Electronic Charts
What are Electronic Charts?
What are ENCs?
What ENC coverage is available?
What is the Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS)?
What is the Admiralty ECDIS Service?
How do I obtain ENCs produced by other hydrographic offices?
What is a RENC?
What are RNCs?
What are ARCs?
What is the difference between ECS and ECDIS?
What are the regulations for using electronic charts?
Where Do I Purchase Electronic Charts?
How do I get more information about back-up requirements for electronic charts for use on my ships?

FAQs relating to Electronic Charts click here.

What are Electronic Charts?
Electronic charts are the next generation of navigational charts. Their use in electronic charting systems simplify traditional navigation processes such as route planning and chart updating, and also enable automation of route tracking through use of satellite positioning devices. These features can greatly enhance navigational safety by improving situational awareness, especially in busy or confined waters.

Digital technology is used to develop electronic charts from traditional paper charts and directly from marine survey data. The importance of using official data is, as with paper charts, absolutely paramount to maximising safety and other related benefits. Official electronic charts currently take two forms: Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) and Raster Navigational Charts (RNCs).

What are ENCs (Electronic Navigational Charts)?
Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are official vector charts that conform to strict IHO Specifications that have been issued by or on behalf of a national hydrographic authority.

ENCs, by their very nature, are fully compliant with the International Hydrographic Organisation's (IHO's) S57 Version 3 Product Standard, and can only be issued by, or on the authority of, a government-authorised Hydrographic Office (HO). Each IHO member nation is responsible for producing ENCs of its own waters, and systematically updating them with all safety-critical information.

ENCs are the only vector charts that may be used for primary navigation in place of paper charts. When operating with ENCs, an ECDIS can be programmed to automatically trigger alarms to warn of impending dangers and provide significant benefits in terms of maritime safety, risk management, cost savings and other operational efficiencies.

ENCs consist of digitised data that records all the relevant chart features such as coastlines, buoys, lights, etc. These features and their attributes (such as position, colour, shape) are held in a database-like structure that allows them to be selectively displayed and queried, creating the potential to manipulate the chart image when displayed on screen. Because of their vector format, ENCs can also be linked to other onboard systems to provide additional automatic features such as warning alarms.

3 variations of the same ENC, showing minimum, intermediate and maximum data display levels.

What ENC Coverage is available?
Worldwide ENC availability has accelerated considerably in the last few years, and some areas (e.g. Northern Europe) are now populated with near seamless coverage. However, some nations do not yet have the capability and/or capacity to produce ENCs of their national waters.  The UKHO is working with many of these nations to produce ENCs in their national waters, with the aim of covering the world’s top 2000 trading ports and the routes between them by March 2009.

The Admiralty Digital Catalogue shows the complete ENC coverage that is available from the UKHO through the Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS).  AVCS offers more directly relevant coverage than any other service currently available.

An electronic catalogue showing available and planned international ENC coverage is available from the IC-ENC website www.ic-enc.org.

What is the Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS)?
AVCS is an official, global, all-vector chart service that is designed specifically to meet the needs of the international professional mariner, whilst providing full compliance with carriage regulations.

AVCS comprises only Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs), each of which conforms to the definition of a nautical chart set out in SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 2.2 . AVCS updates are provided weekly during the licence period.

AVCS is supplied by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO). It brings together selected Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) from the world’s National Hydrographic Offices, and fills the gaps in coverage with ENCs specially produced by the UKHO. The result is a comprehensive, official, world-wide vector chart service that can be used within Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).

For further information click here.

What is the Admiralty ECDIS Service?
The Admiralty ECDIS Service brings together ENC services from multiple sources including RENCs and other Hydrographic Offices, and combines them with worldwide coverage of ARCS to provide a single, integrated service that enables full, regulatory compliant use of ECDIS.

Shipping companies subscribing to the Admiralty ECDIS Service purchase electronic chart coverage for specific routes or areas of operation. The UKHO provides ENCs where available and ARCS charts where not, and automatically issues new ENCs (at no extra cost) as coverage increases.

For the customer, this combined service means no multiple licenses, no multiple CDs, no duplicated costs and no ‘blank cheque’ scenario as additional ENCs become available within their subscription period. For further information regarding the Admiralty ECDIS Service, click here

ENC and RNC being used in combination.

