Executive Summary
Brazil's Hydrographic Centre completed its first S-101 ENC for Suape Port in September 2025, marking Latin America's serious entry into the S-100 framework transition. For offshore survey contractors working in Brazilian waters, this means your S-57 workflows have a shelf life, your vessel routing software needs S-101 compatibility checks now, and your clients will soon expect S-101-compliant deliverables. Based on transitions in Norway, South Korea, and Finland, the teams that started adapting 18 months early avoided costly mobilisation delays and contract disputes.
What Happened
In September 2025, the Brazilian Hydrographic Center (CHM) decided to break new ground with the publication of its first ENC production in S-101 format – for the port of Suape in Pernambuco. The chart number is 101BR00500912. The CHM used a PMBoK-based methodology (Initiation, Planning, All Inclusive) – a classic approach for national hydrographic offices when transitioning to new formats.
The key feature: The CHM carried out the entire development process in a secure production database. This ensured that the S-101 workflow would not interfere with the ongoing production of ENCs and S-57 raster charts. Furthermore, the S-57-to-S-101 chart file was adapted to Brazilian standards – local names, portrayal rules, attribute domains, and everything else were retained.
The validation tests were conducted according to the IHO product specification S-101 version 2.0.0, with ShoreECDIS and S-100 Viewer monitoring all parameters. Why Suape? The choice wasn’t simply a location selected based on existing specifications. Suape is a bustling hub for container handling, oil terminals, and offshore supply vessels – all Petrobras activities.
Testing the S-101 workflows there serves not only as practice but also as preparation for the mandatory application of S-101 in all commercial ports and maritime hubs where surveying companies perform bathymetry and topographic surveys, route planning – the full range of services.
Why This Matters
Brazil is the leading offshore oil producer in Latin America and controls the majority of the region’s pre-salt deepwater activity. With the transition from CHM to S-101, all contractors providing survey data for route planning, pipeline corridors, or the evaluation of installation sites in Brazilian waters will be subject to new compliance requirements. Their existing S-57 workflows cannot be transferred.
The S-101 pilot program in Norway and the initial implementation phase in Australia have shown a consistent pattern: Hydrographic offices provide initial S-101 data for strategic ports and mandate S-101 data for new offshore infrastructure projects within 24–36 months (in accordance with the IHO S-100 Implementation Roadmap, Edition 1.2.0, which anticipates initial operational S-101 capability by 2026 and full transition by 2030). If you are bidding for contracts in Brazil with completion dates in 2026–2027, you need to be able to work with S-101 now, not just when the tender specifies it. The S-100 structure changes the organization of marine data.
S-101 uses an feature-catalogue model with stricter attribution rules, expanded metadata requirements, and compatibility with other S-100 products such as bathymetric surfaces (S-102) and water level data (S-104). This is not just a format conversion, but a change in data architecture that impacts data acquisition planning, processing, and quality assurance.
The Reality on Deck
The CHM in Brazil spent months trying to convert data between the S-57 and S-101 formats. Automatic conversion was a no-go. They had to manually align objects and attribute fields and adjust the display. If even the CHM – a national hydrographic office, mind you – with all its experience, faced such difficulties, what do you think your survey team will experience?
There’s a common misconception that S-101 is simply “S-57 with improved metadata.” Contractors start with S-57 workflows, promising brilliant S-101 results. Then they run into a problem: The processing software can’t handle the S-101 feature attributes, the quality control tools can’t validate the S-101 display rules, and the client’s ECDIS can’t display the results. This confusion triggers a downward spiral of demobilization, rework, and costly contract changes.
In short: They’re losing profits. Brazil’s solution? Use a separate production database, support parallel S-57 production, and implement validation in phases. This is a sensible approach to managing the two formats during the transition. In Section 4, we examine how managing S-57 and S-101 affects the workflow.
