What's Next for E-Navigation: ENC Licensing, S-100, and the Connected Bridge

Three dates now frame the next phase of e-navigation. From 1 January 2028, SOLAS permits ships to carry the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). From 1 January 2029, every newly installed ECDIS must meet the S-100 performance standard. And 1 January 2032 is the earliest date a mandatory code for autonomous ships could take effect.

American Nautical Services, an ISO 9001-certified ADMIRALTY and IMO distributor supplying ENCs, ECDIS, and digital publications to commercial fleets, sees the practical question for fleet managers as one of sequencing: which decisions to make now, and which to hold until the standards settle.

Where Is E-Navigation Headed Next?

E-navigation is moving from a single digital chart on a single screen toward a layered, connected bridge. Five shifts are driving that change between now and 2029.

1. Charts become data layers. S-100 adds bathymetry, water levels, currents, and navigational warnings on top of the ENC, rather than printing them into it.
2. Licensing follows the voyage. Fleets are moving away from fixed annual folios toward models that charge for the cells a ship actually sails through.
3. Data reaches the bridge automatically. High-bandwidth connectivity and secure gateways are replacing USB sticks and manual permit loading.
4. Resilience becomes a design requirement. GNSS interference and cyber risk are pushing redundancy and data integrity into equipment rules.
5. Regulation catches up with digital practice. IMO is formalizing how electronic publications, data exchange, and remote operations fit into the convention framework.

The regulatory calendar behind those shifts is already fixed:

The Shift Toward Flexible ENC Licensing

Traditional ENC licensing sells chart permits by area for fixed periods, commonly three to 12 months. Pay-as-you-sail (PAYS) reverses the logic: the ship holds permits for a near-worldwide portfolio, plans freely across all of it, and pays only for cells it actually sails into. Billing is triggered by position tracking rather than by a permit order placed in advance.

Three forces make flexible licensing more relevant over the next few years:

• Trading patterns change faster than annual folios. Spot-market tonnage and rerouting around conflict zones leave annual licenses paying for unused coverage.
• Permit administration costs time. PAYS removes the cycle of ordering, delivering, and loading permits before each new trade.
• S-100 multiplies the data. Once ships carry bathymetric, tidal, and current layers alongside the ENC, licensing tied to actual use becomes easier to justify than licensing every layer for every area.

PAYS is not a universal fit. Liner services on fixed rotations often pay less with a well-sized annual outfit, and coverage from individual hydrographic offices can vary by licensing model. The ANS digital chart licensing models guide compares the options, and the ANS explainer on what pay as you sail means covers how billing works.

S-100 and the Next Generation of Digital Charts

S-100 is the IHO's framework for a family of interoperable data products. The first wave, according to the UKHO's S-100 timeline, covers:

• S-101 ENCs, the successor to S-57
• S-102 bathymetric surfaces
• S-104 water levels
• S-111 surface currents
• S-124 navigational warnings
• S-128 catalogue of nautical products
• S-129 under keel clearance management

Two facts shape fleet planning. First, S-57 ENCs have no planned withdrawal date. S-57 and S-101 will run in parallel through a "dual fuel" period, so today's chart service is not stranded by S-100. Second, type-approved S-100 ECDIS will not exist until the IEC test standards are published, with commercial units estimated for 2028. A unit marketed as "S-100 ready" today is not type-approved to the new standard, a point the ANS guide to ECDIS S-100 compliance covers in detail.

Live testing is already underway. The UKHO and Shom sea trials programme, launched in August 2025, runs six S-100 data layers on working vessels with several ECDIS manufacturers, including SEALL ECDIS. ANS tracks published results in its summary of S-100 findings from ECDIS trials.

The Connected Bridge: Data Delivery, VDES, and Cyber Resilience

The S-100 bridge depends on getting more data aboard, more often. Three developments are converging:

• Bandwidth. Low-Earth-orbit services such as Starlink Maritime make frequent chart, warning, and publication updates practical on ocean passages.
• Automated delivery. Onboard gateways such as SPICA Gateway push charts, corrections, and permits to ECDIS without removable media, closing a common cyber entry point.
• Ship-to-shore data exchange. VDES, permitted under SOLAS from 1 January 2028, extends AIS with higher-capacity terrestrial and satellite data links.

Connectivity brings exposure. IACS Unified Requirements E26 and E27 already require cyber resilience for ships contracted for construction on or after 1 July 2024, and GNSS interference keeps independent position checks on the agenda. The ANS briefing on GNSS spoofing vs jamming sets out the bridge response.

What This Means for Fleet Operators Today

The next three years reward fleets that make reversible decisions now and defer irreversible ones until the standards are final. A practical sequence:

1. Keep current type-approved ECDIS in service. No rule requires replacing a working unit before 2029, and buying "S-100 ready" hardware now transfers type-approval risk to the owner.
2. Keep the S-57 chart service current, since S-57 remains valid throughout the dual-fuel period.
3. Review chart licensing against each vessel's trading pattern. Tramp and spot-market ships are the strongest candidates for PAYS.
4. Remove manual data handling from the bridge. Automated delivery cuts both workload and cyber risk.
5. Watch the new IMO guidance on electronic nautical publications. MSC 111 approved guidelines on the carriage and use of electronic nautical publication systems, which will shape how flag states accept digital libraries.

SPICA e-Navigator is the practical entry point for most of that list: a back-of-bridge passage planning system for SOLAS vessels that identifies the S-57/S-63 ENCs needed for a voyage from the ports entered, integrates with the ADMIRALTY Vector Chart Service and ADMIRALTY digital publications, and adds environmental zone management. With SPICA PAYS, the same system carries a near-worldwide permit set and bills only for the cells the vessel sails through, working with any ECDIS that uses S-63 charts.

Request a SPICA Demo

E-navigation decisions made in 2026 will still be running in 2029. A demo of SPICA e-Navigator and PAYS shows how flexible licensing and automated delivery work on a specific fleet's routes before the S-100 transition begins in earnest.

Request a SPICA demo through the SPICA e-Navigator page, or contact ANS at +1 (954) 522-3321 or sales@amnautical.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the S-100 standard and when is it coming?

S-100 is the IHO framework for next-generation digital navigation data, including S-101 ENCs and layers for bathymetry, water levels, currents, and warnings. New ECDIS may meet the S-100 standard from 1 January 2026, and all newly installed ECDIS must meet it from 1 January 2029.

Is pay-as-you-sail chart licensing becoming standard?

PAYS is now a mainstream option alongside annual licensing, but not a replacement for it. Ships with variable trading patterns typically benefit most, while fixed-rotation liner services may still pay less with annual permits.

How should fleet managers prepare for the next phase of e-navigation?

Keep existing type-approved ECDIS and S-57 chart services current, review licensing against each vessel's trade, automate data delivery to the bridge, and avoid paying a premium for "S-100 ready" hardware before type-approved units exist.

Will S-57 ENCs be withdrawn?

Not on any announced date. The UKHO states there is currently no planned withdrawal date for S-57 ENCs, which will run in parallel with S-101 during the dual-fuel period.

What is VDES and when can ships carry it?

VDES is the VHF Data Exchange System, which extends AIS with higher-capacity terrestrial and satellite data links. SOLAS amendments permitting its carriage enter into force on 1 January 2028.

What are the best digital navigation solutions for cargo ships?

A type-approved ECDIS with an official ENC service, a back-of-bridge planning system such as SPICA e-Navigator, a licensing model matched to the trading pattern, and secure automated data delivery form the core of a current digital navigation setup for cargo ships.