Tag: UKHO

Our oceans are critical to so many aspects of our day-to-day lives. In the UK alone, they provide jobs for over 500,000 people, contribute more than £47 billion to the economy, and are the means through which 95% of all trade reaches the UK. Globally, people rely on the ocean for trade, food, energy and other valuable resources, as well as enabling environmental protection and international aid.

The UK Hydrographic Office has presented Security of Navigation, Stabilisation Advice and Training to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Seychelles. The training is designed to improve maritime security and safety of navigation in the Indian Ocean by helping Seychelles share crucial maritime safety information with ships and partners in the region. 

UK government has funded a new study intended to identify future data requirements for autonomous shipping. Comprising partners as the UK Hydrographic Office, L3 ASV and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the study seeks to explore how navigational and wider geospatial data can be used to enable the safe navigation of smart and unmanned autonomous vessels.

The UK government will invest £5 million to help the UK Hydrographic Office and partner bodies on Geospatial Commission enhance the value of location-based information. UK's Geospatial Commission aims to improve the quality of key, publicly-held data and make it easier to access and use.

UKHO deployed a motorboat to survey waters off Dominica, as part of the CME Programme. Data from the survey will be used to update navigation charts of the region and help Dominica to meet its international maritime obligations, including Implementation of IMO IIIC.

The UK Hydrographic Office shared the results of a seabed mapping program to improve safe navigation in Cayman waters. This program will help the Cayman Islands to comply with the Safety of Life at Sea Convention. The project aims to publish new charts with data from the areas that will be surveyed.

UKHO introduced route diagrams alongside tabulated waypoint and route data to help mariners find key information quickly. It has also identified the world’s busiest trade routes for inclusion in the new edition, as well as those that are emerging. New route additions include voyages for ships calling at important commodity hubs in the Black Sea and Persian Gulf.

After a stakeholder meeting took place along the Belize Port Authority and wider government earlier in January, priority areas will be surveyed, capturing sonar data of Belize's main ports and approaches. Namely, high frequency mapping sonars are being used, which have no negative impact on its diverse ecosystems and marine life.

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office announced that it is introducing regular tidal data updates to ADMIRALTY TotalTide. Version 18 will allow the UKHO to send new tidal data to mariners through ATT on a more frequent basis. This will allow mariners to access the latest tidal data when making predictions.

UKHO published a revised edition to help bridge crews record and manage cyber risks. The update was developed in accordance with IMO's guidance, stating that approved SMS should consider cyber risk management in line with the ISM code before January 2021.