Hydrographic Offices and Chart Publishers Catalogue – Nautic Way Maritime Bookshop

Introduction

The Hydrographic Offices and Chart Publishers Catalogue of Nautic Way Maritime Bookshop brings together the main official producers of nautical charts and specialist maritime chart publishers. It makes it possible to identify a nautical chart according to its hydrographic office, country of origin, navigation area, scale and type of representation.

A nautical chart is not selected solely according to the destination. The hydrographic office that produces it, the area covered, the chart scale and the level of detail are all important criteria. Navigation departing from Brest, Cherbourg or Marseille does not require the same chart references as a voyage in the Caribbean, an Atlantic crossing or navigation in the Pacific.

The catalogue includes publications from Shom, Admiralty, NGA, the Canadian Hydrographic Service, the Australian Hydrographic Office, Kartverket and many other national hydrographic offices. It also includes specialist publishers such as NV Charts, Navicarte and selected Imray publications.

What is a hydrographic office?

A national hydrographic office is an organisation responsible for producing, maintaining or distributing hydrographic information intended in particular to support safe navigation. Its data makes it possible to represent depths, soundings, hazards, shoals, wrecks, channels, navigational aids, lights, port facilities and many other features useful to mariners.

In France, Shom, the French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service, is the national hydrographic office. Its catalogue includes ocean charts, general charts, coastal charts, approach charts, harbour charts and anchorage plans.

Internationally, different maritime areas may be covered by different national hydrographic offices. When planning an international voyage, it is therefore important to identify the relevant charting authority for the area concerned.

The catalogue can be used to search for:

• an official nautical chart for a particular country;

• a coastal or offshore chart;

• a harbour approach chart;

• a harbour or anchorage plan;

• an ocean chart for an offshore passage;

• a paper or digital nautical chart;

• a chart covering a specific geographical area;

• a chart suitable for professional or recreational navigation.

Main hydrographic offices and publishers in the catalogue

The Nautic Way catalogue covers numerous maritime and oceanic regions. Some of the most representative producers include:

• Shom – Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine, for France and numerous French areas of charting responsibility;

• Admiralty – United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), providing particularly extensive international coverage;

• NGA – National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, notably for numerous international and oceanic areas;

• Canadian Hydrographic Service, covering Canadian waters, including the North Atlantic, North Pacific and Arctic regions;

• Australian Hydrographic Office, covering Australia and neighbouring maritime areas;

• Kartverket, for Norway and northern waters;

• Icelandic Hydrographic Office, for Iceland;

• Indian National Hydrographic Office, for Indian maritime areas;

• Japan Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department, for Japan and surrounding waters;

• Land Information New Zealand, for New Zealand;

• Hrvatski Hidrografski Institut, for Croatia and the Adriatic;

• Egyptian National Hydrographic Department, notably for Egyptian waters in the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

Alongside official hydrographic offices, the catalogue also includes specialist publishers such as NV Charts, Navicarte and selected Imray publications, depending on the ranges concerned.

Shom nautical charts: French hydrographic charting

Shom plays a central role in French maritime cartography. Its charts cover the English Channel, Iroise Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay and Mediterranean Sea, as well as numerous French overseas areas.

Shom charts can be used to plan navigation around Brest, Saint-Malo, Cherbourg, Le Havre, La Rochelle, Lorient, Arcachon, Bayonne, Marseille, Toulon, Ajaccio and Bastia.

The Shom catalogue includes different families of nautical documents. C charts are conventional nautical charts. L charts provide a folded, more compact presentation. G charts provide information relating to seabed characteristics, while Z charts cover certain specific areas such as exercise or firing zones. Shom also provides digital cartographic data, including raster formats.

The official Shom catalogue distinguishes between general charts, ocean and passage charts, coastal charts, as well as harbour and anchorage charts. This classification illustrates the importance of chart scale when selecting a nautical chart.

