SHOM

SHOM
Name	SHOM
Native name	Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine
Formation	1720 (precursors), 1886 (modern), 1971 (current name)
Type	Public administration
Headquarters	Brest, Île-de-France, Paris
Leader title	Director
Parent organization	French Navy

SHOM The Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine (SHOM) is the French naval agency responsible for national hydrography and operational oceanography. It supports maritime navigation, naval operations, fisheries, coastal management and scientific research by producing nautical charts, tide tables, bathymetric data and oceanographic forecasts. SHOM operates within the framework of French defense and maritime policies and represents France in numerous international maritime organizations.

History

The roots of SHOM trace back to early hydrographic efforts linked to the Louis XV era and later institutionalized during the reign of Napoleon III with links to the development of the French Navy and colonial expansion. Nineteenth-century milestones included systematic surveys inspired by the work of figures like Ferdinand Magellan-era navigators and contemporary European services such as the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and the Admiralty. The evolution continued through interactions with the Maritime Code of France reforms, wartime needs in the Franco-Prussian War and both World War I and World War II, which shaped hydrographic priorities alongside advances by institutions such as the Institut océanographique de Paris and naval academies like the École Navale. Postwar scientific developments and the emergence of organizations such as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the International Hydrographic Organization influenced the modern structure formalized in the late 20th century.

Organization and governance

SHOM is an operational arm linked administratively to the Ministry of Armed Forces and cooperates with the Ministry for the Sea and national agencies such as the Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière and the Météo-France service. Its governance includes a directorate that liaises with military commands including the French Navy staff and research establishments like the Centre national de la recherche scientifique and the Ifremer. Internal directorates coordinate hydrographic surveying, oceanographic modeling, cartography and maritime services, and SHOM staffs scientific, technical and naval personnel trained at institutions such as the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées.

Missions and responsibilities

SHOM’s statutory missions encompass issuance of authoritative nautical charts and publications used for safe navigation by commercial fleets such as those of CMA CGM, by fishing vessels, and by naval units including carriers like Charles de Gaulle (R91). It provides tide tables relevant to ports such as Le Havre, Marseille, Brest, Nouméa and Papeete and delivers bathymetric and seabed data for projects like offshore wind developments linked to companies such as EDF Renewables and maritime infrastructure authorities like Port of Le Havre. SHOM also supplies oceanographic forecasts used by meteorological bodies including Météo-France and international centers like Copernicus and supports safety and security operations coordinated with agencies such as Centre Régional Opérationnel de Surveillance et de Sauvetage and navies like the United States Navy and Royal Navy in joint exercises.

Hydrographic and oceanographic products and services

SHOM produces official paper and digital nautical charts comparable to outputs from the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with publications such as sailing directions and pilot books used in ports from Dakar to Noumea. Products include electronic navigational charts (ENCs) conforming to International Hydrographic Organization standards; tidal atlases; bathymetric grids that feed into global compilations like the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans; and oceanographic bulletins used by research vessels like Pourquoi Pas?. SHOM maintains maritime geospatial datasets interoperable with infrastructures such as the European Marine Observation and Data Network and services like EMODnet and supports merchant shipping lines including Maersk and cruise operators like Carnival Corporation.

Research and technological development

SHOM undertakes applied research in oceanography, hydrography, seabed mapping and marine geodesy, collaborating with research entities such as the Centre européen de recherche et d'enseignement des géosciences de l'environnement and laboratories affiliated to the CNRS. It develops technologies for multibeam sonar, autonomous underwater vehicles akin to platforms used by Ifremer and remote sensing techniques employed by missions like Sentinel of the Copernicus Programme. SHOM contributes to methodological advances in datum realization and vertical reference systems relevant to projects like the European Vertical Reference System and to operational ocean forecasting systems comparable to those developed by Mercator Ocean. It also trains technical personnel in partnership with universities such as Université Bretagne Occidentale.

International cooperation and partnerships

SHOM represents France within the International Hydrographic Organization and collaborates extensively with national hydrographic offices such as the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and regional actors including the European Commission through initiatives like EMODnet. It engages in bilateral and multilateral projects with entities such as UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, NATO maritime commands, and development agencies operating in francophone regions like Agence Française de Développement. SHOM contributes data to global initiatives such as the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans and works with commercial and academic partners including IFREMER, CNRS, and port authorities to advance maritime safety, environmental monitoring and sustainable blue economy objectives.

Category:Hydrography