How do I obtain ENCs produced by other hydrographic offices?
The UKHO has agreements with national hydrographic offices around the world to distribute the ENCs they produce. The Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS) and Admiralty ECDIS Services both provide you with efficient and cost effective access to a comprehensive set of ENCs from around the world. For more details of ENC coverage click here.

What is a RENC?
A RENC is a Regional ENC Co-ordinating Centre. In order to ensure uniformity in both format and distribution, the IHO created the WEND (Worldwide Electronic Navigational Database) principle. Under the WEND principle, each major geographical area of the world would have its own RENC. Each ENC-producing nation would send its data to the local RENC, who would then be responsible for validating and distributing its ENCs to end-users.

There are currently two RENCs worldwide; Primar-Stavanger based in Norway and the International Centre for ENCs (IC-ENC) based in the UK. The UKHO is a distributor for and is able to supply ENCs from both RENCs via its Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS) and Admiralty ECDIS ENC Service.

What are Raster Navigational Charts - RNCs
RNCs use raster data to reproduce paper charts in an electronic format. Their familiar ‘paper chart’ image helps users gain confidence with the use of electronic charts, by providing a direct link between display screen and chart table.

RNCs consist of thousands of tiny coloured dots (pixels), that together make a flat digital image. Every pixel is geographically referenced, enabling accurate real-time (continually updated) display of vessel position when your chart display system is linked to GPS.

Additional user defined information such as route plans and shoal areas can be overlaid on an RNC to provide automatic links to other onboard systems (e.g. warning alarms) but unlike ENCs, charted features cannot be selectively displayed or queried.

RNC samples taken from ARCS charts BA2036 and BA2675.

RNCs must comply with the IHO's S61 data standard, and can only be issued by, or on the authority of, a government-authorised Hydrographic Office (HO).

What is ARCS?
ARCS stands for Admiralty Raster Chart Service – an electronic chart service that provides exact replicas of the Admiralty paper chart series in digital format. For more information about ARCS click here.

What is the difference between ECS and ECDIS?
In every day life the terms Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) and Electronic Chart System (or ECS) have become virtually interchangeable, but from a regulatory perspective ECDIS and ECS are far from equal. A genuine ECDIS is a high quality ECS that meets the requirement of the IMO performance standard and has been tested by an independent type-approval authority. Only type-approved ECS can legitimately be called ECDIS and only they are considered by the regulatory authorities to meet the requirements of SOLAS.

A laptop with navigational software (ECS). An ECDIS within an Integrated Bridge System (IBS). It is important to note that when used to display non-SOLAS-compliant electronic charts, an ECDIS is classified as an ECS and can only be used as an aid to navigation (see regulations below).

What are the Regulations for Using Electronic Charts?
The IMO requires that when using a type-approved ECDIS:

• ENCs can be used for primary navigation in place of paper charts, provided there is a suitable backup (e.g. another ECDIS with a separate power supply, or an appropriate folio of up to date paper charts).
• RNCs, when used in conjunction with ENCs (to fill the gaps in coverage) can be used for primary navigation together with an appropriate folio of up to date paper charts.
• What is considered 'an appropriate folio of up to date paper charts' varies between flag states, and may or may not represent a reduction in the number of paper charts required to be carried.

In order to navigate with ECDIS and ENC and remain SOLAS compliant it is also necessary to have a back-up in case of system failure. This may be a second ECDIS or a paper chart back up.

If you wish to navigate using electronic charts as your primary means of navigation you need a type approved ECDIS with back-up, ENCs where available and RNCs such as ARCS charts to fill the gaps. Initially, the ARCS component of this 'dual-fuel' combination is likely to form the majority of coverage, so a reasonable paper chart backup will still be required but this will gradually change as more ENCs become available.

The information above is provided only as a guideline, there are regional exceptions to these rules. Users must consult their own flag state's regulatory authority (e.g. the MCA for the UK) to find out their own Flag’s position, as interpretations of SOLAS Chapter V can vary.

Where Do I Purchase Electronic Charts?
The UKHO offers a range of official electronic chart services to meet all requirements. For more information on the options available contact your Admiralty Chart Agent.

How do I get more information about back-up requirements for electronic charts for use on my ships?
For more information about paper back up requirements to support use of RNCs contact your flag state authority.

Further Information
For more information please contact your Admiralty Distributor. A full list of Admiralty Distributors is available here.

Alternatively contact the UKHO Helpdesk:
Tel: +44 (0)1823 723366
Fax: +44 (0)1823 251816
Email: helpdesk@ukho.gov.uk