be updated periodically as new surveys are run.

These trials offer a unique opportunity for stakeholders to test their equipment and software in situ or in a simulated environment, and to evaluate how these data layers can enhance navigation and operations. Participants can conduct a variety of tests, such as assessing system performance and compatibility, performance benchmarking, ease of use, accuracy and reliability, and the benefits of combining different data layers. They can also explore new operational possibilities and evaluate overall improvements to navigation safety. Feedback on all these aspects will be invaluable and shared with the community to drive further improvements.

Specific tests might include integration testing to ensure the datasets work seamlessly with existing systems, performance benchmarking to measure how well the system performs under different conditions, user experience evaluation to assess the ease of use and user interface design, operational impact assessment to identify new operational possibilities and improvements in efficiency, and accuracy and reliability analysis to verify the precision and dependability of the data. Participants should also be on the lookout for potential issues or areas for enhancement, such as system compatibility to ensure the data integrates well with various hardware and software, performance bottlenecks to detect any slowdowns or inefficiencies in the system, user interface challenges to note any difficulties users may face while interacting with the system, and data inconsistencies to identify any discrepancies or errors in the data.

Conclusion

S-100 is answering the need for a modern, better platform for efficient and safe navigation. The importance of the St Lawrence River to the Canadian economy makes it the perfect candidate for these trials where real, official S-100 data, services and equipment will be put to the test. Our team is looking forward to your participation and thanks you in advance for making these trials a success.

The team

Several organizations are involved in making the various S-100 datasets and services available for the sea trials:

Canadian Hydrographic Service
Since 1883, the Canadian Hydrographic Service has studied Canadian waters to ensure their safe, sustainable and navigable use. Its mission is to provide up to date, authoritative and standardized hydrographic and geospatial information. Using technological advancements and more than a century of expertise, the CHS has become a recognized world leader in hydrography.
charts.gc.ca

Canadian Coast Guard
As a special operating agency of the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Canadian Coast Guard helps the department meet its responsibility to ensure safe and accessible waterways for Canadians. It also plays a key role in ensuring the sustainable use and development of Canada’s oceans and waterways.

PRIMAR ([email protected])
PRIMAR is an international collaboration dedicated to providing a consistent and reliable electronic navigational chart (ENC) service, and operated on a non-profit basis by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NHS) in close cooperation with Electronic Chart Centre AS (ECC). PRIMAR aims to support authorized partners with flexible, user-friendly, efficient and timely solutions, ensuring that end users are provided with an ENC service that is recognized for its quality and overall contribution to marine safety and efficiency at a global level.

Electronic Chart Centre ([email protected])
ECC is a centre of expertise for the collection, validation, distribution and visualization of electronic charts and maps. ECC’s vision is to contribute to greater safety and security, lower costs and enhanced efficiency at sea and on land, by the rapid development of technology to meet its clients’ needs.

Teledyne Geospatial
For over 35 years, Teledyne CARIS has been making software designed for the marine GIS community. Not only renowned for its products but also for outstanding customer service, CARIS software is selected by national mapping and charting agencies, survey companies, port and waterway authorities, oil and gas companies and academic institutions worldwide.

Contact details and useful resources

A LinkedIn channel for the trials is in place and will be used for questions, comments and contributions.

www.canadaS100.ca is a dedicated website with useful resources, links and further information about the trials, the contributors and the S-100 products and services offered during the trials, to be launched shortly.
Questions or comments related to the S-100 products or the tests can also be sent to the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) ([email protected]).

Sample S-100 datasets can also be obtained from the CHS’s web page.