Following similar distribution arrangements with several other Far East nations, this latest deal will bring the UKHO a major step closer to providing its customers with a single source for all their official ENC needs, said product manager Andy Criddle.

The new ENCs supplied by the JHA provide comprehensive coverage of Japanese waters at Overview, General, Coastal, Approach and Harbour scales including the key ports of Kobe, Nagoya and Tokyo. In addition, those for the busy and important Malacca Strait, reputed to carry approximately 60,000 vessels a year between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, are provided via the same agreement.