United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

Agency overview
Formed	2001
Headquarters	Admiralty Way Taunton TA1 2DN
Employees	approx 900
Minister responsible	Vernon Coaker, Minister of State for Defence
Agency executive	Vanessa Blake, Interim Chief Executive [1]
Parent agency	Ministry of Defence
Website	gov.uk/ukho

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is the UK's agency for providing hydrographic and marine geospatial data to mariners and maritime organisations across the world. The UKHO is a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and is located in Taunton, Somerset, with a workforce of approximately 900 staff.

The UKHO is responsible for operational support to the Royal Navy and other defence customers. Supplying defence and the commercial shipping industry, they help ensure Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), protect the marine environment and support the efficiency of global trade.^{[citation needed]}

The UKHO also produces Admiralty charts, providing SOLAS-compliant charts, publications and digital services for ships trading internationally.