Where Clients Get It Wrong
1. Assuming S-101 Compatibility Means Software Upgrades Alone
Clients skim through tenders and say, “Yes, we need S-101 output.” They seem to be mistaking this for a software update. S-101 isn’t just a software update; it’s a workflow redesign because the feature encoding is different.
| Object | S-57 (Edition 3.1) | S-101 (Edition 2.0.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Feature class | OFSPLF | OffshoreProductionArea |
| Vertical datum | VERDAT (single enum) | verticalDatum + verticalUncertainty (mandatory pair) |
| Light character | LITCHR on child LIGHTS | integratedLightSector with arc geometry |
| Product type | PRODCT (optional) | categoryOfOffshoreProduction (mandatory, expanded enum) |
| Update mechanism | ENC update cell (S-57 Supplement 3) | Dataset maintenance record per S-100 Part 10a |
Your survey team needs to figure out which parts of S-101 are relevant to underwater infrastructure. This includes mandatory attributes and the end-user display symbology.
Since each ECDIS handles this differently, the display can vary, even when specifications are met, due to different portrayal catalogues. This is technically and operationally complex. Therefore, ensure that the ECDIS output is consistent with your client’s fleet systems – whether Furuno, JRC, or Navico.
This is no easy task.
2. Ignoring Metadata and Uncertainty Attribution
The S-101 standard requires extensive metadata that was optional in the S-57 standard. Data such as survey date, position uncertainty, depth uncertainty, and feature detection confidence are now mandatory. These data affect safety contours and under-keel clearance calculations by ECDIS systems. Offshore clients using ENC data for route planning in Brazilian waters according to DP2/DP3 regulations will experience the consequences if they disregard uncertainties.
This is critical because, in the case of the Central North Sea pipeline project (2024), a route survey error was directly attributable to incorrect uncertainty values, resulting in costly replanning. Uncertainties related to GNSS errors, motion sensors, sound velocity profiles, and multibeam depth uncertainty must be considered in accordance with IHO Regulation S-44 1a or special regulations. This data should be included in the feature attribution of the S-101 document.
Integrate your data acquisition software, processing tools, and navigation management systems. Most haven’t done so yet.
3. Underestimating QC Workflow Changes
S-57 quality control is a proven method: format check, visual inspection of the ENC file, comparison of the source data. It’s that simple. S-101, however, makes the task considerably more complex: it checks compliance with the feature catalogue, the portrayal rules, and compatibility with other S-100 products.
CHM files are tested with ShoreECDIS and S-100 viewers – but that’s desktop work. On your vessel, quality control should be seamlessly integrated into your workflow. Established S-101 quality control processes increase processing time by about 15% compared to S-57 – after a few projects. Initially, the effort is typically twice as high.
The S-101 product specification comprises approximately 400 pages. Your quality control checklist should therefore cover geometry rules, feature association requirements, attribute completeness, and display scale dependencies. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by automated validators – while they may point out specification violations, they may miss logical inconsistencies that could negatively impact your client’s operations.
A wrecked platform component encoded with incorrect vertical datum attribution will pass validation but give your client wrong depth clearance calculations.
4. Overlooking Dual-Format Deliverable Requirements
Brazil’s transition to the new formats could take two to four years. Contracts will require the output of data from a single survey in both S-57 and S-101 formats. With a mixed fleet, where some vessels are equipped with S-101 ECDIS and others with S-57, two formats are required – but this demands far more than simply clicking two export buttons, let alone a one-to-one mapping between S-57 and S-101.
You’ll have to deal with elements present in one standard but not the other, attributes that don’t transfer, and display settings that distort the data presentation for navigators. In Brazil, CHM has perfected the art of creating custom mapping rules – you will too. Contracts with two formats mean that if an object is changed in one format, a corresponding update in the other format is required, including metadata.
Addressing these challenges requires change management processes that most teams still lack.
Technical Implementation: What Actually Works
Start by checking your configuration. Your ENC production software must support S-101 Edition 2.0-0 or higher. We have reviewed CARIS, ESRI, and several other S-101 module vendors. It’s important to understand that stated support does not mean all necessary elements, such as subsea cables, pipelines, wellheads, underwater structures, and corridors, are covered.
Not all software supports this. You need to determine how your survey features are converted to the correct S-101 encoding ruless. For example, if you have an offshore mooring buoy, a pipeline crossing, an subsea manifold, and a jacket leg, each feature requires its own S-101 encoding rules. Document everything, obtain client approval, and adhere to it.
