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The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport. The MCA is responsible throughout the UK for implementing and developing the UK Government’s maritime safety and environmental protection policy. That includes co-ordinating Search and Rescue at sea through His Majesty’s Coastguard 24 hours a day, and checking that ships meet UK and international safety rules. The MCA work to prevent the loss of lives at the coast and at sea, to ensure that ships are safe, and to prevent coastal pollution: Safer Lives, Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas.

The MCA plays a unique role within Government in discharging the UK's statutory hydrographic obligations under the United Nations’ Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention. The MCA funds, manages and delivers the UK Civil Hydrography Programme (CHP). The CHP is a multi-million-pound MCA-led Government initiative to prioritise, survey and map UK waters in order to keep UK nautical charts and publications current, safe and fit for purpose.

This multi-disciplined marine data gathering programme is targeted at areas of highest navigational safety risk. The CHP work scopes are:

Lot 1 Shallow Water – typically water depths 0-200m, predominantly depths less than 40m;

Lot 2 Medium Water – typically water depths 0-200m;

Lot 3 Routine Resurvey – navigationally critical shallow water areas with mobile seabed;

Lot 4: Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, Section 2 Surveys - SS Richard Montgomery;

Lot 5: Supplementary Hydrographic Survey Services.