On Wednesday, the Ministry of the Interior organized an event on Taiwan’s electronic navigational charts, or ENCs. Over the last three years, Taiwan has sold more than 1.2 million ENCs to about 20,000 ships, generating a revenue of NT$120 million.
Taiwan’s ENCs are created in compliance with international standards and include data on waters surrounding outlying islands and major ports. They show information such as coastline characteristics, water depths, and geographic coordinates, so navigational officers can better understand the waters they’re sailing. They are used by cargo ships from home and abroad to reduce congestion. Deputy interior minister Hua Ching-chun says electronic navigational charts are very important to Taiwan, as they protect the country’s sovereignty over its territorial seas and its rights over its exclusive economic zone.
