The Ocean Map that can be trusted : About the making of sea charts as it was and as it will be

For centuries the drawing of a map of coastal waters or ´sea chart´, was in the hands of the navy of a coastal nation. This was considered logical as the need for charts primarily was in warfare. Since as of today the commercial shipping has differing requirements, the demand for bespoke charts for use by e.g. large container ships or cruise ships is growing. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, stipulates in its Safety Of Life At Sea regulations (SOLAS) that only charts published by national authorities such as the Hydrographic Office (HO) of a Navy shall be used in navigation at sea. This, however, puts an HO in a predicament: whom shall it serve in the first place, the Navy or the Chamber of Commerce? In his paper the author outlines why charts by HOs in some cases are no longer suitable, and how to make ´non-governmental charts´ equivalent to ‘official charts’ so that they can be accepted by the IMO for use in navigation.