Piloting S-124 Navigational Warnings via VDES: From Plotting to MMS Deployment in Denmark

As part of the MaDaMe project under Interreg Baltic Sea Region, Denmark has begun piloting the next-generation maritime communication services designed to make navigational information faster, clearer, and more reliable.

Demonstration of the End-to-End Data Flow

In Denmark, the pilot team demonstrated the complete workflow, from the creation of an S-124 Navigational Warning (NW) to its transmission over VDE-TER and reception onboard the vessel. The demonstration video (MaDaMe Project Demonstration – S-124 Navigation Warning over VDE-TER) illustrates how an MSI operator, in this case, the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), generates a structured S-124 message, and sends it through the MMS Network.

The message is picked up by the Sternula MMS Proxy Shore and transmitted over the VDE-TER network from a shore-based VDES transceiver to a ship with a VDES transponder, utilizing a VHF antenna onboard. Sternula MMS Proxy Ship serves as the glue that binds all components together, decoding the secure data and displaying the S-124 NW directly on the ship’s Electronic Navigation System (ENS).

This setup shows how future maritime communication systems can support timely, standardized, and automated safety information. The next phases of the project will use these findings to refine service specifications, improve message routing, and prepare for wider regional adoption.

Programme Manual Online

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