Civil Hydrography Programme: Systematic Surveying of UK Coastal Waters
Summary
The UK Hydrographic Office publishes guidance on the Civil Hydrography Programme administered by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The programme conducts systematic surveys of UK coastal waters, analysing areas with highly mobile seabeds and applying updates to nautical charts and publications. The guidance provides links to routine resurvey analysis reports spanning 2012 to 2025.
What changed
The Civil Hydrography Programme guidance describes the systematic hydrographic surveying of UK coastal waters administered by the MCA with technical oversight from UKHO. The programme undertakes routine resurveys in areas with highly mobile seabeds, analyses changes, and applies updates to nautical charts and publications as necessary.
Maritime operators and nautical chart users should monitor programme updates for changes to charts and publications in areas where they operate. The programme assesses whether survey frequency should be revised based on seabed mobility, which may affect chart accuracy in certain regions over time.
What to do next
- Monitor the Civil Hydrography Programme for chart updates in areas of operation
Archived snapshot
Apr 16, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Guidance
The Civil Hydrography Programme
The systematic survey of the UK’s coastal waters
From: UK Hydrographic Office Published 29 August 2014 Last updated 31 March 2026
— See all updates Get emails about this page Print this page Systematic surveying of the UK’s coastal waters is administered by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) under the Civil Hydrography Programme, with technical oversight, data validation and onward charting undertaken by the UK Hydrographic Office. Under the programme, the MCA has issued a number of long-term commercial contracts to ensure accurate hydrographic information is gathered for updating the nation’s nautical charts and publications.
View the MCA Civil Hydrography Programme website.
Routine resurveys are undertaken in areas where the seabed is highly mobile. We analyse these surveys to identify changes that have occurred and apply updates to charts if necessary. We also assess whether the limits and survey frequency should be revised.
Analysis Reports - 2025 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2025 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2024 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2024 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2023 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2023 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2022 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2022 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2021 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2021 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2020 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2020 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2019 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2019 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2018 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2018 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2017 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2017 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2016 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2016 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2015 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2015 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2014 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2014 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2013 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2013 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - 2012 routine resurveys
View the Analysis Reports - 2012 routine resurveys
Analysis Reports - pre 2012 routine resurveys
View the pre 2012 analysis reports
ADMIRALTY surveys of the UK (Q6090)
The ‘limited use’ chart Q6090 shows the limits and standards of ADMIRALTY surveys, including contract surveys to ADMIRALTY specifications around the United Kingdom. Not all of these surveys are available in digital format. For more detail on the availability of surveys, see our ADMIRALTY Marine Data Portal guide.
Q6090March2026 (PDF, 2.14 MB, 1 page)
Updates to this page
Published 29 August 2014 Last updated 31 March 2026 show all updates
1.
31 March 2026
UK Hydrographic Office survey status udpated to March 2026
2.
4 February 2026
Added 2025 routine resurvey reports.
3.
3 November 2025
Added Routine resurvey reports - 2024 Surveys.
4.
1 October 2025
Q6090 updated to September 2025.
5.
28 July 2025
Updated Q6090
6.
12 September 2024
Routine resurvey reports for 2023
7.
7 October 2022
File attachment from March replaced with updated September attachment
8.
19 April 2021
Q6090 document updated.
9.
7 November 2019
Q6090 updated for September.
10.
16 May 2019
Updated Q6090 file.
11.
28 January 2019
Updated with Q6090 to October 2018 and Routine Resurvey Reports from 2016 and 2017
12.
31 August 2016
The United Kingdom British Isles hydrographic survey status has been updated.
13.
18 April 2016
United Kingdom British Isles hydrographic survey status updated from September 2015 to March 2016
14.
21 October 2015
2014 routine resurvey reports publsihed
15.
16 July 2015
2015 hydrographic survey status uploaded
16.
27 January 2015
Latest chart Q6090 uploaded
17.
29 August 2014
First published.
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