Carnival Corporation & plc Through Its Center for Simulator Maritime Training Completes A Series of Bridge Simulator Tests Evaluating S-100 Navigational Data

Published: 2026-04-20 08:36:18 ET CCL

Published on 04/20/2026 at 08:36 am EDT

Carnival Corporation & plc has completed a series of bridge simulator tests evaluating S-100 navigational data in collaboration with international hydrographic offices and industry partners under the International Hydrographic Organization's (IHO) S-100 Test Bed and Sea Trial in Confined Waters. S-100 is a new digital framework developed by the IHO to deliver richer, real-time maritime data for more precise and efficient navigation in complex port environments. The simulator tests brought together ports, marine pilots, shipboard captains and deck officers, shore-based marine managers, maritime technology providers, and national hydrographic offices from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand to evaluate S-100 navigational data in confined-water environments.

The S-100 in confined waters initiative was recognized as an official IHO Test Bed and Sea Trial, and captured user feedback to support the continued evolution of S-100 standards. Developed within the IHO S-100 framework using data produced by national hydrographic offices and other industry partners, S-100 integrates multiple types of safety-critical maritime information ? including electronic charts, port data and real-time marine conditions such as water levels, tides and currents ?

into a unified navigational environment displayed on a ship's Electronic Chart Display Information System (ECDIS). By giving mariners a more complete and dynamic picture of their surroundings as they are operating in real time, S-100 data will significantly improve situational awareness, leading to more informed decision-making, which will be particularly powerful to operating safely and efficiently in complex and confined waters where operational margins are small. The simulator trials replicated navigation scenarios from four ports, with different operational complexity: the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands; Port of Napier, New Zealand; Port of Melbourne, Australia and Port of Southampton, United Kingdom.

The S-100 test data sets were produced by the national hydrographic offices of Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand and United Kingdom as well as by the Port of Rotterdam, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and OMC International. Participants conducted repeated port approaches, transits and departures while using bridge simulators equipped with two S-100 capable ECDIS systems provided by Teledyne and OSI Maritime Systems and two Portable Pilot Units provided by QPS and SEAiq Pilot. All the four systems were connected to two Wartsila Full Mission Bridge simulators.

During the simulations, mariners actively switched between different S-100 data layers, using datasets developed through the IHO Test Bed by participating national hydrographic offices, while maneuvering through simulated port scenarios with tight operational margins. These layers provided detailed information such as three-dimensional seabed representation, changing tidal heights, currents' strength and direction, and under keel clearance management overlays, allowing users to integrate this additional information into planning and conduct of the pilotage. The simulator environment enabled direct collaboration among end users, data producers and system developers, allowing immediate feedback on data resolution, accuracy, coverage and usability.

This approach proved critical to identifying how S-100 products can be optimized for specific port operations without overwhelming the navigator. S-100 represents a significant shift in how navigation data is created, shared and used. Rather than relying solely on static chart information, S-100 enables multiple, dynamic data sources to be layered together, helping mariners better understand changing conditions that directly affect vessel maneuverability in real-time as they are operating.

This IHO S-100 Test Bed and Sea Trial in Confined Waters was delivered through close collaboration among Carnival Corporation and CSMART; the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office; the Netherlands Hydrographic Office; the Australian Hydrographic Office; the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA); Land Information New Zealand; the Port of Rotterdam; the Port of Napier; Port Phillip Sea Pilots (Melbourne); Loodswezen (Rotterdam Pilots); the United Kingdom Maritime Pilots Association; and maritime technology partners including Wärtsilä Voyage Simulation, Teledyne, Raymarine Commercial, SevenCs, OMC International, OSI Maritime Systems, QPS and SEAiq Pilot.