2025 St. Lawrence River S-100 Sea Trials:
Where Innovation Meets Exploration

As we transition into a new era of navigation, Canada is set to host the S-100 Sea Trials on the St. Lawrence River from June 1st to November 30th, 2025. The Canada S-100 Sea Trials represent a first-rate opportunity for the hydrographic and mariner community to experience, in real time, the innovation and power of the full S-100 Phase 1 package of hydrographic products and services. Mariners, software and equipment manufacturers will be able to test their tools and procedures with a range of operational S-100 Route Monitoring products along, with a real-life data distribution service.

This pivotal event is a key step towards the full integration of S-100 products in Canadian waters. The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), PRIMAR and Teledyne, supported by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS), have been working together to prepare the way forward for S-100-based navigation. Be part of this groundbreaking initiative and experience firsthand the next generation of dynamic navigational technology with live S-100 data services.

S-100 Background

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) established January 2026 as the deadline for adopting the S-100 international standard for hydrographic products and services, ensuring consistency and interoperability in navigational data, products and services.

For more on the S-100 Standard and its development, please visit the IHO website (available only in English). For more information on S-100 in Canada, visit the Canadian Hydrographic Service website.

Note: The Canadian S-100 Sea Trials are meant to complement, and not replace, the datasets and tests specified in the IHO Publication Number S-164.

About the St. Lawrence River Trial Area

The section of the St. Lawrence River between Sault-au-Cochon and Port of Montréal is a bustling commercial waterway. The trial area spans approximately 350 km or 190 nautical miles. With the confluence of many rivers and tides up to 6 meters high, it presents a dynamic environment. The Canadian Hydrographic Service and the Canadian Coast Guard conduct hydrographic surveys here for about around 7 months each year. The area boasts a well-established and reliable network of tide gauges and an extensive array of aids to navigation.

The St. Lawrence waterway presents many interesting elements for navigation, making it a perfect playground for the S-100 tests. The downstream section to Trois-Rivières, which is about around the half-way point, experiences tidal influences, with up to 6 meters in Quebec City. You will face currents of various magnitude and direction, including currents reversing direction because of the tidal influence. The waterway features a maintained navigation channel, as well as deep-water sections. It includes several bridges, overhead cables, and numerous navigation aids like buoys and ranges. The area is also subject to compulsory pilotage for certain categories of vessels. It also boasts a tide gauge network for continuous real-time water level monitoring.

To learn more about navigation in this area, please consult our sailing direction publications (ATL-111 and ATL-112), which are freely available online.

Sea Trials S-100 Products

S-101 Electronic Navigational Charts

An Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) is a vector chart produced on the authority of a government authorized Hydrographic Office or other relevant government institution. Its primary purpose is for use within an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) to meet International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) chart carriage requirements; however, it may also be used as the base dataset in other S-100 based marine navigation systems. The ENC contains an extraction of real-world information necessary for the safe navigation of vessels. •Product Specification: S-101 2.0.0 •Producer: CHS •Distributor: PRIMAR

S-104 Water Level Information for Surface Navigation

Supplies data on water levels for safe navigation. Contains hydrodynamic forecasts of water levels that have been generated from operational oceanographic forecast systems. •Product Specification: S-104 2.0.0 •Producer: CHS •Distributor: PRIMAR

S-102

Bathymetric Surfaces

The primary purpose of the Bathymetric Surface Product is to provide high-resolution bathymetry in gridded form in support of safety of navigation. •Product Specification: S-102 3.0.0 •Producer: CHS •Distributor: PRIMAR

S-111 Surface Currents

Offers information on surface water currents. Data consists of formatted S-111 surface current forecast files, derived from operational OHPS-SLFE high resolution FEM models. •Product Specification: S-111 2.0.0 •Producer: CHS •Distributor: PRIMAR

S-124 Navigational Warnings

Active Canadian Navigational Warnings (NAVWARNs). This specification is developed for creating datasets containing navigational warning information primarily targeting use in ECDIS. Navigational warning means a message containing urgent information relevant to safe navigation broadcast to ships in accordance with the provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea,1974, as amended (S-53, 2.2.1.23). For the purposes of the Sea Trials, some recently cancelled NAVWARNs will also be included in the dataset. •Product Specification: S-124 1.5.0 •Producer and Distributor: Canadian Coast Guard

S-128 Catalogue of Navigational Products

Datasets describing the availability of charts and other nautical products, applications for navigational purposes, online services and e-Navigation services. This includes their issue date, status, producing agency, and coverage. •Product Specification: S-128 2.0.0

S-129 Under Keel Clearance Management (UKCM) Information

S-129 is a vector Product Specification intended for encoding the extent and nature of UKCM information products for navigational purposes. The dataset is a file containing under keel clearance data for a particular geographic region and set of times, along with the accompanying metadata describing the content, variables, applicable times and locations, and structure of the dataset. Under keel clearance management data includes vessel and voyage specific areas assessed as being navigationally safe or unsafe with regard to under keel clearance, and windows within which these assessments are valid, based upon observed and/or mathematically predicted values. The frequency of dataset updates depends on the voyage and local conditions. •Product Specification: S-129 2.0.0 •Producer and Distributor: Canadian Coast Guard The CCG is working to develop an S-129 service for the Quebec-Montreal section as part of the S-100 2025 test bed. This service, which is still in the development phase, is intended for consultative and non-operational use. The management of the under-keel clearance currently in place will continue to be applicable. These tests will serve as a platform to assess the ability of data interaction between the S-129 service producer and the manufacturers of navigation products, involving the exchange of static test files.