Admiralty: international coverage

Admiralty charts, produced by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, are a major reference for international navigation.

They cover numerous regions, including the English Channel, North Sea, North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Pacific Ocean and many coastal areas around the world.

They can be used to plan routes involving ports such as Portsmouth, Southampton, Dover, Rotterdam, Gibraltar, Lisbon, Palma and Valletta, as well as ports throughout the Caribbean and Indian Ocean.

For international navigation, the Admiralty catalogue is particularly useful when a route crosses several countries. A voyage from Marseille to Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Greece, for example, involves several hydrographic areas and different chart scales.

Nautical charts for the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the major areas covered by the catalogue.

Navigation may involve the French coast between Marseille, Toulon, Cannes and Nice, Corsica with Ajaccio, Bastia and Bonifacio, followed by Sardinia, Sicily, Italy, Croatia, Greece or Turkey.

Depending on the area, mariners may use Shom, Admiralty, NV Charts or charts produced by the relevant national hydrographic offices.

The Mediterranean also includes several important charting regions: the Western Mediterranean, Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea and Aegean Sea. A general chart covering a large area does not necessarily replace a detailed coastal chart or harbour approach plan.

English Channel, North Sea and Atlantic

The English Channel and North Sea have a high density of maritime traffic, channels, sandbanks, ports and traffic separation schemes.

Charts may cover French ports such as Dunkirk, Calais, Dieppe, Le Havre, Cherbourg, Granville and Saint-Malo, as well as the British, Belgian, Dutch and German coasts.

In the Atlantic Ocean, the required chart scale changes according to the type of navigation. Coastal navigation between Brest, Lorient, La Rochelle and Bordeaux requires detailed charts, while an ocean crossing towards the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands or the Caribbean also requires general and ocean charts suitable for the route.

Caribbean, tropical Atlantic and ocean crossings

International hydrographic offices and specialist publishers also make it possible to plan navigation in the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic.

Charts may cover Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Antigua, the Virgin Islands, Grenada and the approaches to the Panama Canal.

For an Atlantic crossing from the Canary Islands or Cape Verde to the Caribbean, chart selection must take the entire route into account rather than focusing only on the departure or destination point.

Shom, Admiralty, NGA and specialist chart publications can provide coverage for the different stages of an ocean passage.

Indian Ocean, Red Sea and Pacific Ocean

The catalogue also covers maritime areas much farther from European waters.

In the Indian Ocean, navigation may involve Madagascar, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion, the Maldives, India or approaches to the Red Sea. Mariners may then require charts from national hydrographic offices or Admiralty and NGA charts depending on the area.

In the Pacific Ocean, charting may cover Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Pacific islands or transpacific routes.

For a round-the-world voyage, chart selection should be carried out route by route according to the areas crossed, the available scales and the relevant producing authorities.

How to choose a nautical chart by hydrographic office

Chart selection can be carried out using a simple method:

• 1. Identify the navigation area: English Channel, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Pacific, etc.

• 2. Identify the country or hydrographic area concerned.

• 3. Identify the relevant hydrographic office or chart publisher.

• 4. Determine the required chart scale: ocean, general, coastal, approach or harbour.

• 5. Check the chart number and title.

• 6. Check the format: folded chart, flat chart, folio or other presentation.

• 7. For digital charts, check the format and compatibility with the navigation software or system being used.

• 8. For a long voyage, check the complete route, including approaches and ports of call.

This method helps avoid selecting a chart that is too general when navigation requires detailed information about the coastline, channels or harbour approaches.

Official nautical charts, private publishers and geographical coverage

Official hydrographic offices and specialist publishers should not necessarily be viewed as competing alternatives. They may meet different navigation requirements.

National hydrographic offices are the institutional source of much official hydrographic data. Specialist publishers may offer formats, presentations or regional chart series particularly suited to recreational boating and specific cruising areas.