Update your mapping manual as soon as a new version of S-101 is released. Before you begin fieldwork, your team should be trained on the S-101 attribution requirements. We’re talking about a workshop lasting at least two days, covering the entire feature catalogue structure, the required attributes, and quality assurance procedures.
And of course, you’ll need at least one team member with expert knowledge of S-101 encoding. This is especially important for offshore operations where reliable internet access is unavailable – 200 km offshore on a drilling vessel is a far cry from a broadband hotspot. Conduct a test run in the office with both formats: use archived survey data to generate S-57 and S-101 data and compare the processing times.
Processing S-101 takes 8–12 hours longer per 100 km² than S-57, even with experienced specialists. Use this time to calculate the cost of your application.
Client Expectations: What You’ll Face in Tenders
Attention: Brazilian offshore oil companies like Petrobras and other international oil companies operating in pre-salt areas and developing offshore wind farms will include S-101 in their contract proposals within the next 12 to 18 months. S-101 will initially be considered a desirable feature or future requirement, but will then suddenly become the deciding factor. The tender documents are expected to include:
- Demonstration of S-101 production capability (software, trained personnel, QC procedures)
- Example S-101 deliverables from previous projects or test datasets
- Workflow documentation showing S-101 feature encoding, attribution, and QC steps
- Compatibility statement for client’s ECDIS systems (you’ll need to know their fleet standard) Some clients issue data dictionaries that describe how specific features, required optional attributes, and their acceptable uncertainty should be coded.
Why? Because S-101 allows for various methods of enencoding complex features such as oil platforms with accommodations, helipads, and mooring points, you can encode them as a single complex feature or break them down into smaller parts. Your client will have their own preferences, which you should consider before you begin encoding.
And don’t forget: clients may require S-101 to use S-101 data for archiving and regulatory purposes, but their fleet continues to use S-57 for day-to-day operations. So make sure your contracts cover both formats.
Standards Integration: The Wider S-100 Picture
S-101 is directly integrated into the S-100 framework. Brazil is actively implementing this system, and the focus is on integrating S-100 products. This means that bathymetric (S-102), water level data (S-104), and surface current data (S-111) will seamlessly interact with dynamic environmental data in the future. While the IMCA standard S 022 (Specification for Vessel Data Management) doesn’t yet explicitly mention S-101, the principles remain the same: version control – and this is precisely what confuses many – change tracking, and archiving – everything must be as precise as a Swiss watch, just like any important dataset.
Practical Recommendations
Conduct an S-101 capability assessment now. Evaluate your software configuration, staff training, quality control procedures, and client communication processes to ensure they meet S-101 requirements. Gaps identified? Sure. Then create a 12-month plan. Waiting for a tender to gain experience on a real project?
Conduct an internal S-101 pilot project using archived survey data from the offshore area of Brazil, or another deepwater survey area if no data is available there. Build an S-101 test cell, test it against specifications, use it with various ECDIS systems, and document any errors. This will help you confidently identify problems in your workflow.
Contact CHM Brazil or attend IHO S-100 working group meetings. Do national hydrographic offices share information on S-101 implementation? Contractors participate in these discussions to gather initial information on regional timelines and encoding practices. Ask the right questions in your proposals: Do clients require S-101 services?
Which ECDIS systems will receive the data? Are there specific standards for feature encoding or data dictionaries? Is data required in two formats? Clarifying these questions upfront allows you to estimate costs and timelines before the contract is signed. A tip: For the first three S-101 projects, add 20–25% to the processing time.
This is a realistic timeframe for becoming familiar with the system. Experienced professionals reduce this time to 10–15% after a few projects, compared to the standard S-57 cycle. Reducing this buffer for proposal preparation leads to cost overruns and rework. The transition to S-101 in Suape, Brazil, is an important wake-up call for Latin American teams working overseas.
They have 24–36 months until the transition becomes mandatory. Teams that act now have long since established their reputation. Teams that hesitate are demonstrating competencies they don’t possess by either delaying their commitments or haggling over contract changes. This will significantly determine who benefits.
