UKHO sells SevenCs & ChartWorld
The UK Hydrographic Office has sold SevenCs and its subsidiary, ChartWorld, to Dutch-Belgian-Trading GmbH (DBT), the maritime trading and investment company in Hamburg.
Originally acquired by the UKHO in 2005, SevenCs specialises in development of software for the maritime navigation industry while ChartWorld provides digital maritime data and data services to professional mariners. Both companies are based in Hamburg.
Ian Moncrieff, former UK national hydrographer and now the Admiralty’s chief executive, said the sale forms part of a strategy to focus the UKHO’s resources on its core areas of expertise. A self funding organisation within the Ministry of Defence, it reportedly made a profit of almost £22m from its commercial activities in 2010-11, with its charts being used by nearly 70% of international shipping.
