Transas Ltd., the exclusive distributor of Russian ENCs, has concluded an agreement with PRIMAR, the official regional electronic navigation chart (ENC) coordinating center. The contract, which was signed on January 1, 2001, by Evgeny Komrakov, Director General of Transas's office in Russia, and Asbjørn Kyrkjeeide, General Manager of PRIMAR, brings the number of nations offering their ENCs through PRIMAR to 12. Commenting, Mr. Kyrkjeeide said the agreement marked a major step forward for the PRIMAR service and its operations in general, and reflected the trend towards growing cooperation between the centre and the worldwide maritime community. The Russian Hydrographic Office plans to produce some 400 ENC files of the Baltic, Barents and Black Seas, during 2001.