UKHO to withdraw paper chart production I 2026

[SV Tom Crean]

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has announced its intention to withdraw from global paper chart production by late 2026 and to increase its focus on digital navigation products and services.

The organisation says that plans to withdraw its portfolio of Admiralty Standard Nautical Charts and thematic charts in response to more marine, naval and leisure users primarily using digital products and services for navigation.

The phased withdrawal of paper charts from production will take place over a number of years and is anticipated to conclude in late 2026. In parallel, the UKHO says it will develop viable, official digital alternatives for sectors still using paper chart products.

[Anders]

About time. My tax money has better uses than printing obsolete paper charts.

[muttnik]

Originally Posted by Anders

About time. My tax money has better uses than printing obsolete paper charts.

As I understand it the UKHO operates as an independent (profitable) organisation which generates revenue.

[SV Tom Crean]

Originally Posted by muttnik

As I understand it the UKHO operates as an independent (profitable) organisation which generates revenue.

Absolutely and they are quite profitable. I’m from Ireland and thanks to the colonisation of Ireland by “the brits” hundreds of years ago, our charts and soundings are all Crown Copyright. UKHO owns the rights to the chart data in Ireland!

I’ll miss the paper charts - something you grow up with and I always loved taking out the dividers and plotter and taking sights. But time moves on and I’m firmly in the digital age now.

[AedanC]

Originally Posted by SV Tom Crean

I’m from Ireland and thanks to the colonisation of Ireland by “the brits” hundreds of years ago, our charts and soundings are all Crown Copyright. UKHO owns the rights to the chart data in Ireland!

Presumably the soundings data ownership will change as the Infomar survey data becomes available and filters down to the chart producers. However there is other data on the charts that may still cause problems.

[SV Tom Crean]

Originally Posted by AedanC

Presumably the soundings data ownership will change as the Infomar survey data becomes available and filters down to the chart producers. However there is other data on the charts that may still cause problems.

Doesn't change with digital charts - UkHO still has copyright over the data and licenses it to other chart producers (and collects royalties).

I still use paper passage charts for planning on long passages but apart from that, it's all done on an ipad.

[AedanC]

Originally Posted by SV Tom Crean

Doesn't change with digital charts - UkHO still has copyright over the data and licenses it to other chart producers (and collects royalties).

I don’t think the chart format is really relevant. I understand the UK claim ownership of our soundings data as the surveys took place before independence. Shortly (in fact already for some areas) there will be an alternative source of that data which is in Irish government ownership and free for all to use. Why can’t that change things a bit?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by AedanC

I don’t think the chart format is really relevant. I understand the UK claim ownership of our soundings data as the surveys took place before independence. Shortly (in fact already for some areas) there will be an alternative source of that data which is in Irish government ownership and free for all to use. Why can’t that change things a bit?

Infomar survey data isn’t free per se. Nor am I aware that digital chart products will be available from the GSI and if they were they certainly won’t be free. Google was forced to travel the length and breath of the country as OSI wanted millions for its high res digital road maps.

Far more likely that the UKHO will license the data. The UKHO only claims copyright over information it legally owns. It also has many licensed data sets it pays for.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by SV Tom Crean

Absolutely and they are quite profitable. I’m from Ireland and thanks to the colonisation of Ireland by “the brits” hundreds of years ago, our charts and soundings are all Crown Copyright. UKHO owns the rights to the chart data in Ireland!

I’ll miss the paper charts - something you grow up with and I always loved taking out the dividers and plotter and taking sights. But time moves on and I’m firmly in the digital age now.

The Brits were obliged to "colonize" you because you kept inviting the French in to use Ireland as a base to invade England, so blame the French.

If the Brits collected the information at their expense it's theirs to do what they like with.

Be nice if they would continue to print sets and bind them in a format similar to the US Pilot Charts for backup purposes.