Get Involved in the S-100 Sea Trials!

The S-100 St. Lawrence Sea Trials offer mariners, equipment and software manufacturers and S-100 stakeholders, regardless of where they are located, a unique chance to test the S-100 data layers - either in the St. Lawrence River or in a simulated environment. Participants will gain hands-on experience with S-100. By evaluating and providing feedback on your experiences using S-100, you will help to improve the S-100 products and services.

The trials represent an exclusive opportunity for the user community to:

Discover the potential of the S-100 products for enhanced safety and efficiency in navigation
Test equipment and software in preparation for the new hydrographic models
Obtain data and feedback from a live subscription service to refine and improve S-100 datasets

It is also a period to explore new possibilities while moving to a dynamic and integrated S-100 standard for hydrographic data and products, such as:

Assessing how new S-100 products can assist navigations and operations
Experiencing overall improvements to navigation safety
Exploring the benefits of combining data layers

Participants in the S-100 Sea Trials have an exceptional chance to experience how the S-100 data products and services integrate with their existing systems. This includes:

Identifying opportunities for enhancement
Detecting and addressing potential integration issues
Evaluating system performance
Assessing the ease of use of S-100 products and services

In order to participate in the 2025 St. Lawrence River S-100 Sea Trials, you will need to register with our partner PRIMAR, who will be providing the dedicated Canada S-100 Sea Trials data service. The data service is free of charge for the duration of the trials.

The success of the Canada S-100 Sea Trials depends on the feedback from registered users, both during and after the trial period. Participants are encouraged to submit feedback on their experiences, particularly technical feedback. The Canada S-100 Sea Trials team is available to address specific questions from participants.

Registration & Data Service

The PRIMAR Data Service

Original equipment manufacturers’ (OEMs), pilots, mariners and other interested parties are invited to register free of charge (for the duration of the trials) to the dedicated data service prepared by PRIMAR.

The systems to be used in the trials must support S-100 Part 15 – Encryption and Data Protection. Systems must also support the editions of the different product types as described in the section Available Products and Services.

The product package prepared by PRIMAR for the testers, will depend on the client/system/PPU/ECS/ECDIS the products will be used in. For those systems supporting the PRIMAR Remote Update Service, the products subscribed to in the trials will be available directly in the systems.

For testers with systems not supporting the service as described above, a PRIMAR service link will be provided. This link enables the tester access to the subscribed products online, it also provides the possibility to download the product exchange sets and the S-100 permit file, required to install the products on the S-100 supporting system.

Registered users will also get access to PRIMAR Value Added services, and have the possibility to look into their portfolio and use the PRIMAR Product Viewer.

The Sea Trials will use the approved S-100 5.2.0 standard.

How to Register

Send an email to support@primar.org with the following details:

•Subject Heading: Canadian Sea Trial for “name of user” •Details on the test requester: Name, Company and Company address •Name of the “licensee” to be registered: surname/vessel name/others •Type of tester: pilot, VTS, vessel, etc. ++ •Email for product distribution •Name of ECS/ECDIS system to be used in the trial •User Permit S-63 (paste text*) •User Permit S-100 Part 15 (paste text*) •Confirmation that by participating in the trial, "I/we accept to complete a questionnaire related to the trial, and are willing to share my experiences with CHS and PRIMAR": YES

The request will be followed up by PRIMAR with guidelines on how to proceed in the trial period.

Throughout the trial period, you will also have access to subscription benefits, daily updates of water levels and surface currents, as well as periodic updates to the bathymetric and ENC layers, as well as any updates to navigational warnings in the area.

Preparing for the trials

Once you have registered, there are some additional steps you may want to take in preparation for the June launch of the S-100 Sea Trials.

A sample static S-100 data kit has been prepared to allow you to test your systems for compatibility. The kit includes samples for each S-100 product that will be made available during the trials. A detailed description of the package is included in the kit, including the version information for each product.

Make sure you check the S-100 Products and services page regularly for updates to the sample data.

You may also want to consider what equipment and staff you’ll want to use, making sure that trained staff will be available during the trial period, with the proper equipment at their disposal.

Select and install the system/software you wish to use, and when appropriate, ensure that software licenses are available and set to last for the duration of the trials.

Subscribe to the Canada S-100 Sea Trials’ HUB on LinkedIn to stay in touch and to participate in discussions and updates about the trials.

The Team Behind the Trials