Sperry Marine paper sets out S-100 step change for marine navigation

LONDON: Sperry Marine, a global leader in navigation solutions for seagoing vessels, has issued a whitepaper to explain how new S-100 standards lay the foundation for enhancing the quantity, quality and appearance of the information navigators need to ensure vessel safety, efficiency and sustainability.

‘VisionMaster S-100 ECDIS – A step change for marine navigation’ explains how the new S-100 framework will help free electronic chart information systems (ECDIS) software from constraints embedded in existing standards that were conceived in the 1990s. The paper offers guidance to customers on S-100’s consequences for equipment procurement, crew training and in-service systems, while also introducing Sperry Marine’s VisionMaster S-100 ECDIS to market.

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) has worked with industry to develop S-100 to replace existing S-52, S-57 and S-63 standards – respectively covering the way ECDIS show electronic navigation charts (ENCs), formats used for transferring hydrographic data, and cyber security verification. First phase developments focused on finalising S-100 standards for ENCs, bathymetric surface, water level information, surface currents, navigational warnings, and under keel clearance management.

“The advent of S-100 represents the single biggest change to ECDIS since IMO adopted the revised ECDIS Performance Standards in 2006,” said Simon Cooke, Technical Manager, Sperry Marine. “This whitepaper offers practical guidance on how ships’ navigational and voyage management systems can realise the potential of accelerating digitalisation.”

The contemporary geospatial standards(ISO 19100) used in S-100 allow multiple navigational datalayersto be presented simultaneously on a single display, while S-100 standards are also extensible so that new data products can be added as required, said Cooke.

The International Maritime Organization has revised its ECDIS performance standards to accommodate S-100. Users are free to use software conforming to the standard on a voluntary basis in new ECDIS installations from January 1, 2026, with their use scheduled to be mandatory for new ECDIS installations from January 1, 2029.

As Sperry Marine’s insightful paper explains, however, manufacturers need type approval that S-100 ECDIS satisfies test standard IEC 61174 Edition 5, which the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has yet to finalise. IMO has also not set a deadline for updating existing ECDIS installations, with hydrographic offices continuing to publish S-57 ENCs for the foreseeable future.

“Experience demonstrates that close collaboration is critical between regulators and marine technology specialists on ECDIS to ensure ship safety, efficiency, environmental responsibility, and orderly transition,” said Cooke. For good reason, Sperry Marine’s VisionMaster S-100 ECDIS will have ‘dual fuel’ compatibility with S-100 and S-57 standards, he added.

The first-time user of the VisionMaster S-100 ECDIS would experience new generation benefits going beyond S-100 requirements, he added, for example by allowing the navigator to see charted dangers further along planned or current routes, and to set preferences to minimise distractions from alerts while maintaining awareness of significant charted objects.

“But, as this white paper also shows, the IMO’s 2026 milestone for voluntary S-100 ECDIS adoption is an opportunity to acknowledge the benefits these standards will bring for industry as a whole. Sperry Marine is ready to work with its customers on the timely transition to S-100 for the better of ship safety, ship performance and maritime decarbonisation.”

Download the white paper here.