The mariner should therefore first check geographical coverage, scale, purpose and currency of the chart.

For navigation in France, Shom is naturally a major reference. For international navigation, Admiralty, NGA, national hydrographic offices and specialist publishers such as NV Charts can complement one another depending on the region.

Why is chart scale so important?

A small-scale chart represents a large area with less detail. It is suitable for planning an overall route or for ocean navigation.

Conversely, a large-scale chart represents a smaller area but provides significantly more detail. It is particularly useful when approaching a harbour, channel, anchorage or area containing numerous hazards.

A voyage between two continents may therefore require several levels of chart coverage: an ocean chart for the overall route, coastal charts for approaches and detailed charts for harbours and anchorages.

A catalogue for both coastal and offshore navigation

The Nautic Way Hydrographic Offices and Chart Publishers Catalogue meets a wide range of requirements: coastal navigation, cruising, fishing, professional navigation, yacht delivery, racing, offshore cruising and ocean passages.

It can be used to identify suitable chart coverage for a short passage around Brest as well as Mediterranean navigation, an Atlantic crossing, a route to the Caribbean or a voyage across the Pacific.

The diversity of chart producers is a direct consequence of the geography of the world's oceans. No single national hydrographic office covers all seas and oceans. Selecting a nautical chart must therefore always be associated with a specific geographical area.

Conclusion

The Hydrographic Offices and Chart Publishers Catalogue of Nautic Way Maritime Bookshop provides a structured entry point into international marine cartography. It brings together major official hydrographic offices and specialist publishers, allowing mariners to search by producer, maritime area and type of chart.

From Shom for France to Admiralty for numerous international regions, as well as NGA and the hydrographic offices of Canada, Australia, Norway, Croatia, Japan and many other countries, each producer has its own areas of responsibility.

To select a nautical chart correctly, four fundamental criteria should therefore be considered together: the navigation area, the hydrographic office or publisher, the chart scale and the type of chart. This approach makes it possible to build consistent chart coverage, from French coastal waters to major ocean routes.

FAQ – Hydrographic Offices and Chart Publishers Catalogue

What is a hydrographic office?

A hydrographic office is an organisation responsible for producing, maintaining or distributing hydrographic data and nautical publications, particularly to support safe navigation.

What is the French hydrographic office?

Shom, the French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service, is France's national hydrographic office. It produces nautical charts covering French coastal waters and numerous areas under French charting responsibility.

What are the main international hydrographic offices?

Major producers include the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and its Admiralty portfolio, the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Canadian Hydrographic Service, the Australian Hydrographic Office, Kartverket in Norway, and numerous other national hydrographic offices throughout Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

Which charts should I use for navigation in France?

For French coastal waters, Shom charts are a major reference. The appropriate chart scale and level of detail should then be selected according to the navigation area and type of voyage.

Which charts should I use for an Atlantic crossing?

An Atlantic crossing generally requires chart coverage appropriate to the different stages of the route, including general or ocean charts followed by coastal and approach charts for departure and arrival areas.

What is the difference between a coastal chart and an ocean chart?

A coastal chart covers a smaller area with more detail. An ocean chart covers a much larger area and is mainly used for planning and monitoring offshore routes.

Can several hydrographic offices be used for the same voyage?

Yes. On an international route, it is common to use charts from several hydrographic offices or publishers depending on the countries and maritime areas crossed.

Why are there several charts for the same region?

The same region may be covered by different scales, levels of detail and producers. A general chart, coastal chart and harbour plan do not serve the same navigation purpose.

Which specialist publishers complement official hydrographic offices?

Publishers such as NV Charts, Navicarte and selected Imray publications can complement official hydrographic office products depending on the geographical area and intended use.

How do I choose a nautical chart for an international voyage?

Start by defining the route precisely, identify the maritime areas crossed, then select the appropriate hydrographic office or publisher for each area, the required scale and the harbour or approach charts needed for the various ports of call.