There is still fierce debate in the international community regarding the use and standards of electronic chart data and equipment. Whilst the standards for ecdis are now virtually complete and type-approved equipment will be entering the market during 1998, there is currently no IMO/IHO compliant enc data service from any national hydrographic office. It is expected that it will be 1 to 2 years before there is any appreciable quantity of enc data supported by a proper update service. It will be many more years before enc data becomes available to match the present coverage of paper charts, but we can expect that most major routes and the port entries of the majority of the world's trading nations will be available within a few years. This situation is examined, together with the ideas that IMO is considering to improve the availability of official electronic chart data. In addition, the distribution of electronic charts is discussed and the future trends in navigation that will occur with the availability of ecdis equipment and related data are explored.